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Psychology's Goals, Methods, and Perspectives
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Psychology's Goals, Methods, and Perspectives
Psychology's Goals, Methods, and Perspectives
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1
Question
How is psychology defined as a scientific discipline?
Page 1
Answer
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
2
Question
Which two Greek roots form the term psychology?
Page 1
Answer
Psyche means soul or mind; logos means study or discourse.
3
Question
What range of human experience does psychology encompass?
Page 1
Answer
It ranges from brain functions to societal actions.
4
Question
What does description accomplish in psychological inquiry?
Page 1
Answer
It names and classifies behavior through detailed scientific observation, answering what is happening.
5
Question
Why can description alone not explain behavior?
Page 1
Answer
Description records and classifies behavior but does not identify its causes or answer why it occurs.
6
Question
What does psychological understanding add beyond description?
Page 1
Answer
Understanding identifies the causes of behavior and explains why it happens.
7
Question
Why may people fail to help when other bystanders are present?
Page 1
Answer
Diffusion of responsibility occurs: each person feels less personally obligated to help.
8
Question
How does the number of potential helpers relate to helping likelihood?
Page 1
Answer
As potential helpers increase, the likelihood that any one person will help decreases.
9
Question
What does prediction mean as a goal of psychology?
Page 1
Answer
Prediction uses knowledge to forecast when or how behavior is likely to occur.
10
Question
Why does a large crowd not guarantee emergency assistance?
Page 1
Answer
Many potential helpers may diffuse responsibility, so no one feels personally obligated to act.
11
Question
What does control mean in psychological science?
Page 2
Answer
Control means altering conditions that affect behavior, ideally in a helpful and humane way.
12
Question
How can a classroom change illustrate psychological control?
Page 1
Answer
Changing classroom conditions to help students learn better alters conditions affecting behavior.
13
Question
Why must psychological control be used carefully?
Page 1
Answer
It changes conditions affecting behavior, so it must be used wisely and humanely.
14
Question
How do psychology’s four goals answer different questions?
Page 2
Answer
Description asks what happens; understanding asks why; prediction forecasts when; control asks which conditions affect behavior.
15
Question
What is the first step of the scientific method described here?
Page 2
Answer
Observation: watching and recording behavior to find out what is happening.
16
Question
What does defining a problem accomplish in research?
Page 2
Answer
It identifies the specific question or problem researchers want to answer.
17
Question
What makes a hypothesis scientifically useful?
Page 2
Answer
It is a tentative, testable explanation or guess about an event or relationship.
18
Question
How could researchers test the hypothesis that frustration encourages aggression?
Page 2
Answer
They could measure frustration and aggressive behavior to evaluate the proposed relationship.
19
Question
What is the purpose of testing a hypothesis?
Page 2
Answer
Researchers collect data to determine whether the hypothesis is supported.
20
Question
Why do researchers publish their results?
Page 2
Answer
Publication lets other researchers review the findings and repeat the study.
21
Question
What role does theory building play in research?
Page 2
Answer
It creates an explanation that summarizes findings and guides future research.
22
Question
What is the order of the six scientific-method steps listed?
Page 2
Answer
Observation; defining a problem; proposing a hypothesis; gathering evidence; publishing results; theory building.
23
Question
How does observation differ from defining a research problem?
Page 2
Answer
Observation records what is happening; problem definition specifies the question to answer.
24
Question
How does a hypothesis differ from a theory in this account?
Page 2
Answer
A hypothesis is a testable tentative explanation; a theory summarizes findings and guides future research.
25
Question
What does the neurobiological perspective emphasize about behavior?
Page 3
Answer
Behavior results from internal physical, chemical, and biological processes, including brain and nervous-system functions.
26
Question
How does the evolutionary perspective explain behavior?
Page 3
Answer
It uses evolutionary principles based on natural selection to explain human and animal behavior.
27
Question
Why does the evolutionary perspective emphasize adaptation?
Page 3
Answer
The environment changes, so organisms need to adapt to fit their surroundings.
28
Question
What does the behavioral perspective emphasize as a cause of behavior?
Page 3
Answer
It emphasizes how the environment shapes and controls observable behavior.
29
Question
How are stimulus and response related in the behavioral perspective?
Page 3
Answer
A stimulus triggers a response; the response is how a person behaves or reacts to that stimulus.
30
Question
What does the psychodynamic perspective emphasize about behavior?
Page 3
Answer
Behavior is directed by often-hidden or unconscious forces, including internal impulses, desires, and conflicts.