PSYCH 100 FINAL EXAM STUDY
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
How is psychological science defined? -
sw sw sw sw sw
the science of behavior and mental processes
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
why does my prof disagree with the definition of psychological science? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
1. behavior can be observable or unobservable
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
2. behavior can include "mental behavior" (thoughts, emotions, intuitions)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
3. behavior can be conscious or unconscious
sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is the "scientific attitude" and why did my prof call it "special"? - -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
being curious, seeing the world as a puzzle
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- skeptical and open-minded but not cynical or gullible
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- critical thinking
sw sw
- special b/c not everyone can have a scientific attitude
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is critical thinking? -
sw sw sw sw
examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evi
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
dence, and assesses conclusions
sw sw sw
What do psychological scientists "believe in"? - the scientific method
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What are some other ways of "knowing"? - - intuition/emotion
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- observation (illusory correlation)
sw sw sw
- anecdote
sw
- personal experience
sw sw
- authority
sw
- faith
sw
What/who is authority - sw sw sw
a) authority = looking up to ppl who you believe are better or more "popular" than y
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ou
b) why peer reputations matter, institutions matter, why funding matters
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
c) actors, musicians, friends, etc. --> anyone can be an authority
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d) why ppl are used in advertising and why we have come upon an age of influence
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
rs
What are some of the things psychologists study? - 1. clinical
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
,2. developmental
sw
3. personality
sw
4. socialsw
5. cognitive
sw
6. counseling
sw
7. industrial/organizational
sw
8. biological
sw
9. cross-cultural
sw
10. gender sw
11. evolutionary and behavior genetics
sw sw sw sw
*basically everything* sw
Why do we "need" psychology anyway? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw
b/c ppl are not good at knowing themselves
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
(1) hindsight bias
sw sw
(2) overconfidence and better-than-avg effect
sw sw sw sw
(3) perceiving order where none exists b/
sw sw sw sw sw sw
c we aren't good at understanding random events
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is the scientific approach to knowing? - using logic or evidence-
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
based reasoning to understand and explore scientific topics
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What makes "good science"? - - results are reproducible
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- empiricism approach
sw sw
- peer reviews
sw sw
- ethical
sw
- openness/transparency about what you are researching
sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is empiricism? - sw sw sw
something that can be observed directly, is measurable, quantifiable, verifiable, and
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw s
replicable
w
What is the replication crisis? -
sw sw sw sw sw
many scientific studies are difficult to reproduce results, which is so important now
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
since Deidrick Stapel was caught falsifying data and information that was widely use
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d by psychologists everywhere
sw sw sw
What is open science, statistical power, and meta-analysis? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
a) open science movement = letting ppl know your intentions for your research as
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
well as telling them everything that is happening as it happens (transparency) --
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
> also have to preregister hypotheses and publish all data and materials used
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
b) statistical power = the likelihood that a researcher will find statistical significance i
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
n a sample if the effect exists in the full population (based on sample size, randomiz
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ation)
,c) meta-
sw
analysis = looking at data from different independent studies to see if there is an ov
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
erall trend in the data
sw sw sw sw
What are the differences between case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, cor
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
relation research, and experiments? - case study = an in-
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
depth investigation of a single individual, family, event, etc.
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
survey = asking a large group of people questions
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
naturalistic observation = looking at and identifying behaviors of subjects
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
correlation research = nonexperimental, measuring two variables and finding the corr
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
elation
experiment = independent, dependent variable, like in biology or chemistry
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is the difference, if any, between "basic" and "applied" research? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
basic research = answers fundamental questions and may not have any immediate
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
practical applications sw
applied research = tries to solve problems and apply basic research findings to pract
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ical issues sw
*a continuum, not a sharp distinction, although the goal of the research helps define
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw s
wits type* sw
What is an operational definition? -
sw sw sw sw sw
something that can't be directly measured (no tangible definition, we can only descr
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ibe what it is, not say exactly what it is)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
examples of operational definitions - happiness, depression, job satisfaction, gravity
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
How do theories and hypotheses differ? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw
theory = explains why things work in a certain way (explains why a prediction shoul
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d be made)
sw sw sw
hypothesis = a testable prediction of a relationship between 2 or more things (the sp
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ecific prediction)sw
What is skewness? - a distribution that is not centralized due to outlying factors
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is a mean and standard deviation? - mean = the avg of the responses
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
standard deviation = how variable the responses are
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
, What are some problems with treating a mean as a "center" of a distribution? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
it is not always representatives of the middle of distributions because of high or low
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
outliers
sw
What are populations, samples, and statistical significance? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
population = the entire people in an area
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
sample = a group of people from the population that are hopefully randomly sample
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d
statistical significance = the degree to which a research outcome cannot reasonably
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
be attributed to the operation of chance or random factors
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is biological psychology? -
sw sw sw sw
an approach to studying behavior that involves studying links between psychological
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
processes and different biological processes like genetics, neurons and the nervous
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw s
system, and hormones
w sw sw
In what ways is the human brain complex? - - it is both specialized and integrated
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- has about 100 billion neurons
sw sw sw sw sw
- 100 trillion interconnections among neurons
sw sw sw sw sw
What is neuroplasticity and why is this important? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
the ability to form new neural pathways in your brain every time you learn a new ta
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
sk, or repeat specific tasks (ability of your brain to adapt and change)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
it's important b/c we can rewire our brains to think certain ways or do certain things
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What are neurons? - nerve cells
sw sw sw sw sw
What are the parts of neurons? (soma, axon, dendrite, terminal button, etc.) -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
1. dendrites = receive messages from other cells
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
2. terminal branches of axon = form junctions with other cells
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
3. axon = passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
glands
4. cell body = the cell's life-support center (aka soma)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
5. neural impulses = electrical signal traveling down the axon
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
6. myelin sheath = covers the axon of some neurons to help speed up neural impul
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ses
7. terminal button = releases neurotransmitters
sw sw sw sw sw
What is a synapse and a synaptic gap? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
synapse = the end of neurons where signals are transmitted and received
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
synaptic gap = the gap between two neurons
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
How is psychological science defined? -
sw sw sw sw sw
the science of behavior and mental processes
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
why does my prof disagree with the definition of psychological science? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
1. behavior can be observable or unobservable
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
2. behavior can include "mental behavior" (thoughts, emotions, intuitions)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
3. behavior can be conscious or unconscious
sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is the "scientific attitude" and why did my prof call it "special"? - -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
being curious, seeing the world as a puzzle
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- skeptical and open-minded but not cynical or gullible
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- critical thinking
sw sw
- special b/c not everyone can have a scientific attitude
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is critical thinking? -
sw sw sw sw
examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evi
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
dence, and assesses conclusions
sw sw sw
What do psychological scientists "believe in"? - the scientific method
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What are some other ways of "knowing"? - - intuition/emotion
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- observation (illusory correlation)
sw sw sw
- anecdote
sw
- personal experience
sw sw
- authority
sw
- faith
sw
What/who is authority - sw sw sw
a) authority = looking up to ppl who you believe are better or more "popular" than y
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ou
b) why peer reputations matter, institutions matter, why funding matters
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
c) actors, musicians, friends, etc. --> anyone can be an authority
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d) why ppl are used in advertising and why we have come upon an age of influence
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
rs
What are some of the things psychologists study? - 1. clinical
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
,2. developmental
sw
3. personality
sw
4. socialsw
5. cognitive
sw
6. counseling
sw
7. industrial/organizational
sw
8. biological
sw
9. cross-cultural
sw
10. gender sw
11. evolutionary and behavior genetics
sw sw sw sw
*basically everything* sw
Why do we "need" psychology anyway? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw
b/c ppl are not good at knowing themselves
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
(1) hindsight bias
sw sw
(2) overconfidence and better-than-avg effect
sw sw sw sw
(3) perceiving order where none exists b/
sw sw sw sw sw sw
c we aren't good at understanding random events
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is the scientific approach to knowing? - using logic or evidence-
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
based reasoning to understand and explore scientific topics
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What makes "good science"? - - results are reproducible
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- empiricism approach
sw sw
- peer reviews
sw sw
- ethical
sw
- openness/transparency about what you are researching
sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is empiricism? - sw sw sw
something that can be observed directly, is measurable, quantifiable, verifiable, and
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw s
replicable
w
What is the replication crisis? -
sw sw sw sw sw
many scientific studies are difficult to reproduce results, which is so important now
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
since Deidrick Stapel was caught falsifying data and information that was widely use
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d by psychologists everywhere
sw sw sw
What is open science, statistical power, and meta-analysis? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
a) open science movement = letting ppl know your intentions for your research as
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
well as telling them everything that is happening as it happens (transparency) --
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
> also have to preregister hypotheses and publish all data and materials used
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
b) statistical power = the likelihood that a researcher will find statistical significance i
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
n a sample if the effect exists in the full population (based on sample size, randomiz
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ation)
,c) meta-
sw
analysis = looking at data from different independent studies to see if there is an ov
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
erall trend in the data
sw sw sw sw
What are the differences between case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, cor
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
relation research, and experiments? - case study = an in-
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
depth investigation of a single individual, family, event, etc.
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
survey = asking a large group of people questions
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
naturalistic observation = looking at and identifying behaviors of subjects
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
correlation research = nonexperimental, measuring two variables and finding the corr
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
elation
experiment = independent, dependent variable, like in biology or chemistry
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is the difference, if any, between "basic" and "applied" research? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
basic research = answers fundamental questions and may not have any immediate
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
practical applications sw
applied research = tries to solve problems and apply basic research findings to pract
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ical issues sw
*a continuum, not a sharp distinction, although the goal of the research helps define
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw s
wits type* sw
What is an operational definition? -
sw sw sw sw sw
something that can't be directly measured (no tangible definition, we can only descr
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ibe what it is, not say exactly what it is)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
examples of operational definitions - happiness, depression, job satisfaction, gravity
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
How do theories and hypotheses differ? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw
theory = explains why things work in a certain way (explains why a prediction shoul
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d be made)
sw sw sw
hypothesis = a testable prediction of a relationship between 2 or more things (the sp
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ecific prediction)sw
What is skewness? - a distribution that is not centralized due to outlying factors
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is a mean and standard deviation? - mean = the avg of the responses
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
standard deviation = how variable the responses are
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
, What are some problems with treating a mean as a "center" of a distribution? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
it is not always representatives of the middle of distributions because of high or low
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
outliers
sw
What are populations, samples, and statistical significance? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
population = the entire people in an area
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
sample = a group of people from the population that are hopefully randomly sample
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
d
statistical significance = the degree to which a research outcome cannot reasonably
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
be attributed to the operation of chance or random factors
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What is biological psychology? -
sw sw sw sw
an approach to studying behavior that involves studying links between psychological
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
processes and different biological processes like genetics, neurons and the nervous
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw s
system, and hormones
w sw sw
In what ways is the human brain complex? - - it is both specialized and integrated
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
- has about 100 billion neurons
sw sw sw sw sw
- 100 trillion interconnections among neurons
sw sw sw sw sw
What is neuroplasticity and why is this important? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
the ability to form new neural pathways in your brain every time you learn a new ta
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
sk, or repeat specific tasks (ability of your brain to adapt and change)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
it's important b/c we can rewire our brains to think certain ways or do certain things
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
What are neurons? - nerve cells
sw sw sw sw sw
What are the parts of neurons? (soma, axon, dendrite, terminal button, etc.) -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
1. dendrites = receive messages from other cells
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
2. terminal branches of axon = form junctions with other cells
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
3. axon = passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
glands
4. cell body = the cell's life-support center (aka soma)
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
5. neural impulses = electrical signal traveling down the axon
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
6. myelin sheath = covers the axon of some neurons to help speed up neural impul
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
ses
7. terminal button = releases neurotransmitters
sw sw sw sw sw
What is a synapse and a synaptic gap? -
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
synapse = the end of neurons where signals are transmitted and received
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
synaptic gap = the gap between two neurons
sw sw sw sw sw sw sw
