PSYC 102 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS GRADED A++ LATEST UPDATE
What is Psychology?
uthe scientific study of behaviour and mental processes and how they are affected by
an organism's physical state, mental state, and external environment
uthe root of the word psychology (psyche) means "soul" or "spirit" in Greek
uthe term is often represented by the Greek letter psi
Scientific Method: this aspect requires that psychological conclusions be based on
evidence collected according to the principles of the scientific method (discussed later)
Behaviour includes the means by which organisms adjust to their environment. It is
ACTION; in psychology a lot of the research utilized observation.
Mental: those cognitive processes that individuals use to influence their action (this is a
very important aspect of psychological inquiry and one of the hardest to study). Why? It
is hard to study because: a. peope lie or do not report for various reasons; and b.
people sometimes do not know what they are thinking or why they are thinking that way,
etc.
William James
often regarded as the father of psychology, once said that psychology was a "nasty little
subject" because it is so hard to study and simple explanations are few and far
,between. Humans are very complicated beings. Our behavior is not as simple as one
would think. We do not behave the same way every time we encounter the same
situation...there are many reasons why (could be our mood, could be our "day", could
be the weather, could be who we are with, etc.)
uWilliam James (1842-1910) believed that the study of consciousness was an ongoing
stream, a property of mind in continuous
interaction with the environment
u
uWrote "The Principles of Psychology"
Levels of Analysis
uRungs of a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological
influences and higher levels tied most closely to social influences
u
uA. Biological - molecular or neurochemical (involves brain systems, neurochemistry
and genetics)
u
uB. Psychological or Individual - individual differences, perception and cognition,
behaviour, including thoughts, feelings, and emotions)
u
uC. Social Influences - social or behavioural level (involves relating to others, and
personal relationships)
u
uD. Cultural Influences - thoughts, actions, behaviours in different societies and cultural
,groups
Looking at the levels of analysis and using the analogy of a ladder, we see that the
lower levels are tied to the brain (the biology) and the higher levels are tied to the
mind...according to the textbook the authors say that it refers to the same stuff. I am not
so sure as I believe in dualism (that they are separate but connected). To fully
understand psychology though, we do need to consider the multiple layers of analysis
as both the biological and social/cultural factors are required. Human behavior is very
complex.
I will use an example (depression) to explain how each of these levels works with this
topic.
Beginning with the biological level, in some cases there are genetic factors associated
with depression (it does run in some families). Also, there are neurotransmitters (brain
chemicals) that are involved in depression, most prominently serotonin and
norepinephrine. Low levels of Vitamin D have also been implicated as having a
depressed mood effect on people.
Moving up to the psychological level, there is evidence to suggest that people's patterns
of thinking (their cognitions) have a bearing on depression. Some people interpret
information in a pessimistic way (negative). It could be that some personality patterns
are more prone to depression than others (e.g., perfectionism, low self-esteem, lack of
, "mattering').
In social influences, we know that depression is related to people's childhood histories
of abuse, parental rejection and family difficulties. People who have been subjected to
great losses may develop pessimistic personalities that predispose them to become
depressed further down the line. People often stop doing things that used to bring them
pleasure and then their social lives worsen.
According to the sociocultural environment, depression is found in all cultures but may
reflect cultural differences behind the depression. Canada has a somewhat lower rate of
depression than other Western countries but women are more susceptible than men. I
hope that example helps.
Naïve realism
uThe belief that we see the world precisely as it is
u
uWe know that our perception is affected by many different factors, including
u
uEthnocentrism: we see the world through our own ethnocentric worldview (we have
been raised a certain way with certain belief systems and we use these to judge the
outside world - and even sometimes ourselves)
uConfirmation bias: the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses
and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them
uBelief perseverance: tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS GRADED A++ LATEST UPDATE
What is Psychology?
uthe scientific study of behaviour and mental processes and how they are affected by
an organism's physical state, mental state, and external environment
uthe root of the word psychology (psyche) means "soul" or "spirit" in Greek
uthe term is often represented by the Greek letter psi
Scientific Method: this aspect requires that psychological conclusions be based on
evidence collected according to the principles of the scientific method (discussed later)
Behaviour includes the means by which organisms adjust to their environment. It is
ACTION; in psychology a lot of the research utilized observation.
Mental: those cognitive processes that individuals use to influence their action (this is a
very important aspect of psychological inquiry and one of the hardest to study). Why? It
is hard to study because: a. peope lie or do not report for various reasons; and b.
people sometimes do not know what they are thinking or why they are thinking that way,
etc.
William James
often regarded as the father of psychology, once said that psychology was a "nasty little
subject" because it is so hard to study and simple explanations are few and far
,between. Humans are very complicated beings. Our behavior is not as simple as one
would think. We do not behave the same way every time we encounter the same
situation...there are many reasons why (could be our mood, could be our "day", could
be the weather, could be who we are with, etc.)
uWilliam James (1842-1910) believed that the study of consciousness was an ongoing
stream, a property of mind in continuous
interaction with the environment
u
uWrote "The Principles of Psychology"
Levels of Analysis
uRungs of a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological
influences and higher levels tied most closely to social influences
u
uA. Biological - molecular or neurochemical (involves brain systems, neurochemistry
and genetics)
u
uB. Psychological or Individual - individual differences, perception and cognition,
behaviour, including thoughts, feelings, and emotions)
u
uC. Social Influences - social or behavioural level (involves relating to others, and
personal relationships)
u
uD. Cultural Influences - thoughts, actions, behaviours in different societies and cultural
,groups
Looking at the levels of analysis and using the analogy of a ladder, we see that the
lower levels are tied to the brain (the biology) and the higher levels are tied to the
mind...according to the textbook the authors say that it refers to the same stuff. I am not
so sure as I believe in dualism (that they are separate but connected). To fully
understand psychology though, we do need to consider the multiple layers of analysis
as both the biological and social/cultural factors are required. Human behavior is very
complex.
I will use an example (depression) to explain how each of these levels works with this
topic.
Beginning with the biological level, in some cases there are genetic factors associated
with depression (it does run in some families). Also, there are neurotransmitters (brain
chemicals) that are involved in depression, most prominently serotonin and
norepinephrine. Low levels of Vitamin D have also been implicated as having a
depressed mood effect on people.
Moving up to the psychological level, there is evidence to suggest that people's patterns
of thinking (their cognitions) have a bearing on depression. Some people interpret
information in a pessimistic way (negative). It could be that some personality patterns
are more prone to depression than others (e.g., perfectionism, low self-esteem, lack of
, "mattering').
In social influences, we know that depression is related to people's childhood histories
of abuse, parental rejection and family difficulties. People who have been subjected to
great losses may develop pessimistic personalities that predispose them to become
depressed further down the line. People often stop doing things that used to bring them
pleasure and then their social lives worsen.
According to the sociocultural environment, depression is found in all cultures but may
reflect cultural differences behind the depression. Canada has a somewhat lower rate of
depression than other Western countries but women are more susceptible than men. I
hope that example helps.
Naïve realism
uThe belief that we see the world precisely as it is
u
uWe know that our perception is affected by many different factors, including
u
uEthnocentrism: we see the world through our own ethnocentric worldview (we have
been raised a certain way with certain belief systems and we use these to judge the
outside world - and even sometimes ourselves)
uConfirmation bias: the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypotheses
and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them
uBelief perseverance: tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence
