Psychology: Innate Needs and Delayed Gratification

Innate Needs and Personal Growth

• Innate needs are basic physiological requirements necessary for survival and personal growth, including food, water, sleep, and social interaction.

Immediate vs Delayed Gratification

• The concept of immediate vs delayed gratification involves choosing between a small immediate reward and a larger delayed reward.
• Marshmallow studies are psychological experiments that test children's ability to delay gratification by offering a choice between a small immediate reward and a larger delayed reward.

Learning Theories

• Behaviorism is a learning theory that emphasizes that behaviors are acquired through conditioning, often without considering internal thoughts or feelings.
• Positive Psychology is a field of psychology that focuses on enhancing the positive aspects of human experience, including happiness, well-being, and flourishing.

Positive Psychology

• The PERMA model outlines five key elements contributing to well-being: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

Cognitive Biases and Theories

• Cognitive Dissonance Theory explains the psychological tension or discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes.
• The Endowment Effect is a cognitive bias where individuals assign greater value to things merely because they own them.

Personality Theories

• The Trait and Temperament View emphasizes the innate personality traits and temperaments that individuals are born with, which influence their behavior and reactions.
• The Big Five model of personality identifies five main traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Psychological Perspectives

• Humanism is a psychological perspective that focuses on the whole person and the uniqueness of each individual, often emphasizing personal growth and self-actualization.
• Self-Actualization is the process by which individuals realize their potential and capabilities, striving to become the best version of themselves.
• Evolutionary Psychology explains psychological traits and behaviors as adaptations that have evolved through natural selection.

Research Methods and Designs

• Random Assignment is a method used in experimental research where participants are randomly allocated to different groups to ensure that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition.
• Correlational Design is a non-experimental research method that measures the relationship between two variables without manipulating them to assess how they change together.

Neurological and Psychological Concepts

• Prosopagnosia is a neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize faces, also known as face blindness.
• Social Desirability is a response bias where individuals answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others, often skewing research results.

Research Concepts

• Operational Definitions provide specific explanations of how variables in a study will be measured and defined to ensure clarity and consistency in research.
• Negative Correlation is a type of statistical relationship where an increase in one variable is associated with a decrease in another.
• Case Studies involve detailed investigations of a single subject, group, or event, providing comprehensive and in-depth insights from multiple sources and methods.
• Limited Generalizability refers to the extent to which research findings can be applied to broader contexts, populations, or situations outside of the studied sample.