PSYCH 1 TEST #1 COMPLETE STUDY
GUIDE, NOTES & EXAM REVIEW |
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Updated 2026 Questions and Answers | 100% Verified
Exam Prep and Comprehensive Rationales Included
,philosophical idealism the view that perceptions of the physical world are the brain's interpretation of
information that enters through our sensory apparatus (Kant); modern psychology
supports this theory
philosophical empircism the old view that all knowledge is acquired through experience (Locke)
philosophical nativism the view that some knowledge is innate rather than acquired (Kant); embraced to
a degree by most modern psychologists
reaction time the amount of time taken to respond to a specific stimulus
structuralism an approach to psychology that attempts to isolate and analyze the mind's basic
elements
introspection the analysis of subjective experience by trained observers
functionalism an approach to psychology that emphasizes the adaptive significance of mental
processes (how our mental and behavioral processes enable us to adapt, survive,
and flourish)
natural selection process by which the specific attributes that promote an organism's survival and
reproduction become more prevalent in the population over time
hysteria a loss of function that has no obvious physical origin
unconscious the part of the mind that contains information of which people are not aware
psychoanalytic theory a theory that emphasizes the influence of the unconscious on feelings, thoughts,
and behaviors (Freud)
psychoanalysis a therapy that aims to give people insight into the contents of their unconscious
minds (Freud)
behaviorism an approach to psychology that restricts scientific inquiry to observable behavior
(Watson and Pavlov); i.e. Pavolv's stimulus and response experiment with dogs
principle of reinforcement any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated and any behavior that isn't won't
(Skinner); tested with rats in cages with a lever they would press for food
Gestalt psychology 1900s approach to psychology that emphasized the way in which the mind creates
perceptual experience; "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"
,developmental psychology the study of the ways in which psychological phenomena change over the life
span
social psychology the study of the causes and consequences of sociality
cognitive revolution the shift away from strict behaviorism (which ignored the mind and evolution),
begun in the 1950s, characterized by renewed interest in fundamental problems of
consciousness and internal mental processes
Cognitive Psychology the study of human information processing; has been used for more than 50
years; "behaviorism set the mind aside, cognitive psych brought it back"
Evolutionary Psychology the study of the ways in which the human mind has been shaped by natural
selection; animals come into the world "biologically prepared" to learn some
associations more easily than others (Garcia)
cognitive neuroscience the study of the relationship between the brain and the mind (especially in
humans)
behavioral neuroscience the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior (especially in
nonhuman animals)
cultural psychology the study of how culture influences mental life
3 levels of psychology 1. intrapersonal level (neurons): neuroscience
2. personal level (minds): cognitive psych
3. interpersonal level (collectives): social psych
, 4 pillars of psychological science 1. Evolution: genes make brains
2. Materialism: brains make minds
3. Idealism: minds make reality
4. Empiricism: the idea that accurate knowledge of the world requires observation
of it
"the ghost in the machine" early idea that the mind was separate from the body (Rene Descartes)
modern view: no "ghost," all "machine," the mind technically doesn't exist
anywhere; mental life is just a product of matter and energy
mind as an "emergent phenomenon" the modern idea that minds "emerge" when neurons achieve a certain level of
complexity
idealism: minds make reality what we are experiencing right now is not the world, it is what your brain guesses
the world is like; "you don't see the world, you infer the world" (Imannuel Kant)
dogmatism the tendency to cling to one's beliefs; to lay down principles as incontrovertibly
true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others
Empiricism the belief that accurate knowledge of the world can be acquired through
observation; this is the heart and soul of science
Scientific Method a procedure for using empirical evidence to establish facts (Francis Bacon)
theories explanations of natural phenomena
hypothesis a falsifiable prediction made by a theory
empirical method a set of rules and techniques for observation
3 qualities of humans that make them difficult to study humans are:
1. extremely complex
2. extremely variable (no two people ever react the exact same way under the
exact same circumstances)
3. extremely reactive (people behave differently when they think they are being
observed)
operational definition a description of a property in measurable terms (i.e. describe happiness as "the
number of times a person smiles in an hour"); once we have this definition, we
need a detector (i.e. an electromyograph to detect a smile)
GUIDE, NOTES & EXAM REVIEW |
GRADED A+ | GUARANTEED SUCCESS
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers | 100% Verified
Exam Prep and Comprehensive Rationales Included
,philosophical idealism the view that perceptions of the physical world are the brain's interpretation of
information that enters through our sensory apparatus (Kant); modern psychology
supports this theory
philosophical empircism the old view that all knowledge is acquired through experience (Locke)
philosophical nativism the view that some knowledge is innate rather than acquired (Kant); embraced to
a degree by most modern psychologists
reaction time the amount of time taken to respond to a specific stimulus
structuralism an approach to psychology that attempts to isolate and analyze the mind's basic
elements
introspection the analysis of subjective experience by trained observers
functionalism an approach to psychology that emphasizes the adaptive significance of mental
processes (how our mental and behavioral processes enable us to adapt, survive,
and flourish)
natural selection process by which the specific attributes that promote an organism's survival and
reproduction become more prevalent in the population over time
hysteria a loss of function that has no obvious physical origin
unconscious the part of the mind that contains information of which people are not aware
psychoanalytic theory a theory that emphasizes the influence of the unconscious on feelings, thoughts,
and behaviors (Freud)
psychoanalysis a therapy that aims to give people insight into the contents of their unconscious
minds (Freud)
behaviorism an approach to psychology that restricts scientific inquiry to observable behavior
(Watson and Pavlov); i.e. Pavolv's stimulus and response experiment with dogs
principle of reinforcement any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated and any behavior that isn't won't
(Skinner); tested with rats in cages with a lever they would press for food
Gestalt psychology 1900s approach to psychology that emphasized the way in which the mind creates
perceptual experience; "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"
,developmental psychology the study of the ways in which psychological phenomena change over the life
span
social psychology the study of the causes and consequences of sociality
cognitive revolution the shift away from strict behaviorism (which ignored the mind and evolution),
begun in the 1950s, characterized by renewed interest in fundamental problems of
consciousness and internal mental processes
Cognitive Psychology the study of human information processing; has been used for more than 50
years; "behaviorism set the mind aside, cognitive psych brought it back"
Evolutionary Psychology the study of the ways in which the human mind has been shaped by natural
selection; animals come into the world "biologically prepared" to learn some
associations more easily than others (Garcia)
cognitive neuroscience the study of the relationship between the brain and the mind (especially in
humans)
behavioral neuroscience the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior (especially in
nonhuman animals)
cultural psychology the study of how culture influences mental life
3 levels of psychology 1. intrapersonal level (neurons): neuroscience
2. personal level (minds): cognitive psych
3. interpersonal level (collectives): social psych
, 4 pillars of psychological science 1. Evolution: genes make brains
2. Materialism: brains make minds
3. Idealism: minds make reality
4. Empiricism: the idea that accurate knowledge of the world requires observation
of it
"the ghost in the machine" early idea that the mind was separate from the body (Rene Descartes)
modern view: no "ghost," all "machine," the mind technically doesn't exist
anywhere; mental life is just a product of matter and energy
mind as an "emergent phenomenon" the modern idea that minds "emerge" when neurons achieve a certain level of
complexity
idealism: minds make reality what we are experiencing right now is not the world, it is what your brain guesses
the world is like; "you don't see the world, you infer the world" (Imannuel Kant)
dogmatism the tendency to cling to one's beliefs; to lay down principles as incontrovertibly
true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others
Empiricism the belief that accurate knowledge of the world can be acquired through
observation; this is the heart and soul of science
Scientific Method a procedure for using empirical evidence to establish facts (Francis Bacon)
theories explanations of natural phenomena
hypothesis a falsifiable prediction made by a theory
empirical method a set of rules and techniques for observation
3 qualities of humans that make them difficult to study humans are:
1. extremely complex
2. extremely variable (no two people ever react the exact same way under the
exact same circumstances)
3. extremely reactive (people behave differently when they think they are being
observed)
operational definition a description of a property in measurable terms (i.e. describe happiness as "the
number of times a person smiles in an hour"); once we have this definition, we
need a detector (i.e. an electromyograph to detect a smile)
