Modules 1 & 2
Define psychology.
Trace psychology’s prescientific roots, from early understandings of mind and
body to the beginnings of modern science.
Explain how the early psychologists sought to understand the mind’s structure
and functions, and identify some of the leading psychologists who worked in
these areas.
Summarize the nature-nurture debate in psychology, and describe the principle of
natural selection.
Describe hindsight bias, and explain how it can make research findings seem like
mere common sense.
Describe how overconfidence contaminates our everyday judgments.
Explain how the scientific attitude encourages critical thinking.
Describe how psychological theories guide scientific research.
Explain the value of simplified laboratory conditions in discovering general
principles of behavior.
Discuss whether psychological research can be generalized.
Modules 3 & 4
Know that four major perspectives in psychology that we talked about in class:
• Biological, Psychodynamic, Cognitive, and Learning
(Behavioral)
• Be able to identify an example of any of these Understand
the Nature-Nurture debate.
Understand what is meant by hindsight bias.
Know the different levels of research: descriptive, correlational, experimental
Understand how psychologists use scientific method and know the steps involved
• observation
• theory
• Hypothesis
• testing hypothesis
• revise theory
Understand the importance of publication and replication of research
Know what the different research methods are
• Naturalistic observation, Case study (case history),
Correlational research, survey, experiment
Understand the advantages and disadvantages of each type of study
• Given a research question, be able to select an appropriate
research method to answer the question and give advantages and
disadvantage of that method
• Know the difference between
Population and Sample
Be able to design an experiment, like we did in the class activity.
• Write an hypothesis
• Identify population and sample
• Identify Control Group and Experimental Group (or various
levels of the experimental group)
• Identify Independent Variable and Dependent Variable
Ethics and research
Modules 4 & 5
Know the parts of the neuron and be able to label them on a diagram.
Also know the functions of the parts.
Know the parts of the synapse (presynaptic and postsynaptic) and be able to
label them on a diagram
Describe how neurotransmission occurs.
Explain Action Potential and how is occurs.
Polarization of a neuron (depolarization and hyperpolarization)
Inhibitory vs. excitatory effect of neurotransmitters
Ways neurotransmitters are removed from synaptic space:
• Diffusion
• Reuptake
• broken down by enzyme( i.e. MAO)
Know how antagonists and agonists work
How alcohol and amphetamines affect the brain.
How Prozac works (SSRI’s)
Location and major function of each lobe of cerebral cortex: frontal, parietal,
occipital and temporal
Understand what happened to Phineas Gage and why we study him.
Modules 12, 16 & 17
Understand the difference between Sensation and Perception
Gestalt principles of perceptual organization
Figure Ground
Depth Perception
Monocular Cues and Binocular Cues
Retinal Disparity
Be able to identify and explain these perceptual Illusions:
Rubin-Vase Illusion
Muller-Lyer Illusion
Ames Room
Identify the three most testable forms of ESP, and explain why most research
psychologists remain skeptical of ESP claims.
Discuss research findings on subliminal messages
Memory: Modules 24-28
Sensory Memory
iconic and echoic
Short-Term Memory: Capacity, length of time info stays there
Chunking
Mnemonics
Working Memory
Declarative Memory
Semantic Memory
Episodic Memory
Procedural Memory
Implicit and explicit memory
Information Processing Model
Retrieval cues
• Priming
• Context Dependent Recall and Mood (State) Dependent Recall
Proactive Interference
Retroactive Interference
Malleability of Memory
Memory Repression
Memory Construction
Repressed Memories and False Memories Controversy
Thinking: Module 29
Steps in problem solving
Trial and Error
Heuristics
• Representativeness
• Availability
Algorithm
mental set
functional fixedness
divergent and convergent thinking
insight
Intelligence: Modules 31-33
Spearman’s theory of General Intelligence
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Garnder’s Theory Multiple Intelligences
Intelligence Quotient
IQ Tests: WAIS/WISC, Stanford-Binet
Reliability
Validity
Flynn Effect
Learning: Modules 21 & 22
Know the Assumptions of behaviorism
Classical Conditioning
• Be able to identify the UCS, UCR, CS, CR in an example of
classical conditioning
• Be able to explain your own original example of classical
conditioning
• Understand the “Little Albert” example
• Know what Stimulus Discrimination is and be able to
identify it in an example
• Know what Stimulus Generalization is and be able to
identify it in an example
• Know what Extinction & Spontaneous Recovery are and be able
to identify them
Operant Conditioning
• Thorndike’s Law of Effect
• Understand Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement,
Positive Punishment, Negative Punishment.
• Be able to provide you own original examples of all of
these
• be prepared to identify these in a given example
Development: Modules 8-9
Teratogens
Know all of Piaget’s stages, the age ranges and major accomplishments that occur
in each stage.
Attachment
• Harry Harlow’s study on monkeys
• Mary Ainsworth’s work with human infants
Social Psych: Modules 55 & 56
Attribution Theory
• Understand the difference between Internal & External attributions,
• Be able to identify in an example or give your own original example of
the following:
o fundamental attribution error
o actor-observer effect
o self-serving bias.
Know the Tactics for gaining compliance (notes only)
• Be able to identify them in various examples.
Deindividuation
Bystander Effect
Groupthink
Social loafing
Be familiar with Asch’s research on conformity
• What were his finding?
• What things did he find affect conformity?
Be familiar with Milgram’s research on obedience and Zimbardo’s Stanford Prision
Study
Understand the ethical issues related to these studies.
Personality: Modules 44-46
Psychodynamic Theories
Freud: Id, Ego, Superego, Libido, fixation, stages of psychosexual development,
Oedipus Complex,
Be able to identify Defense mechanisms in a given example.
Understand Freud’s original Seduction Hypothesis and what happened
Undestand common criticisms of Freud, as discussed in class (i.e. Alder’s
criticism of Penis Envy, who Freud studied to develop his stage)
Students/Critics of Freud: Alder, Horney, and Jung
Humanistic Theories
Understand the basic perspective of humanists
Rogers: Self-actualization, unconditional positive regard
Maslow: hierarchy of needs, characteristics of self-actualized people
Big five traits in Module 46 and PowerPoint notes
Disorders: Modules 47-51
DSM,
comorbidity (notes)
Bio-Psycho-Social perspective
Mood Disorders: Depression, Mania, Bi-polar
Anxiety Disorders: Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety
Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, PTSD
Schizophrenia: positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms; hallucinations &
delusions
Dissociative Disorders: Amnesia, Fugue, DID
Be Ready to identify any of these disorders in an example. That is, I will give you a description of a person’s symptoms and you will need to identify the most likely disorder.
Therapy: Modules 52-54
Psychoanalysis: free association, resistance, transference, insight
Behavior Therapy: systematic desensitization, flooding, behavior contracts,
token economy
Cognitive Therapy: Albert Ellis-Rational Emotive Therapy, Beck – therapy for
depression
Humanistic Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy: Rogers, unconditional positive
regard
Biological Therapy: Antidepressants, Anxiolytics, Antipsychotic drugs, ECT,
Psychosurgery
In addition:
Know these people and their major accomplishment: Freud, Rogers, Maslow, Ellis,
Beck, Adler, Zimbardo, Milgram, Asche, Piaget, Harlow, Ainsworth, Skinner,
Watson, Pavlov, Thorndike