[PSYCH 100] - Final Exam Guide - Ultimate 37 pages long Study Guide!

• School: UMASS-Amherst
• Department: Psychology & Brain Sciences
• Course: PSYCH 100
• Professor: Tammy Rahhal

Document Summary

Why do we need psychology: not just common sense; people tend to be overconfident in knowledge, key to understanding humans. Important debates in psychology: consciousness vs unconscious, free will vs determinism, nature vs nurture. Research methods of psychology: scientific method, descriptive research, correlational research, experimentation. Research: must begin with hypothesis, hypothesis- testable prediction about something. Can come up with hypothesis due to dissatisfaction with other people"s theories. Example: respected scholar claimed women were genetically at a disadvantage in terms of skill in math and science. In disagreement, they launched an experiment which ultimately concluded that there was no such disadvantage. Another way to form a hypothesis is having further questions after reading about research. Example: if you are studying while chewing gum, you will do better if you also chew gum during the test. People formed a new hypothesis by questioning if this was true of other substances or states of being (like listening to music)