WGU PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (RATED
A+)
Define mind - ANSWERnonphysical manifestation of the brain's activity. What the brain
DOES.
Define behavior - ANSWERThe outwardly observable acts of a person, either alone or
in a group
Define science - ANSWERStriving to solidify facts by using objective evidence
What are the three levels of analysis? - ANSWERbrain, person, group
Flashbulb memory - ANSWERActivated at key moments, creating instant records of the
events
Recall - ANSWERTransfer of explicit information from long-term memory to short-term
memory
Recognition - ANSWERAllows you to identify the stimulus and thus allows you to pick
out which alternative among a set of choices has a certain association
For example, if you witnessed a crime and later look at the police lineup of suspects,
recognition consists of picking out the person you saw at the scene of the crime.
False memories - ANSWERmemories for events that never happened, but were
suggested by someone or something
retrograde amnesia - ANSWERA type of amnesia that disrupts previous memories
Anterograde amnesia - ANSWERA type of amnesia that leaves intact memories that
were already consolidated but prevents the storing of new facts
Level of the brain - ANSWERfocus 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 - ANSWERfocus on mental events, the contents and functions of
the mind
divide mental events into two types, mental contents and mental processes
Define mental contents - ANSWERconsist 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 - ANSWERconsist 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 - ANSWERfocus 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 - ANSWERWundt
Uses introspection to discover the elements of the mind and rules for combining them
Functionalism - ANSWERJames
Studies WHY thoughts, feelings, and behavior occur and how they are adaptive.
Gestalt Psychology - ANSWERWertheimer
Focus on overall patterns of thoughts or experience; "the whole is more than the sum of
its parts."
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWERFreud
Conflicts among conscious and unconscious forces underlie many thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors.
Behaviorism - ANSWERWatson 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 - ANSWERMaslow and Rogers
Belief that people have positive values, free will, and deep inner creativity; inspired the
positive psychology movement.
Cognitive Psychology - ANSWERNeisser
Mental events correspond to information that is stored and processed, analogous to
information processing in a computer.
Cognitive Neuroscience - ANSWERStructure of the mind can be understood by learning
how mental events arise from brain function.
Feminist and multicultural psychology - ANSWERAPA and CPA convention walk out
Working with the whole person through inclusivity that honors gender, orientation, race,
class, religion, etc.
Evolutionary psychology - ANSWERBarkow, Cosmides, and Tooby
Key mental strategies and goals are inborn through adaptation of the species, the result
of natural selection.
Define clinical psychologist - ANSWERAdministers and interprets psychological tests;
provides psychotherapy; helps people function more effectively.
Define clinical neuropsychologist - ANSWERAdministers 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 - ANSWERHelps people manage issues that arise
during everyday life (career, marriage, family, work).
Define developmental psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches the
development of mental contents and processes as well as behavior with age and
experience
Define cognitive psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches the nature of
thinking, memory, and related aspects of mental contents and processes.
Define social psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches how people think and
feel about themselves and other people and how groups function
Define personality psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches individual
differences in preferences and inclinations.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (RATED
A+)
Define mind - ANSWERnonphysical manifestation of the brain's activity. What the brain
DOES.
Define behavior - ANSWERThe outwardly observable acts of a person, either alone or
in a group
Define science - ANSWERStriving to solidify facts by using objective evidence
What are the three levels of analysis? - ANSWERbrain, person, group
Flashbulb memory - ANSWERActivated at key moments, creating instant records of the
events
Recall - ANSWERTransfer of explicit information from long-term memory to short-term
memory
Recognition - ANSWERAllows you to identify the stimulus and thus allows you to pick
out which alternative among a set of choices has a certain association
For example, if you witnessed a crime and later look at the police lineup of suspects,
recognition consists of picking out the person you saw at the scene of the crime.
False memories - ANSWERmemories for events that never happened, but were
suggested by someone or something
retrograde amnesia - ANSWERA type of amnesia that disrupts previous memories
Anterograde amnesia - ANSWERA type of amnesia that leaves intact memories that
were already consolidated but prevents the storing of new facts
Level of the brain - ANSWERfocus 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 - ANSWERfocus on mental events, the contents and functions of
the mind
divide mental events into two types, mental contents and mental processes
Define mental contents - ANSWERconsist 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 - ANSWERconsist 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 - ANSWERfocus 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 - ANSWERWundt
Uses introspection to discover the elements of the mind and rules for combining them
Functionalism - ANSWERJames
Studies WHY thoughts, feelings, and behavior occur and how they are adaptive.
Gestalt Psychology - ANSWERWertheimer
Focus on overall patterns of thoughts or experience; "the whole is more than the sum of
its parts."
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWERFreud
Conflicts among conscious and unconscious forces underlie many thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors.
Behaviorism - ANSWERWatson 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 - ANSWERMaslow and Rogers
Belief that people have positive values, free will, and deep inner creativity; inspired the
positive psychology movement.
Cognitive Psychology - ANSWERNeisser
Mental events correspond to information that is stored and processed, analogous to
information processing in a computer.
Cognitive Neuroscience - ANSWERStructure of the mind can be understood by learning
how mental events arise from brain function.
Feminist and multicultural psychology - ANSWERAPA and CPA convention walk out
Working with the whole person through inclusivity that honors gender, orientation, race,
class, religion, etc.
Evolutionary psychology - ANSWERBarkow, Cosmides, and Tooby
Key mental strategies and goals are inborn through adaptation of the species, the result
of natural selection.
Define clinical psychologist - ANSWERAdministers and interprets psychological tests;
provides psychotherapy; helps people function more effectively.
Define clinical neuropsychologist - ANSWERAdministers 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 - ANSWERHelps people manage issues that arise
during everyday life (career, marriage, family, work).
Define developmental psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches the
development of mental contents and processes as well as behavior with age and
experience
Define cognitive psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches the nature of
thinking, memory, and related aspects of mental contents and processes.
Define social psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches how people think and
feel about themselves and other people and how groups function
Define personality psychologist - ANSWERResearches and teaches individual
differences in preferences and inclinations.
