What Is Psychology?
What is psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Name one of the four main goals of psychology.
*Bonus if you say more*
Describe, Explain, Predict, or Control behavior
Who founded the first psychology laboratory in 1879?
Wilhelm Wundt
What research method involves carefully observing and recording behavior?
Behaviorism/Naturalistic observation
What ethical principle requires participants to voluntarily agree to take part in a study?
Informed consent
Which term refers to any observable action a person or animal makes?
Behavior
Which goal of psychology focuses on identifying patterns in behavior without explaining why they occur?
Describe
Which early psychologist emphasized introspection to study consciousness?
Wilhelm Wundt
What research method examines the relationship between two variables without manipulating them?
Correlational study
What ethical guideline protects participants from physical or psychological harm?
Protection from harm
Which term refers to thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that cannot be directly observed?
Mental processes
what word can be descrided as "forecasting future behavior based on patterns"
Predict
Which perspective focuses on unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences?
Psychodynamic perspective
Which research method is the only one that can show cause-and-effect?
Experiment
What ethical rule allows participants to leave a study at any time?
Right to withdraw
Why is psychology considered a science rather than just common sense?
Because it uses systematic research methods and empirical evidence (factual data)
Which goal of psychology is often misunderstood as “manipulating people,” but really means influencing outcomes?
Control
Which perspective emphasizes learning through rewards, punishments, and observation?
Behavioral perspective
What is the independent variable in an experiment?
The variable manipulated by the researcher
What statistical term refers to the most frequently occurring score in a data set?
Mode
Why can personal experience not replace scientific research in psychology?
Because personal experience is subjective, biased, and not systematically tested
Give an example of how all four goals of psychology could apply to studying something like anxiety.
Describe symptoms, explain causes, predict who may develop anxiety, and control it through treatment or intervention
What made psychology different from philosophy once it became a science?
Psychology began using systematic observation and experimentation to study behavior and mental processes
Why does correlation not equal causation?
Because a relationship between variables does not prove that one causes the other
Why is confidentiality important in psychological research?
To protect participants’ privacy and encourage honest participation