PSY 1001 UMN EXAM 1 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What are four different ways of knowing and which kind is used in psychology? -
Answer -• Rationalism
• Tradition/authority
• Intuition
• Empiricism=science
What kinds of knowledge are represented in "data-land and theoryland' - Answer -Data:
-behavior, material objects, measurement & operational definitions, data
-observe/describe behavior
-test the hypothesis
Theory:
-ideas, concepts, hypotheses, theories
-conceptualize behavior (psychological constructs)
-derive hypothesis for these behaviors
-make predictions
-evaluate and modify hypothesis based on data
-accumulate findings over time and re-evaluate
What is a psychological construct (or more simply, a construct) and where does it fit? A
hypothesis? A theory? - Answer --Construct: an explanatory variable which is not
directly observable
-Hypothesis: testable prediction derived from a scientific theory
-Theory: explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world
What is an operational definition and where does it fit? - Answer --Operational
definition: a working definition of what a researcher is measuring
----Fits in with research studies or experiments, as you must define how you are
measuring something for it to be an experiment
What are the three primary traditions that have characterized the field of psychology?
What methodology is associated with each? Where do behavioral psychology, cognitive
psychology and neuroscience fit? Where do personality and intelligence belong? What
assumptions characterize each? - Answer -1. Experimental Psychology
-1900s--->
-behaviorism= classical conditioning
-cognitive=how we think about and represent our world=thinking is central to
understanding behavior
-neuroscience=behavior is a function of our biology
-social psych=behavior is a function of social situations
,-assume: people are the same
-experimental methods
-goal: laws of behavior
2. Individual Differences
-1900--->
-assume: people differ, and these differences can be defined and measured and predict
meaningful outcomes
---- intelligence, personality, interests, values, emotion
-correlation methods
-nature vs nurture, free will vs. determinism
-goal: meaningful variation
3. Clinical/Theurapeutic--->
-assume: people in distress can be helped, behavior results from unconscious desires
-focus on curing, little empirical research
-case study methods
-goal: improve health and social functioning
-humanistic approach:
----all humans strive for personal growth and self-esteem
----emphasis on helping
Who is Wilhelm Wundt? William James? What approach to psychology is associated
with Wundt? With James? - Answer -• Wilhelm Wundt: structuralism
-Developed the first full fledged psychology lab in Germany
-Focused on basic questions concerning our mental experiences
----How different must two colors be to tell them apart?
----How long does it take us to react to a sound?
-Introspection: method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their
mental experiences
----Ask someone to look at an apple and carefully report on everything they saw -
Marked beginning of psychology as a science
• William James: Functionalism
-Founder of structuralism
-Rejected structuralism approach
-Argued careful introspections doesn't yield a fixed number of static elements of
consciousness but rather the ever-changing "stream of consciousness"
- Often regarded as the founder of American psychology
How are structuralism and functionalism different? - Answer -• Structuralism:
-Uses introspection to identify basic elements or "structures" of experiences
-Emphasis on the importance of systematic observation to the study of conscious
experience
• Functionalism:
,-To understand the functions or adaptive purposes of our thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors
-Has been absorbed into psychology and continues to influence it indirectly in many
ways
Who are Ivan Pavlov, JB Watson and BF Skinner and what kind of psychology is
associated with each them? What were the core assumptions of this kind of
psychology? - Answer -• Ivan Pavlov:
-behaviorial psychologist
-discovered classical conditioning
• JB Watson:
-Founder of behaviorism
-Proper subject matter was observable behavior
-Subjective reports of consciousness should play no part in psychology
-Psych should uncover the general laws of learning that explain human behaviors
• BF Skinner:
-Behavioral psych
-Wrote : The behavior of Organisms
-Argues that our behaviors are pre determined
-Our sense of free will stems from the fact that we aren't consciously aware of all the
subtle environmental influences impinging our behavior at any time
• Behaviorism
-Goal: to uncover the general principles of learning that explain all behaviors; focus
largely on observable behavior
-Focuses on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behavior
-Influential in models of human and animal learning and among the first to focus on
need for objective research
Who is Jean Piaget and what kind of psychology is associated with him? - Answer --
Wrote "The Child's Conception of the World"
-Argued that children conceptualize the world in very different ways than adults
-Cognitivism
What was the core assumption of this kind of psychology? - Answer -• Cognitivism
-Proposes that thinking is central to understanding behavior
-Our thinking affects our behavior
-So central to psych that it merits its own distinction
-Psychology Based solely on rewards and punishments will never be adequate because
interpretation of rewards/punishment is crucial determinant of our behavior
-Need to understand how people evaluate information
Who are Francis Galton and Alfred Binet? What are the core assumptions of the kind of
psychology associated with these individuals? - Answer -• Francis Galton
, -Introduced concept of correlation, allowing psychologists to quantify associations
among variables
-Efforts at measuring intelligence
-Began some twin studies for measuring intelligence
• Alfred Binet
-Developed first intelligence test
----Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence
----First to permit graduated, direct testing on intelligence
-Intelligence is very complex, many factors
-Genetics may set upper limit, but there is plenty of room for improvement with the right
kind of education
-Studied individual differences
• Eugenics (Galton) intentionally breeding human beings according to some standard,
and the sterilization of those that do not pass
Who is Sigmund Freud and what kind of psychology is associated with him? - Answer -
-Sharp contrast to behaviorism
-Psychoanalysis
----Focuses on internal psychological processes of which we are unaware-impulses,
thoughts, memories
What are the core assumptions of this kind of psychology? - Answer --Psychoanalysis
-Primary influence on behavior aren't forces outside the organism (rewards and
punishments) but rather unconscious drives
-Much of our everyday psychological life is filled with symbols
-Goal is to decode the symbolic meaning if our slips of tongue, dreams
-Then they can get to the roots of our deep psychological conflicts
-Place significant emphasis of infant and childhood experiences
What is critical thinking? What is the confirmation bias? Belief perseverance? - Answer
--Critical thinking: set of skills for evaluating claims in an openminded and careful
fashion
-Confirmation bias: tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses and
deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them
-Belief perseverance: tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when the evidence
contradicts them
What are the six principles of scientific thinking? To what do they refer? - Answer -1.
Ruling our rival hypotheses
-have important alternative explanations for the findings been excluded?
2. Correlation vs, causation
-can we be sure that A causes B?
-third variable/factor could be the cause
What are four different ways of knowing and which kind is used in psychology? -
Answer -• Rationalism
• Tradition/authority
• Intuition
• Empiricism=science
What kinds of knowledge are represented in "data-land and theoryland' - Answer -Data:
-behavior, material objects, measurement & operational definitions, data
-observe/describe behavior
-test the hypothesis
Theory:
-ideas, concepts, hypotheses, theories
-conceptualize behavior (psychological constructs)
-derive hypothesis for these behaviors
-make predictions
-evaluate and modify hypothesis based on data
-accumulate findings over time and re-evaluate
What is a psychological construct (or more simply, a construct) and where does it fit? A
hypothesis? A theory? - Answer --Construct: an explanatory variable which is not
directly observable
-Hypothesis: testable prediction derived from a scientific theory
-Theory: explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world
What is an operational definition and where does it fit? - Answer --Operational
definition: a working definition of what a researcher is measuring
----Fits in with research studies or experiments, as you must define how you are
measuring something for it to be an experiment
What are the three primary traditions that have characterized the field of psychology?
What methodology is associated with each? Where do behavioral psychology, cognitive
psychology and neuroscience fit? Where do personality and intelligence belong? What
assumptions characterize each? - Answer -1. Experimental Psychology
-1900s--->
-behaviorism= classical conditioning
-cognitive=how we think about and represent our world=thinking is central to
understanding behavior
-neuroscience=behavior is a function of our biology
-social psych=behavior is a function of social situations
,-assume: people are the same
-experimental methods
-goal: laws of behavior
2. Individual Differences
-1900--->
-assume: people differ, and these differences can be defined and measured and predict
meaningful outcomes
---- intelligence, personality, interests, values, emotion
-correlation methods
-nature vs nurture, free will vs. determinism
-goal: meaningful variation
3. Clinical/Theurapeutic--->
-assume: people in distress can be helped, behavior results from unconscious desires
-focus on curing, little empirical research
-case study methods
-goal: improve health and social functioning
-humanistic approach:
----all humans strive for personal growth and self-esteem
----emphasis on helping
Who is Wilhelm Wundt? William James? What approach to psychology is associated
with Wundt? With James? - Answer -• Wilhelm Wundt: structuralism
-Developed the first full fledged psychology lab in Germany
-Focused on basic questions concerning our mental experiences
----How different must two colors be to tell them apart?
----How long does it take us to react to a sound?
-Introspection: method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their
mental experiences
----Ask someone to look at an apple and carefully report on everything they saw -
Marked beginning of psychology as a science
• William James: Functionalism
-Founder of structuralism
-Rejected structuralism approach
-Argued careful introspections doesn't yield a fixed number of static elements of
consciousness but rather the ever-changing "stream of consciousness"
- Often regarded as the founder of American psychology
How are structuralism and functionalism different? - Answer -• Structuralism:
-Uses introspection to identify basic elements or "structures" of experiences
-Emphasis on the importance of systematic observation to the study of conscious
experience
• Functionalism:
,-To understand the functions or adaptive purposes of our thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors
-Has been absorbed into psychology and continues to influence it indirectly in many
ways
Who are Ivan Pavlov, JB Watson and BF Skinner and what kind of psychology is
associated with each them? What were the core assumptions of this kind of
psychology? - Answer -• Ivan Pavlov:
-behaviorial psychologist
-discovered classical conditioning
• JB Watson:
-Founder of behaviorism
-Proper subject matter was observable behavior
-Subjective reports of consciousness should play no part in psychology
-Psych should uncover the general laws of learning that explain human behaviors
• BF Skinner:
-Behavioral psych
-Wrote : The behavior of Organisms
-Argues that our behaviors are pre determined
-Our sense of free will stems from the fact that we aren't consciously aware of all the
subtle environmental influences impinging our behavior at any time
• Behaviorism
-Goal: to uncover the general principles of learning that explain all behaviors; focus
largely on observable behavior
-Focuses on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behavior
-Influential in models of human and animal learning and among the first to focus on
need for objective research
Who is Jean Piaget and what kind of psychology is associated with him? - Answer --
Wrote "The Child's Conception of the World"
-Argued that children conceptualize the world in very different ways than adults
-Cognitivism
What was the core assumption of this kind of psychology? - Answer -• Cognitivism
-Proposes that thinking is central to understanding behavior
-Our thinking affects our behavior
-So central to psych that it merits its own distinction
-Psychology Based solely on rewards and punishments will never be adequate because
interpretation of rewards/punishment is crucial determinant of our behavior
-Need to understand how people evaluate information
Who are Francis Galton and Alfred Binet? What are the core assumptions of the kind of
psychology associated with these individuals? - Answer -• Francis Galton
, -Introduced concept of correlation, allowing psychologists to quantify associations
among variables
-Efforts at measuring intelligence
-Began some twin studies for measuring intelligence
• Alfred Binet
-Developed first intelligence test
----Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence
----First to permit graduated, direct testing on intelligence
-Intelligence is very complex, many factors
-Genetics may set upper limit, but there is plenty of room for improvement with the right
kind of education
-Studied individual differences
• Eugenics (Galton) intentionally breeding human beings according to some standard,
and the sterilization of those that do not pass
Who is Sigmund Freud and what kind of psychology is associated with him? - Answer -
-Sharp contrast to behaviorism
-Psychoanalysis
----Focuses on internal psychological processes of which we are unaware-impulses,
thoughts, memories
What are the core assumptions of this kind of psychology? - Answer --Psychoanalysis
-Primary influence on behavior aren't forces outside the organism (rewards and
punishments) but rather unconscious drives
-Much of our everyday psychological life is filled with symbols
-Goal is to decode the symbolic meaning if our slips of tongue, dreams
-Then they can get to the roots of our deep psychological conflicts
-Place significant emphasis of infant and childhood experiences
What is critical thinking? What is the confirmation bias? Belief perseverance? - Answer
--Critical thinking: set of skills for evaluating claims in an openminded and careful
fashion
-Confirmation bias: tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses and
deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them
-Belief perseverance: tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when the evidence
contradicts them
What are the six principles of scientific thinking? To what do they refer? - Answer -1.
Ruling our rival hypotheses
-have important alternative explanations for the findings been excluded?
2. Correlation vs, causation
-can we be sure that A causes B?
-third variable/factor could be the cause
