By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe the different research methods used by psychologists
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys, and archival research
Compare longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches to research
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Discuss how research involving human subjects is regulated
Summarize the processes of informed consent and debriefing
Explain how research involving animal subjects is regulated
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Explain how scientific research addresses questions about behavior
Discuss how scientific research guides public policy
Appreciate how scientific research can be important in making personal decisions
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Explain the figure-ground relationship
Define Gestalt principles of grouping
Describe how perceptual set is influenced by an individual’s characteristics and mental state
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe the basic anatomy and function of the auditory system
Explain how we encode and perceive pitch
Discuss how we localize sound
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Distinguish between sensation and perception
Describe the concepts of absolute threshold and difference threshold
Discuss the roles attention, motivation, and sensory adaptation play in perception
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe the basic functions of the chemical senses
Explain the basic functions of the somatosensory, nociceptive, and thermoceptive sensory systems
Describe the basic functions of the vestibular, proprioceptive, and kinesthetic sensory systems
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe the basic anatomy of the visual system
Discuss how rods and cones contribute to different aspects of vision
Describe how monocular and binocular cues are used in the perception of depth
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe important physical features of wave forms
Show how physical properties of light waves are associated with perceptual experience
Show how physical properties of sound waves are associated with perceptual experience
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Define aggression
Define cyberbullying
Describe the bystander effect
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Define attitude
Describe how people’s attitudes are internally changed through cognitive dissonance
Explain how people’s attitudes are externally changed through persuasion
Describe the peripheral and central routes to persuasion
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Explain the Asch effect
Define conformity and types of social influence
Describe Stanley Milgram’s experiment and its implications
Define groupthink, social facilitation, and social loafing
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Define and distinguish among prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination
Provide examples of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination
Explain why prejudice and discrimination exist
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe altruism
Describe conditions that influence the formation of relationships
Identify what attracts people to each other
Describe the triangular theory of love
Explain social exchange theory in relationships
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe social roles and how they influence behavior
Explain what social norms are and how they influence behavior
Define script
Describe the findings of Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment
