Show Menu
Cheatography
  1. Home >
  2. Education >

Intro to Psychology Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

Intro to Psychology notes

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Overview

Defini­tion:
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It seeks to understand how people perceive, think, feel, and act both indivi­dually and within social contexts.
Scope:
Psychology covers a wide range of topics, including percep­tion, cognition, emotion, person­ality, behavior, interp­ersonal relati­ons­hips, and mental health.

Branches of Psychology

Clinical Psycho­logy:
Focuses on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.
 
Counseling Psycho­logy: Helps indivi­duals manage and overcome problems in daily life.
 
Psycho­the­rapy: The practice of treating psycho­logical disorders through verbal and psycho­logical techni­ques.
 
Neurop­syc­hology: Studies the relati­onship between brain function and behavior, often in the context of brain injury or neurol­ogical condit­ions.
Cognitive Psycho­logy:
Invest­igates internal mental processes such as percep­tion, memory, thinking, and proble­m-s­olving.
 
Attention: How we focus on particular inform­ation.
 
Memory: Processes involved in storing and retrieving inform­ation.
 
Language: The study of how we unders­tand, produce, and acquire language.
 
Decision Making: How people make choices and judgments.
Develo­pmental Psycho­logy:
Examines how people grow and change from infancy through old age.
 
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Develo­pment: Explores stages of cognitive growth in children.
 
Erikson’s Stages of Psycho­social Develo­pment: Describes the impact of social experience across the lifespan.
 
Attachment Theory: Examines the bonds between infants and caregivers and how these affect future relati­ons­hips.
Social Psycho­logy:
Studies how indivi­duals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the presence of others.
 
Social Influence: How people's behavior is affected by others (e.g., confor­mity, obedie­nce).
 
Group Dynamics: How people behave in groups, including phenomena like groupthink and social loafing.
 
Interp­ersonal Relati­ons­hips: The study of attrac­tion, love, aggres­sion, and conflict in relati­ons­hips.
Behavioral Psycho­logy:
Focuses on observable behaviors and the ways they are learned or condit­ioned.
 
Classical Condit­ioning: Learning through associ­ation, as demons­trated by Pavlov's experi­ments with dogs.
 
Operant Condit­ioning: Learning through conseq­uences, as formulated by B.F. Skinner.
 
Social Learning Theory: Learning through observ­ation and imitation, proposed by Albert Bandura.
Biopsy­chology (or Biological Psycho­logy):
Examines the physio­logical bases of behavior, focusing on the brain, neurot­ran­smi­tters, and the nervous system.
 
Neuros­cience: How the brain and nervous system affect behavior and cognition.
 
Genetics: The role of heredity in behavior.
 
Psycho­pha­rma­cology: The study of how drugs affect mood, behavior, and cognition.
Indust­ria­l-O­rga­niz­ational (I/O) Psycho­logy:
Applies psycho­logical principles to the workplace to improve produc­tivity, work-life balance, and employee well-b­eing.
 
Workplace Motiva­tion: Unders­tanding what drives employees to perform.
 
Leadership and Manage­ment: The study of effective leadership styles and organi­zat­ional behavior.
 
Employee Selection and Assess­ment: Developing methods for hiring the right candid­ates.
Health Psycho­logy:
Focuses on how psycho­logical factors affect health and illness.
 
Stress and Coping: How indivi­duals respond to and manage stress.
 
Behavioral Medicine: Integr­ating behavioral and medical knowledge to treat physical health problems.
 
Health Behavior Change: Strategies to promote healthy behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, exercise adhere­nce).

Key Concepts in Psychology

Consci­ous­ness:
Refers to our awareness of our own mental processes, such as thoughts, feelings, and sensat­ions.
 
States of Consci­ous­ness: Include wakefu­lness, sleep, dreaming, and altered states (e.g., hypnosis, medita­tion).
Percep­tion:
The process by which we interpret sensory inform­ation from the enviro­nment.
 
Gestalt Princi­ples: Psycho­logical theories that describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes.
Learning:
A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge due to experi­ence.
 
Classical Condit­ioning: Learning through associ­ation.
 
Operant Condit­ioning: Learning through rewards and punish­ments.
 
Observ­ational Learning: Learning by watching others.
Memory:
The process by which inform­ation is encoded, stored, and retrieved.
 
Short-Term Memory: Temporary storage for inform­ation.
 
Long-Term Memory: The more permanent storage of inform­ation.
 
Working Memory: The ability to hold and manipulate inform­ation in mind for short periods.
Emotion:
Complex reactions that involve physio­logical arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experi­ence.
 
James-­Lange Theory: Emotions result from physio­logical responses to stimuli.
 
Cannon­-Bard Theory: Emotions and physio­logical responses occur simult­ane­ously.
 
Two-Factor Theory: Emotions are influenced by both physio­logical arousal and cognitive labeling.
Motiva­tion:
The process that initiates, guides, and sustains goal-d­irected behavior.
 
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A theory proposing that people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, starting with basic physio­logical needs and moving to self-a­ctu­ali­zation.
 
Drive Reduction Theory: Suggests that people are motivated to reduce internal tension caused by unmet biological needs.
 

Methods in Psychology

Experi­ments:
A method of invest­igating cause-­and­-effect relati­onships by manipu­lating one variable and observing the effect on another.
 
Control Groups: Used to compare the effects of the indepe­ndent variable.
Surveys:
Collecting data from a large group of people through questi­onn­aires or interviews to understand attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors.
 
Sampling: The process of selecting a repres­ent­ative group from a larger popula­tion.
Observ­ations:
Watching and recording behaviors in a natural setting or labora­tory.
 
Natura­listic Observ­ation: Observing behavior in its natural context without interv­ention.
Case Studies:
In-depth analysis of an indivi­dual, group, or event to explore the underlying causes of behavior.
 
Advant­ages: Provides detailed and compre­hensive inform­ation.
 
Limita­tions: May not be genera­lizable to the broader popula­tion.
Correl­ational Studies:
Examines the relati­onship between two or more variables without manipu­lating them.
 
Correl­ation Coeffi­cient: A statis­tical measure that indicates the extent to which two variables fluctuate together.
Longit­udinal and Cross-­Sec­tional Studies:
Longit­udinal Studies: Follow the same group of indivi­duals over a period of time to observe changes.
 
Cross-­Sec­tional Studies: Compare different groups of people at one point in time.

Major Theore­tical Approaches in Psychology

Behavi­orism:
Focuses on observable behavior and the ways it is learned.
 
Key Figures: John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner.
 
Princi­ples: Behavior is shaped by reinfo­rcement and punish­ment.
Psycho­ana­lytic Theory:
Emphasizes the role of uncons­cious processes and early childhood experi­ences in shaping behavior.
 
Key Figure: Sigmund Freud.
 
Structure of the Mind: Divided into the id, ego, and superego.
Humanistic Psycho­logy:
Focuses on individual potential and the importance of growth and self-a­ctu­ali­zation.
 
Key Figures: Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow.
 
Princi­ples: Emphasizes free will, self-e­ffi­cacy, and human potential.
Cognitive Psycho­logy:
Studies mental processes such as percep­tion, memory, and proble­m-s­olving.
 
Key Figures: Jean Piaget, Aaron Beck.
 
Princi­ples: Behavior is influenced by how we process and interpret inform­ation.
Biological Psycho­logy:
Examines the physio­logical bases of behavior, including the brain, neurot­ran­smi­tters, and genetics.
 
Princi­ples: Behavior is a result of biological processes and brain function.
Social­-Co­gnitive Theory:
Emphasizes the role of cognitive processes and social influences in behavior.
 
Key Figure: Albert Bandura.
 
Princi­ples: Behavior is influenced by observ­ational learning, self-e­ffi­cacy, and social experi­ences.

Applied Psychology

Clinical and Counseling Psycho­logy:
Providing therapy and counseling to indivi­duals to help them cope with mental health issues.
Educat­ional Psycho­logy:
Applying psycho­logical principles to improve teaching and learning outcomes in educat­ional settings.
Forensic Psycho­logy:
The inters­ection of psychology and the legal system, including criminal profiling, assessment of defend­ants, and expert testimony.
Sports Psycho­logy:
Focusing on the mental and emotional aspects of sports perfor­mance, including motiva­tion, anxiety, and team dynamics.
Indust­ria­l-O­rga­niz­ational Psycho­logy:
Enhancing workplace produc­tivity and employee satisf­action through psycho­logical princi­ples.
Health Psycho­logy:
Promoting health, preventing illness, and improving healthcare through psycho­logical methods.
 

Current Issues and Debates in Psychology

Nature vs. Nurture:
The debate over the relative contri­butions of genetics (nature) and enviro­nment (nurture) to human develo­pment and behavior.
Ethical Issues in Research:
Addressing concerns about the ethical treatment of research partic­ipants, informed consent, confid­ent­iality, and the use of animals in research.
Mental Health Stigma:
The challenge of reducing stigma and improving public attitudes toward mental health and those with mental illness.
Cultural Competence in Therapy:
The importance of unders­tanding and respecting cultural differ­ences in providing effective psycho­logical services.
Technology and Psycho­logy:
Exploring the impact of digital techno­logy, including social media, on mental health and behavior.
Positive Psycho­logy:
The study of factors that contribute to human happiness and well-b­eing, focusing on strengths rather than just disorders.

Psycho­logical Case Studies

The Stanford Prison Experiment (1971):
Conducted by Philip Zimbardo, this study examined the psycho­logical effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers.
The Little Albert Experiment (1920):
An experiment conducted by John B. Watson that demons­trated classical condit­ioning in humans by condit­ioning a baby to fear a white rat.
Phineas Gage (1848):
A famous case in which a railroad worker survived a severe brain injury that dramat­ically changed his person­ality, providing early evidence of the role of the frontal lobes in person­ality and behavior.
Milgram’s Obedience Experiment (1963):
Stanley Milgram's experiment studied the willin­gness of partic­ipants to obey authority figures, even when asked to perform actions confli­cting with their personal consci­ence.
Harlow's Monkeys (1950s):
Harry Harlow's experi­ments on rhesus monkeys showed the importance of caregiving and compan­ionship in social and cognitive develo­pment.

Conclusion

Psychology is a diverse and dynamic field that encomp­asses the study of mind, behavior, and the underlying processes
By exploring the different branches, key concepts, theore­tical approa­ches, and applic­ations, students can gain a compre­hensive unders­tanding of how psycho­logical principles are used to address real-world problems, enhance human well-b­eing, and advance scientific knowledge
The study of psychology not only provides insights into individual behavior but also offers valuable tools for improving mental health and fostering positive social change