Week 1 - Intro & Basic Principles

Question 1

What’s the basic goal of psychology

Answer 1

Describe the behaviour of organisms

Question 2

The psychological approach originates in the “________ ________”?

Answer 2

The mind

Question 3

What are the assumptions about a manipulated variable?

Answer 3

1. All Behaviour is CAUSED
2. Causes PRECEDE their effects
3. PARSIMONIOUS is preferred (Occam’s Razor)
4. The causes of behaviour include ONLY NATURAL (i.e., publicly observable) phenomena

Question 4

What is the experimental method?

Answer 4

Independent variable (cause) ———> CAUSALITY ———> Dependent variable

Manipulation——-> Behaviour
Enviro A.
Enviro B.

Question 5

What is a functional relationship? (Casual)

Answer 5

Behaviour = f (organism, environment)

“IS A FUNCTION OF”

Question 6

What is an operational definition?

Answer 6

A description of a variable used to measure that variable

Ex) Measuring “mouth wateringness” of food

Label: Salivation
Operational Definition:
Number of milligrams of saliva absorbed by cotton balls (of size X) placed in a particular area in the mouth for specified period of time.

Question 7

Why is a operational definition important? (5)

Answer 7

1. Precise
2. Interobserver reliability
3. Quantitative
4. Objective
5. Practical
6. Important

Question 8

Different types of behavioural assessments?

Answer 8

1. A-B (BEHAVIOURAL ASSESSMENT)
   - determine if treatment is needed
   -determine if treatment was successful
2. A-B-A-B (REVERSAL DESIGN)
   -casual relationship b/w IV and DV

Question 9

Difference b/w direct and indirect behavioural assessment?

Answer 9

Direct (IDEAL)
-behaviour is measured as it occurs
-observer can be camera or person etc..
-self-monitoring

Indirect
-interviews, questionnaires etc..
-testimony
-recall individual behaviour
- MAY BE BIASED/INACCURATE

Question 10

What is B.F Skinners advice in research designs?

Answer 10

Individual subject ——> demonstrable truth emerges ——-> THEN ———> generalize

Question 11

What is a single case design?

Answer 11

NOT THE SAME THING AS A CASE-STUDY
-individual acts as their own control group
-within-subject research
-principles that govern that individual

Question 12

What are the 8 common behavioural measures?
***What are the 4 MAIN behaviour measures?

Answer 12

1. Accuracy
2. Topography
   **3. Intensity (psychical force involved in the behaviour)
   **4. Latency/speed (time span b/w stimulus and reaction)
   **5. Duration (time where behaviour starts —-> end)
   **6. Frequency (# occurrences of behaviour)
3. Distribution of behaviour
4. Rate (# occurrences of a behaviour over set amount of time)

Question 13

Overt VS covert behaviour?

Answer 13

Overt: can be observed or measured by a person
Covert “private events”: cannot be observed by others

Question 14

Behaviour is “___________”

Answer 14

Lawful

-its occurrence is systematically influenced by enviro effects

Question 15

What is target behaviour?

Answer 15

The behaviour to be MODIFIED

Question 16

What is a behaviour excess?

Answer 16

Undesirable target behaviour the person wants to DECREASE (frequency, duration etc…)

Question 17

What is a behaviour deficit?

Answer 17

Desirable target behaviour the person wants to INCREASE (frequency, duration etc..)

Question 18

Who was Ivan P. Pavlov?

Answer 18

Basic process of respondent conditioning

Reflex (salivation) of food can be conditioned to a neutral stimulus

Question 19

Who was Edward L. Thorndike?

Answer 19

Law of effect

A behaviour that produces a favorable effect on the environment is more likely to be repeated in the future

The cat, food and the cage

Question 20

Who was John B. Watson?

Answer 20

Observable behavior was the proper matter of psychology and that all behavior was controlled by environmental events

Began behaviourism

Question 21

Who was B.F Skinner?

Answer 21

Expanded the field of behaviourism originally described by Watson

Explained distinction b/w respondent conditioning and operant conditioning in which consequence of behaviour controls future occurrence of behaviour (thorndikes law of effect)

Foundation of behaviour modification