PSYCH 111 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is psychology? - Answers - The scientific investigation of mental processes and
behavior
What does psychology reflect the influences of? - Answers - • Biological processes
• Individual differences (gender, pain)
• Time and culture (we continue to learn more)
What are the four goals of psychology? - Answers - • Describe how people and animals
behave
• Understand and explain the causes of behavior
• Predict behaviors/reactions across situations
• Control behavior through understanding its causes and consequences
Bullying: empathy training early
What did Flourens and Broca do? - Answers - • Linked mind and behavior
• Showed that damage to the brain can result in impariments of behavior and mental
function
What did Wilhelm Wundt establish? - Answers - • The first psychological lab in Leipzig,
Germany
• Taught first class in psych
What did Wundt study? - Answers - • Consciousness
• Structuralism
What is consciousness? - Answers - • A person's subjective experience of the world and
mind
What is structuralism? - Answers - • The relationship between the basic elements that
constitute the mind
• Introspection: Subjective observation of one's own experience/feelings
• Structure of mental processes
- Elements of consciousness/moments of consciousness
What did Titchener do? - Answers - • Brought Structuralism to the US
• Relied on the identification of the basic elements
What did William James do? - Answers - • Built on the principles of introspection and
the study of conscious experiences, but focuses on WHY and the adaptive reasons for
what and how we perceive the real world
• Natural selection
• Functionalism
,What is functionalism? - Answers - • The study of the function or purpose conscious
mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment
• We can't divide our memory that well but we think we can
Who do many psychologists focus on for studies? - Answers - Patients with
psychological disorders to understand human behavior
Who influenced the Psychoanalytic perspective? - Answers - Sigmund Freud
What is the psychoanalytic perspective? - Answers - • Identified the role of unconscious
forces that determine thoughts, feelings and behavior
• Personality is dependent on early life experiences
• Drives and motivations conflict leading to compromises (defense mechanisms,
symptoms)
• Focus on sexual and aggressive impulses
What is the theory behind the psychoanalytic perspective? - Answers - • Unconscious
mental processes shape feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
• They would make us uncomfortable if we knew them
What is a Freudian Slip? - Answers - • Elements of unconscious processing according
to this perspective
• Supposed to be unconscious but it comes out into the conscious
• We are not in charge of our unconscious
What is the Humanistic perspective? - Answers - • Said psychoanalytic perspective is
too pessimistic
• Stresses positive potential of all humans
• Believes in free will
• Posits and inherit drive to develop and reach full potential
What is the behaviorist perspective? - Answers - • Focus on observable behavioral
responses
• Doesn't study mental life at all
• Emphasizes the environmental impact on a person's actions
• Predict and control behavior in ways that benefit society
Who created the behaviorist perspective? - Answers - Watson
Who did classical conditioning/what is it? - Answers - • Pavlov and Watson
• Associative learning pairing stimuli and response
• Footsteps make dogs drool
Who created operative conditioning? - Answers - Skinner
, What is operative conditioning? - Answers - • Focuses on behaviorist perspective
• Explores reinforcement and punishment as determinants of behavior
• Rewarded for something: increased likelihood you'll repeat the behavior
• Punished: won't repeat behavior
What is social learning theory? By who? - Answers - • By Bandura
• Behavior is influenced by the observation of others
What is the cognitive perspective? - Answers - • How one thinks affects behavior and
responses
• Studies the mental processes involved in knowing
• Explores how one understands and then thinks about solving problems
• Storage and retrieval of information
• Mind is like a computer
• How to pay attention to many things at once
What is the Biological/Biopsychological Perspective and cognitive neuroscience -
Answers - • Understands the mind and behavior through biological processes in the
brain
• Explores the electrical and chemical processes of neurons affecting mood, perception,
cognition and behavior
• Birth defects/damage hurts the brain and affects ability
• Localization of function (Phineas Gage)
What is evolutionary psych? - Answers - • Understands mind and behavior in terms of
the adaptive selection of traits and functions over time
• Seeks to understand a variety of research findings within this theoretical framework
• Feel nausea faster with smell than with vision
What is developmental psych? - Answers - • Explores universal aspects of physical,
cognitive and socio-emotional development across the lifespan
• Identifies variations in development across experience
What is social psych? - Answers - • Individual and group behaviors and responses
across situations
• Causes and consequences
• Altruism and bystander behavior
• Running faster when with others
• MIlgram and Zimbardo
What is cultural psych? - Answers - • Identifies and explores the role of culture on the
psychological processes of its members
• Culture can influence thoughts, perceptions and behavior
• Absolutists say culture has little impact
• Relativists say culture has large impact
What is psychology? - Answers - The scientific investigation of mental processes and
behavior
What does psychology reflect the influences of? - Answers - • Biological processes
• Individual differences (gender, pain)
• Time and culture (we continue to learn more)
What are the four goals of psychology? - Answers - • Describe how people and animals
behave
• Understand and explain the causes of behavior
• Predict behaviors/reactions across situations
• Control behavior through understanding its causes and consequences
Bullying: empathy training early
What did Flourens and Broca do? - Answers - • Linked mind and behavior
• Showed that damage to the brain can result in impariments of behavior and mental
function
What did Wilhelm Wundt establish? - Answers - • The first psychological lab in Leipzig,
Germany
• Taught first class in psych
What did Wundt study? - Answers - • Consciousness
• Structuralism
What is consciousness? - Answers - • A person's subjective experience of the world and
mind
What is structuralism? - Answers - • The relationship between the basic elements that
constitute the mind
• Introspection: Subjective observation of one's own experience/feelings
• Structure of mental processes
- Elements of consciousness/moments of consciousness
What did Titchener do? - Answers - • Brought Structuralism to the US
• Relied on the identification of the basic elements
What did William James do? - Answers - • Built on the principles of introspection and
the study of conscious experiences, but focuses on WHY and the adaptive reasons for
what and how we perceive the real world
• Natural selection
• Functionalism
,What is functionalism? - Answers - • The study of the function or purpose conscious
mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment
• We can't divide our memory that well but we think we can
Who do many psychologists focus on for studies? - Answers - Patients with
psychological disorders to understand human behavior
Who influenced the Psychoanalytic perspective? - Answers - Sigmund Freud
What is the psychoanalytic perspective? - Answers - • Identified the role of unconscious
forces that determine thoughts, feelings and behavior
• Personality is dependent on early life experiences
• Drives and motivations conflict leading to compromises (defense mechanisms,
symptoms)
• Focus on sexual and aggressive impulses
What is the theory behind the psychoanalytic perspective? - Answers - • Unconscious
mental processes shape feelings, thoughts, and behaviors
• They would make us uncomfortable if we knew them
What is a Freudian Slip? - Answers - • Elements of unconscious processing according
to this perspective
• Supposed to be unconscious but it comes out into the conscious
• We are not in charge of our unconscious
What is the Humanistic perspective? - Answers - • Said psychoanalytic perspective is
too pessimistic
• Stresses positive potential of all humans
• Believes in free will
• Posits and inherit drive to develop and reach full potential
What is the behaviorist perspective? - Answers - • Focus on observable behavioral
responses
• Doesn't study mental life at all
• Emphasizes the environmental impact on a person's actions
• Predict and control behavior in ways that benefit society
Who created the behaviorist perspective? - Answers - Watson
Who did classical conditioning/what is it? - Answers - • Pavlov and Watson
• Associative learning pairing stimuli and response
• Footsteps make dogs drool
Who created operative conditioning? - Answers - Skinner
, What is operative conditioning? - Answers - • Focuses on behaviorist perspective
• Explores reinforcement and punishment as determinants of behavior
• Rewarded for something: increased likelihood you'll repeat the behavior
• Punished: won't repeat behavior
What is social learning theory? By who? - Answers - • By Bandura
• Behavior is influenced by the observation of others
What is the cognitive perspective? - Answers - • How one thinks affects behavior and
responses
• Studies the mental processes involved in knowing
• Explores how one understands and then thinks about solving problems
• Storage and retrieval of information
• Mind is like a computer
• How to pay attention to many things at once
What is the Biological/Biopsychological Perspective and cognitive neuroscience -
Answers - • Understands the mind and behavior through biological processes in the
brain
• Explores the electrical and chemical processes of neurons affecting mood, perception,
cognition and behavior
• Birth defects/damage hurts the brain and affects ability
• Localization of function (Phineas Gage)
What is evolutionary psych? - Answers - • Understands mind and behavior in terms of
the adaptive selection of traits and functions over time
• Seeks to understand a variety of research findings within this theoretical framework
• Feel nausea faster with smell than with vision
What is developmental psych? - Answers - • Explores universal aspects of physical,
cognitive and socio-emotional development across the lifespan
• Identifies variations in development across experience
What is social psych? - Answers - • Individual and group behaviors and responses
across situations
• Causes and consequences
• Altruism and bystander behavior
• Running faster when with others
• MIlgram and Zimbardo
What is cultural psych? - Answers - • Identifies and explores the role of culture on the
psychological processes of its members
• Culture can influence thoughts, perceptions and behavior
• Absolutists say culture has little impact
• Relativists say culture has large impact
