The Science of Psychology:
Chapter 1, Section 1:
Questions Answers/ Notes
What is Psychology? the science of behavior and mental process
What are the four major research biological, cognitive, behavioral, and sociocultural
perspectives?
What are the perspectives biological perspective and cognitive perspective
emphasizing internal factors?
What is the biological ● a research perspective whose major explanator
perspective? focus is how the brain, nervous system, and oth
physiology mechanisms produce behavior and
mental processes.
● Biological psychologists look for causes within
our physiology, our genetics, and human
evolution.
● Biological psychologists also study the
involvement of the various parts of the brain an
nervous system in our behavior and mental
process.
● The brain is not only essential for vision, but it is
also the control center for almost all of our
behavior and mental processing.(chapter 2)
What is the cognitive perspective ● a research perspective whose major explanator
focus is how mental processes, such as percep
memory, and problem solving, work and impact
behavior.
● Cognitive psychologists study all aspects of
cognitive processing from perception to the
higher-level processes, such as problem solving
and reasoning.
● Cognitive research has shown that we organize
categorical information around what we consid
the most typical or representative examples of
category. These examples are called prototypes
the category and are retrieved first when we thin
of a category.
● A broader cognitive processing question concer
how memory retrieval in general works.(chapter
on memory, and chapter 6 on thinking and
, intelligence)
What are the perspectives ● behavior perspective - emphasizes conditioning
emphasizing external factors? our behavior by environmental events, and there
more emphasis on explaining observable behav
than on unobservable mental processes.
● sociocultural perspective- emphasizes the
influence of the external environment, but it mo
specifically focuses on the impact of other peop
and our culture as the major determiners of our
behavior and mental processing. Equally stress
cognitive types of learning , such as learning by
observation or modeling, and thus focuses just
much on mental processing as observable
behavior.
What is the behavioral ● a research perspective whose major explanato
perspective? focus is how external environmental events
condition observable behavior.
● We behave as we do because of our past histor
conditioning by our environment.
● There are two types of conditioning, classical (o
Pavlovian) and operant.
● Classical conditioning can explain how we learn
fear and other emotional responses, taste
aversions, and many other behaviors.
● Classical conditioning is important in determini
our behavior, but behaviorists believe operant
conditioning is even more important. Operant
conditioning involves the relationship between o
behavior and its environmental consequences.
What is the sociocultural ● a research perspective whose major explanator
perspective? focus is how other people and the culture conte
impact behavior and mental processes.
table 1.1 the four major research
perspectives in psychology
research perspective major explanatory focus
biological How our physiology
(especially the brain and
nervous system) produces ou
behavior and mental process
and how genetics and
Chapter 1, Section 1:
Questions Answers/ Notes
What is Psychology? the science of behavior and mental process
What are the four major research biological, cognitive, behavioral, and sociocultural
perspectives?
What are the perspectives biological perspective and cognitive perspective
emphasizing internal factors?
What is the biological ● a research perspective whose major explanator
perspective? focus is how the brain, nervous system, and oth
physiology mechanisms produce behavior and
mental processes.
● Biological psychologists look for causes within
our physiology, our genetics, and human
evolution.
● Biological psychologists also study the
involvement of the various parts of the brain an
nervous system in our behavior and mental
process.
● The brain is not only essential for vision, but it is
also the control center for almost all of our
behavior and mental processing.(chapter 2)
What is the cognitive perspective ● a research perspective whose major explanator
focus is how mental processes, such as percep
memory, and problem solving, work and impact
behavior.
● Cognitive psychologists study all aspects of
cognitive processing from perception to the
higher-level processes, such as problem solving
and reasoning.
● Cognitive research has shown that we organize
categorical information around what we consid
the most typical or representative examples of
category. These examples are called prototypes
the category and are retrieved first when we thin
of a category.
● A broader cognitive processing question concer
how memory retrieval in general works.(chapter
on memory, and chapter 6 on thinking and
, intelligence)
What are the perspectives ● behavior perspective - emphasizes conditioning
emphasizing external factors? our behavior by environmental events, and there
more emphasis on explaining observable behav
than on unobservable mental processes.
● sociocultural perspective- emphasizes the
influence of the external environment, but it mo
specifically focuses on the impact of other peop
and our culture as the major determiners of our
behavior and mental processing. Equally stress
cognitive types of learning , such as learning by
observation or modeling, and thus focuses just
much on mental processing as observable
behavior.
What is the behavioral ● a research perspective whose major explanato
perspective? focus is how external environmental events
condition observable behavior.
● We behave as we do because of our past histor
conditioning by our environment.
● There are two types of conditioning, classical (o
Pavlovian) and operant.
● Classical conditioning can explain how we learn
fear and other emotional responses, taste
aversions, and many other behaviors.
● Classical conditioning is important in determini
our behavior, but behaviorists believe operant
conditioning is even more important. Operant
conditioning involves the relationship between o
behavior and its environmental consequences.
What is the sociocultural ● a research perspective whose major explanator
perspective? focus is how other people and the culture conte
impact behavior and mental processes.
table 1.1 the four major research
perspectives in psychology
research perspective major explanatory focus
biological How our physiology
(especially the brain and
nervous system) produces ou
behavior and mental process
and how genetics and
