PSYCHOLOGY 110 EXAM 1 CH. 1-3 ALREADY PASSED

PSYCHOLOGY 110 EXAM 1 CH. 1-3 ALREADY PASSED Psychology The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. What psychologists do Research mental processes, the brain, and behavior. Apply scientific research to solve problems. 6 Principles of Critical Thinking Ruling out rival hypothesis, correlation vs. causation, falsifiability, replicability, extraordinary claims, Occam's razor (parsimony) Ruling out rival hypothesis Have important alternative explanations for the findings been excluded? Correlation vs. Causation Can we be sure the A causes B? Falsifiability Can the claim be disproved? Replicability Can the results be duplicated in other studies? Extraordinary claims Is the evidence as strong as the claim? Occam's Razor Does a simpler explanation fit the data just as well? 5 major theoretical perspectives Structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, cognitivism, psychoanalysis Structuralism Insistence on systematic data collection and empiricism. Psychology as a science. Functionalism Influence of evolutionary theory on modern psychology. Behavioralism Helped to understand how we learn and the importance of scientific rigor. Observations. Cognitivism Focus on not only rewards or punishers, but on our interpretation of events (the importance of "mind") Psychoanalysis Theories of mental processing outside of conscious awareness, 1st psychotherapy. Talking as a cure. Basic research Research examining how the mind works Applied research Research examining how we can use basic research to solve real world problems The Scientific Method Focus on a theory (literature review), state a hypothesis, test with a research method, statistically analyze data, report results (peer review), published results become part of the literature Hypothesis Testable prediction derived from a scientific theory Theory Explanation for a large number of natural events 3 Principles of Research Ethics Respect