Psychology Myths and Legends
This woman was murdered in downtown New York. Initial reporting stated that forty-some people had been aware about the attack but had not intervened to help; later reporting called this into question.
Who was Catherine (Kitty) Genovese?
A thirteen-year-old girl, Sasha, has recently begun to expand her thinking, and her parents have observed her to be much more mentally flexible and much less egotistical. In particular, she only recently began to be able to understand phenomena such as conservation; in some areas, she is able to think through abstract phenomena, but not always. According to Piaget, which two phases is Sasha likely in the process of transitioning between?
What are the concrete operational and formal operational phases?
Lucy, a young nurse, is stopped at a gas station when a man crashes into another car, and both drivers are pinned. A crowd gathers, and for several tense minutes, it seems no one will do anything to help. Finally, Lucy steps up and, with the help of arriving firefighters, manages to free the drivers. Before she stepped in to help, which controversial phenomenon was underway?
What is the bystander effect?
This applied field of psychology uses knowledge about varied domains of psychological science to help individuals with mental distress or disorder.
What is psychotherapy?
This railroad worker suffered a pole through his frontal lobe. Many have argued that this caused significant changes to his personality; however, this has been called into question in recent years, with some arguing that these changes were overblown or did not occur.
Who was Phineas Gage?
In Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, this concept describes the way in which children interact with more knowledgeable others, and through these interactions, are able to develop greater knowledge and facility with skills they will need within their particular environment.
What is the Zone of Proximal Development?
What three factors have been theorized to mitigate the effect of the bystander effect?
What are evaluation apprehension, pluralistic ignorance, and diffusion of responsibility?
This field of psychology deals with how workplaces and organizations function and work as a group.
What is industrial-organizational psychology?
This idea was popularized by films such as Limitless, but is not supported by factual studies that show that all of our brains are useful for different tasks and are used at any time.
What is "we only use 10% of our brain"?
This constructivist theory proposes that humans are born in an essentially disorganized state and that, through proceeding through a series of concrete stages, individuals are able to develop the logical and intellectual skills which will be needed.
What is Piaget's theory of development?
The term that means "Our judgments or evaluations of someone or something; they can be positive, negative, or mixed."
What are attitudes?
This field of psychology deals with how we think and learn.
What is cognitive psychology?
This popular idea argues that our personality is either purely due to the influence of our genetics and biology, or comes from the environment and how we were raised. The reality, though, is rarely so simple, and probably can never be reduced to one or the other.
What is nature versus nurture?
Michal, a 9-year-old growing up in New York in an observant Jewish family, attends a religious school which includes instruction both in the Torah and in secular subjects (math, history, literature, etc.). Judaism is important to his parents, as well as forming some of the more significant cultural influences he encounters. Which two levels, in Bronfenbrenner's model, does Judaism inhabit?
What are the mesosystem and the macrosystem?
Behaviors that help others, regardless of one’s motive for doing so.
What are prosocial behaviors?
This field of psychology uses laboratory study and other types of empirical investigation to gather more knowledge about psychological phenomena.
What is experimental psychology?
This pseudoscientific test is based on four traits, each of which has two possible types, creating 16 unique types. While it is widely used in some contexts such as in human resources, it is not scientifically valid.
What is the Meyers-Briggs Type Inventory?
Julie, a 15-year-old girl, is passionate about human rights, and hopes to study international relations to pursue her ultimate goal of working at the International Criminal Court. Her zealous belief in human rights could suggest that she has reached which stage in Kohlberg's theory of moral development?
What is the post-conventional stage?
A feeling of anxiety or discomfort if our thoughts and feelings aren’t in alignment.
What is cognitive dissonance?
This school of psychology is focused on perceptual phenomena, and is best known for its principle of holism and its approaches to illusions.
What is Gestalt psychology?