Additional Notes for Mods 1 & 2 Test
Module 1: The History & Scope of Psychology
Obj 1—4 Psychological Science Develops
Behaviorists: view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without
reference to mental processes. (Direct contradiction of Freud’s emphasis on unconscious conflicts
motivating behavior)
Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but NOT with (2)
Another school of thought in psychology is Gestalt psychology—an early school of psychology from Germany that
studied how people organized perceptual experiences in understandable ways. They are famous for developing
rules for how we organize what we sense and perceive, and for the state that “the whole is greater than the sum
of its parts.” Gestalt psychology will be discussed much more in Sensation & Perception.
Cognitive neuroscience: interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition (including
perception, thinking, memory & language)
Obj 1—7 Psychology’s Subfields
Psychometrics: scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes & traits (stats)
Basic Research:
Educational psychology: study of how psychological processes affect & can even enhance teaching &
learning.
Applied Research:
Human Factors Psychology: study of how people & machines interact and the design of safe & easily
used machines and environments
Module 2: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
Nothing new here, BUT….please, please, please (!) know what an operational definition is!!!!