WGU Psychology Study Guide 100%
Accurate!
Define mind - ANSWERSnonphysical manifestation of the brain's activity. What the
brain DOES.
Define behavior - ANSWERSThe outwardly observable acts of a person, either alone or
in a group
Define science - ANSWERSStriving to solidify facts by using objective evidence
What are the three levels of analysis? - ANSWERSbrain, person, group
Level of the brain - ANSWERSfocus on both the activity of the brain and the structure
and properties of the organ itself: brain cells and their connections, the chemical liquid
in which they exist, and the genes that give rise to them.
Level of the person - ANSWERSfocus on mental events, the contents and functions of
the mind
divide mental events into two types, mental contents and mental processes
Define mental contents - ANSWERSconsist of knowledge; beliefs (including ideas,
explanations, and expectations); desires (such as hopes, goals, and needs); and
feelings (such as fear, sadness, joy, and guilt).
Define mental processes - ANSWERSconsist of sets of operations that work together to
complete a function, such as attention, perception, or memory. These operations are
like the chopping, measuring, and mixing that goes into cooking, and the different
mental contents are analogous to different ingredients in cooking.
Level of the group - ANSWERSfocus on the ways collections of people (as few as two
or as many as a society) shape the mind and behavior.
To study human minds and behavior, psychologists often look at specific groups of
people. Groups can vary in their demographics and organization. Some groups are
official, such as the Girl Scouts or the Knights of Columbus. Other groups are studied
based on their demographics, such as groups that include only one type of culture, a
specific age range, or only one sex.
Structuralism - ANSWERSWundt
,Uses introspection to discover the elements of the mind and rules for combining them
Functionalism - ANSWERSJames
Studies WHY thoughts, feelings, and behavior occur and how they are adaptive.
Gestalt Psychology - ANSWERSWertheimer
Focus on overall patterns of thoughts or experience; "the whole is more than the sum of
its parts."
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWERSFreud
Conflicts among conscious and unconscious forces underlie many thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors.
Behaviorism - ANSWERSWatson and Skinner
Behavior is the appropriate focus of psychology and it can be understood by studying
stimuli, responses, and the consequences of responses.
Humanistic Psychology - ANSWERSMaslow and Rogers
Belief that people have positive values, free will, and deep inner creativity; inspired the
positive psychology movement.
Cognitive Psychology - ANSWERSNeisser
Mental events correspond to information that is stored and processed, analogous to
information processing in a computer.
Cognitive Neuroscience - ANSWERSStructure of the mind can be understood by
learning how mental events arise from brain function.
Feminist and multicultural psychology - ANSWERSAPA and CPA convention walk out
Working with the whole person through inclusivity that honors gender, orientation, race,
class, religion, etc.
Evolutionary psychology - ANSWERSBarkow, Cosmides, and Tooby
Key mental strategies and goals are inborn through adaptation of the species, the result
of natural selection.
Define clinical psychologist - ANSWERSAdministers and interprets psychological tests;
provides psychotherapy; helps people function more effectively.
, Define clinical neuropsychologist - ANSWERSAdministers tests to diagnose the effects
of brain damage on thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and to diagnose what parts of the
brain are damaged.
Define counseling psychologist - ANSWERSHelps people manage issues that arise
during everyday life (career, marriage, family, work).
Define developmental psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches the
development of mental contents and processes as well as behavior with age and
experience
Define cognitive psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches the nature of
thinking, memory, and related aspects of mental contents and processes.
Define social psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches how people think and
feel about themselves and other people and how groups function
Define personality psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches individual
differences in preferences and inclinations.
Define physiological psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches the nature of
the brain and brain-body interactions.
Define human factors psychologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology to improve products
Define industrial/organizational psychologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology in the
workplace
Define sport psychologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology to improve athletic
performance
Define educational or school pyschologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology to improve
cognitive, emotional, and social development of schoolchildren.
Describe Descriptive Research Methods - ANSWERSConsists of naturalistic obs, case
studies, and surveys.
Naturalistic obs is where behavior is observed in its natural setting.
Case studies focus on a single participant/sample in detail.
Surveys involve asking a group of people a set of questions about a given activity and
gathering information about their reaction to and perceptions of it.
Accurate!
Define mind - ANSWERSnonphysical manifestation of the brain's activity. What the
brain DOES.
Define behavior - ANSWERSThe outwardly observable acts of a person, either alone or
in a group
Define science - ANSWERSStriving to solidify facts by using objective evidence
What are the three levels of analysis? - ANSWERSbrain, person, group
Level of the brain - ANSWERSfocus on both the activity of the brain and the structure
and properties of the organ itself: brain cells and their connections, the chemical liquid
in which they exist, and the genes that give rise to them.
Level of the person - ANSWERSfocus on mental events, the contents and functions of
the mind
divide mental events into two types, mental contents and mental processes
Define mental contents - ANSWERSconsist of knowledge; beliefs (including ideas,
explanations, and expectations); desires (such as hopes, goals, and needs); and
feelings (such as fear, sadness, joy, and guilt).
Define mental processes - ANSWERSconsist of sets of operations that work together to
complete a function, such as attention, perception, or memory. These operations are
like the chopping, measuring, and mixing that goes into cooking, and the different
mental contents are analogous to different ingredients in cooking.
Level of the group - ANSWERSfocus on the ways collections of people (as few as two
or as many as a society) shape the mind and behavior.
To study human minds and behavior, psychologists often look at specific groups of
people. Groups can vary in their demographics and organization. Some groups are
official, such as the Girl Scouts or the Knights of Columbus. Other groups are studied
based on their demographics, such as groups that include only one type of culture, a
specific age range, or only one sex.
Structuralism - ANSWERSWundt
,Uses introspection to discover the elements of the mind and rules for combining them
Functionalism - ANSWERSJames
Studies WHY thoughts, feelings, and behavior occur and how they are adaptive.
Gestalt Psychology - ANSWERSWertheimer
Focus on overall patterns of thoughts or experience; "the whole is more than the sum of
its parts."
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWERSFreud
Conflicts among conscious and unconscious forces underlie many thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors.
Behaviorism - ANSWERSWatson and Skinner
Behavior is the appropriate focus of psychology and it can be understood by studying
stimuli, responses, and the consequences of responses.
Humanistic Psychology - ANSWERSMaslow and Rogers
Belief that people have positive values, free will, and deep inner creativity; inspired the
positive psychology movement.
Cognitive Psychology - ANSWERSNeisser
Mental events correspond to information that is stored and processed, analogous to
information processing in a computer.
Cognitive Neuroscience - ANSWERSStructure of the mind can be understood by
learning how mental events arise from brain function.
Feminist and multicultural psychology - ANSWERSAPA and CPA convention walk out
Working with the whole person through inclusivity that honors gender, orientation, race,
class, religion, etc.
Evolutionary psychology - ANSWERSBarkow, Cosmides, and Tooby
Key mental strategies and goals are inborn through adaptation of the species, the result
of natural selection.
Define clinical psychologist - ANSWERSAdministers and interprets psychological tests;
provides psychotherapy; helps people function more effectively.
, Define clinical neuropsychologist - ANSWERSAdministers tests to diagnose the effects
of brain damage on thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and to diagnose what parts of the
brain are damaged.
Define counseling psychologist - ANSWERSHelps people manage issues that arise
during everyday life (career, marriage, family, work).
Define developmental psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches the
development of mental contents and processes as well as behavior with age and
experience
Define cognitive psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches the nature of
thinking, memory, and related aspects of mental contents and processes.
Define social psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches how people think and
feel about themselves and other people and how groups function
Define personality psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches individual
differences in preferences and inclinations.
Define physiological psychologist - ANSWERSResearches and teaches the nature of
the brain and brain-body interactions.
Define human factors psychologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology to improve products
Define industrial/organizational psychologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology in the
workplace
Define sport psychologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology to improve athletic
performance
Define educational or school pyschologist - ANSWERSApplies psychology to improve
cognitive, emotional, and social development of schoolchildren.
Describe Descriptive Research Methods - ANSWERSConsists of naturalistic obs, case
studies, and surveys.
Naturalistic obs is where behavior is observed in its natural setting.
Case studies focus on a single participant/sample in detail.
Surveys involve asking a group of people a set of questions about a given activity and
gathering information about their reaction to and perceptions of it.
