Psychological Perspectives
What is psychology?
The scientific study of the mind and behavior
These psychologists study how the structure and function of the nervous system generate behavior.
Biopsychology
What are the 4 general steps to psychological research?
Question
Hypothesis
Data
Interpretation
You change or manipulate this factor on purpose to see how it affects other things. It stands alone and is not changed by other factors in the study.
Independent Variable
Who established the ethical guidelines for human and animal research?
American Psychological Association (APA)
Wilhelm Wundt emphasized this perspective of psychology where he tried to understand the conscious experience through introspection. What is perspective is it?
Structuralism
Studies the physical and mental attributes of aging and maturation.
This can include various skills that are acquired throughout growth:
Moral Reasoning
Cognitive Skills
Social Skills
Jean Piaget is famous for his theories regarding changes in cognitive ability that occur as we move from infancy to adulthood.
Developmental Psychology
Participants feel a “psychological” effect, but have not been given a real substance that would cause “real” physiological differences in their body.
Placebo Effect
You observe and measure this factor. It is effected by the other variable.
Dependent Variable
True or False: All participants must be voluntary.
True
Sigmund Freud focused on the role of a person’s unconscious and early childhood experiences. What perspective is this called?
Psychoanalytic Theory
Focuses on behaviors and thought patterns that are unique to each individual.
Studies in this field include conscious and unconscious thinking and identifying personality traits.
Personality Psychology
Refers to whether the research measures what the researchers set out to measure.
Validity
Identify the dependent variable: Does drinking caffeine increase your heart rate?
Heart Rate
What is it called when participants know and agree with what you’re doing?
Informed Consent
Biggest idea: “Whole was greater than the sum of its parts"
Example: You can see a dotted outline and perceive it as whole; our mind actively organizes our input.
Stresses that we experience things as whole patterns and not just isolated parts. What perspective is it?
Gestalt Psychology
Branch that focuses on how individual health is directly related or affected by biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences.
The biopsychosocial model suggests that health and illness is determined by an interaction of these three factors.
Health Psychology
Refers to whether the same results can be produced under similar conditions.
Reliability
Identify the dependent variable: Does the amount of time spent on social media have an effect on a student's grades?
Student Grades
True or False: Experiments should have as little physical and psychological harm as possible.
True
Emphasized how mental activities contributed to basic environmental survival. What perspective is it?
Functionalism
Focuses on diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and problematic patterns of behavior.
Study involves clinical therapy and counseling.
Clinical Psychology
What two groups are needed in research?
Experimental and Control
Identify the dependent variable: Does the color of the car affect the speed the driver is going?
Car Speed
What are the 5 steps of the APA Ethical Guidelines?
No coercion: (participation must be voluntary).
Informed consent: (participants know and agree with what you’re doing).
Anonymity/confidentiality: participants privacy protected.
Risk: as little as possible (physical and psychological.
Debriefing: after experiment is done, you inform participants about the nature of the experiment.