Psychology 1000 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Isight, Jean Piaget, Sociobiology
3 Jun 2018
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Psychology: The Science of Behaviour
Psychology = The scientific study of behaviour and the factors that influence it.
Taking into account Biological, Individual and Environmental factors.
Basic and Applied Science
• Two types of research:
o Basic research: Knowledge gained purely for its own sake. The goals are to
describe how people behave and to identify factors that influence it. Research
maybe carried out in lab or real world
• e.g. Robert Cave – Jigsaw case study - showed how competition leads to
hostility but could be reduced by making them dependent on each other.
o Applied research: Knowledge gained to solve specific practical problems. Uses
principles discovered via basic research to solve practical problems.
Goals of Psychology
• Four basic goals:
o Describe how people and animals behave
o Explain and understand the causes of the behaviour
o Predict how people and animals behave under certain conditions
o Influence or control the behaviour through knowledge and control of causes
Importance of Perspectives
• Diverse viewpoints allows for enriched understanding of behaviour and its causes
• Six different perspectives: biological, cognitive, psychodynamic, behavioural,
humanistic, and sociocultural.
o Biological - physical side of human nature, brain and genes
o Cognitive - though process
o Psychodynamic - unconscious forces motivating behaviour
o Behavioral - role of external environment on out action
o Humanistic - self actualization and free will
o Sociocultural - culture and behaviour relate
The Biological Perspective
• Focuses on the physical side of human nature
o Emphasizes role of brain, including biochemical processes
• Mind-body dualism: The belief that the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to the
physical laws that govern the body
o No amount of research on the body could ever explain the mind
o Ancient widely-held view, especially by Greeks
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Document Summary
Psychology = the scientific study of behaviour and the factors that influence it. Taking into account biological, individual and environmental factors. Basic and applied science: two types of research, basic research: knowledge gained purely for its own sake. The goals are to describe how people behave and to identify factors that influence it. Uses principles discovered via basic research to solve practical problems. Goals of psychology: four basic goals, describe how people and animals behave, explain and understand the causes of the behaviour, predict how people and animals behave under certain conditions. Influence or control the behaviour through knowledge and control of causes. In 1929, invention of electroencephalogram (eeg) allowed researchers to measure electrical activity of large areas of brain. Evolution and behaviour: dar(cid:449)i(cid:374)"s theory of (cid:374)atural sele(cid:272)tio(cid:374) de(cid:373)o(cid:374)strated that i(cid:374)herita(cid:271)le characteristics that increase likelihood of survival will be maintained.
