Psychology

• Differential reinforcement involves strengthening of a behavior through reinforcement and weakening of other competing behaviors through extinction.
• Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes
• Psychology uses systematic methods to observe human behavior and draw conclusions
• The goal of psychological science is to describe, predict, and explain behavior
• Behavior is anything that can be directly observed
• Mental processes are thoughts, feelings, and motives that cannot be observed directly
• The core attitudes of the scientific approach are critical thinking, curiosity, skepticism, and objectivity
• The empirical method involves observing events, collecting data, and reasoning logically
• Sigmund Freud believed most human behavior is caused by dark, unconscious impulses
• Willhelm Wundt created the academic discipline of psychology and focused on structuralism
• William James believed in functionalism, focusing on the purpose or function of the mind
• Natural Selection is an evolutionary process where organisms best adapted to their environment survive and reproduce
• There are 7 different contemporary approaches to psychology: biological, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, evolutionary, and sociocultural
• The biopsychosocial approach states that behavior is influenced by biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
• The scientific method involves observing, formulating hypotheses, testing through research, drawing conclusions, and evaluating conclusions
• A variable is anything that can change
• A theory is a broad idea attempting to explain observations and make predictions
• A hypothesis is a testable prediction derived logically from a theory
• An operational definition provides an objective description of how a variable is measured
• Self Determination Theory states that people feel fulfilled when their lives meet the needs of relatedness, autonomy, and competence
• Replication involves reproducing a study to see if the same results emerge
• Descriptive research, correlational research, and experimental research are types of psychological research
• Correlational research examines the relationship between variables
• Experimental research establishes causal relationships between variables
• A correlation coefficient expresses the strength and direction of a relationship between variables
• Correlation does not equal causation
• Experiments involve manipulating variables to see their effects
• Random assignment assigns participants to groups by chance to reduce preexisting differences
• Validity refers to the soundness of conclusions drawn from an experiment
• External validity reflects how well an experimental design mirrors real-world issues
• Internal validity indicates changes in the dependent variable due to manipulation of the independent variable
• Research participant bias, demand characteristics, and experimenter bias can influence research outcomes
• Population is the entire group about which conclusions are drawn, while a sample is a subset chosen for study
• Naturalistic observation involves observing behavior in a real-world setting
• APA's Ethical Guidelines address informed consent, confidentiality, debriefing, and deception
• The nervous system is the body's electrochemical communication circuitry
• Neurons are nerve cells that handle information processing
• The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system connects them to the body
• The autonomic nervous system has sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions
• The stress response involves the sympathetic nervous system and the release of corticosteroids