Psychology Chapter 1 Flashcards

The goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict and influence behavior and mental processes.

Describe is the first step in understanding, also known as the what step, and it describes the behavior and mental processes as completely and accurately as possible.

Explanation is the why step, where you tell why an event or behavior happened.

<p>Prediction is the when step, where you tell when an event or behavior is most likely to occur.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Influence is the how step, where you apply a principle or change a condition to prevent unwanted occurrences or bring about a desired outcome.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Hindsight bias is the tendency to believe that one would have foreseen an outcome after learning about it.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The scientific method differentiates between uninformed opinions and examined conclusions and helps us understand why people think and feel as they do.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A theory is a systematic explanation of a phenomenon from which a hypothesis is formed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A hypothesis is a specific testable prediction that comes from a theory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In the scientific method, you collect data using various methods depending on the question.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>You develop a theory by developing a theory, forming a hypothesis, gathering and analyzing data, forming a conclusion, and revising your theory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A case study is a descriptive study that gives a rich description of an individual, though it has limitations such as case exceptions and observer bias.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Observation is a descriptive study with two types: naturalistic and laboratory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Naturalistic observation takes place in real or natural settings, but its limitation is that there may be too much going on.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Laboratory observation takes place in a controlled setting with limitations such as demand characteristics and ethical concerns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A survey is a descriptive study and a technique to determine self-reported attitudes, opinions, or behaviors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A questionnaire is a type of survey and the most common way of collecting data.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The advantages of a questionnaire are that they are cheap and easy, allowing for collection and generalization of a lot of data.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The problems with questionnaires include writing good questions, ensuring honesty, and obtaining good samples.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The wording effect occurs when wording changes the results of a survey, influencing responses based on the strength of words used.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>We survey a population or a sample.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A population is an entire group of interest whose findings we wish to apply.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A sample is a portion of a population selected for study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>We sample by randomly selecting, representative samples, and biased samples.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A randomly selected sample is when everyone in the population has an equal chance of being in the sample.</p> Signup and view all the answers