Unit 1 Revision (To be copied in notebook)

Neal Parikh
1) Define Psychology:
- Psychology is the study of the behavior and thinking of organisms.
2) What is the difference between behavior and mental processes?
- Behavior is the way an organism acts, and how it reacts to
situations. Mental processes, or cognition is the way you receive,
interpret and analyze data (being input by your senses.)
3) Explain what each does:
A psychiatrist is a practicing physician that provides medicine
for, and treats psychological disorders.
A clinical psychologist helps assess and treats people with
psychological disorders.
A counseling psychologist helps people going through mental,
adjustment and emotional problems.
A forensic psychologist is someone who works closely/with law
enforcement.
A developmental psychologist is mainly concerned with
infants and children, and helps understand how and why
development occurs.
An industrial/organizational psychologist is someone who
helps the corporate sector to optimize work efficiency.
4) Define all six perspectives of psychology:
- Biological The perspective that all behavior and changes in
thinking arise from the brain itself, and to change behavior and/or
thinking, the brain itself must be changed. (Darwin)
- Humanistic The perspective that focuses on the growth potential
of people as well as the satisfaction of their needs. (Rogers,
Maslow)
- Behavioral The perspective that whatever cannot be observed,
does not exist (in behavioral terms) (Objective). (Watson,
Skinner)
- Psychoanalytic/dynamic The perspective that the unconscious is
the major underlying force behind behavior and early stages.
(Freud)
- Sociocultural The perspective that behavior is influenced by social
input and cultural alignment.
- Cognitive The perspective that thinking and behavior stem from
how we receive, interpret and analyze data (mental processes).
5) Define the six methods of observation:
- Survey the method of asking a fixed set of questions to a random
or controlled sample/community of people.

Adv. Quick, Easy, Cheap

D. Adv. No variable control, Many participants required
Case Study the method of doing an in depth study/research on
one particular person or object.
Adv. Direction given to theories, laws and future studies
D. Adv. Can be misleading if subject is atypical
Naturalistic Observation the method of observing your subject in
its natural habit
Adv. Accurate, truthful behavior
D. Adv. Not useful when factors that affect behavior want to
be measured
Directed Observation a controlled situation where a particular
behavior can be measured.
Adv. Particular behavior can be measured
D. Adv. True, Natural behavior cannot be observed
Experimental - The manipulation of certain variables to produce a
change of behavior and/or thinking
Adv. Specifies cause and effect
D. Adv. Expensive, need varied groups, sometimes unethical
Correlation Study The study of how 2 factors vary together and
thus how well each predicts the other.
Adv. - Visible representation, statistical analysis
D. Adv. Does not display cause and effect