Perspectives
Those taking this perspective believe that the human brain and mind evolved in very specific ways to help our ancestors solve the sorts of problems they experienced recurrently over evolutionary time
Evolutionary Perspective
Founded psychoanalysis; profoundly influenced Western culture and the treatment of mental health problems
Sigmund Freud
Educational psychology
How people learn in educational settings; evaluation of educational programs
Hypothesis
A testable statement or prediction about a potential relationship between two or more variables or an outcome based on certain conditions.
What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?
Those adhering to the this perspective view the human mind as an extraordinarily complex information-processing device, in some ways (very loosely) similar to an “organic computer.”
Cognitive Perspective
Founded radical behaviorism, applied laws of learning to the study of human behavior
B.F. Skinner
Thinking, learning and memory, intelligence, language, and other aspects of cognition
Cognitive psychology
Dependent and Independent Variable
Dependent Variable: The variable that is being measured or observed in an experiment. It depends on changes made to the independent variable.
Independent Variable: The variable that is manipulated or categorized by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable.
Why is nothing ever “proven” in science?
Science relies on empirical evidence and is open to revision. While evidence can strongly support a hypothesis or theory, it's always possible that future observations or experiments could challenge current understandings.
This perspective believes that the person is affected by unconscious conflicts and motivations that may be expressed in their behavior and personality.
Psychodynamic perspective
A founder of humanistic psychology; created client-centered psychotherapy
Carl Rogers
Individual differences among people in characteristic behavior
Personality psychology
Mean, Median, and Mode
Central Tendencies
Mean - Average, Median - Middle, Mode - Occurring more than once
What are at least two ways that science and pseudoscience differ?
this perspective emphasizes the critical role played by society and culture in shaping human psychology. Many of these theorists work in the fields of cultural, cross-cultural, and ethnic psychology.
Sociocultural perspective
A founder of humanistic psychology, developed an important theory of motivation
Causes and treatments of serious mental health problems and ordinary personal, work, and school-related problems
Clinical and counseling psychology
Operational Definition
A clear, precise description of how variables are measured or defined in a study.
Why is it said that psychology did not exist in the ancient world?
While the ancient world had philosophical discussions about human behavior and mind, they lacked systematic, empirical methods and the structured discipline we recognize as "psychology" today.
this perspectives believe that the key to understanding human behavior lies in understanding the human brain and body
Biobehavioral perspective
Created the first comprehensive textbook of psychology; applied evolutionary theory to human psychology
William James
The application of psychological methods and knowledge in the legal sphere (for example, in criminal investigations and litigation)
Forensic psychology
Blind and Double Blind Study
Blind Study: An experimental design where participants do not know whether they are receiving the treatment or a placebo, preventing their expectations from affecting the results.
Double-Blind Study: A study in which both the participants and the experimenters do not know who is receiving the treatment and who is receiving the placebo. This minimizes biases from both the participant and the researcher.
How do descriptive statistics differ from inferential statistics?