Fall 2001
This guide is designed to help you FOCUS your studying, not to replace it. It includes what I see as being the most important topics covered in this unit. However, please understand that it would be impossible for me to list every single thing you need to know for the exam, and therefore you are expected to know everything covered in lectures and class discussions as well as the textbook material, with the exception of sections specified below. Sections you may skip are described in italics, in the beginning of the chapter section for entire sections, or within the particular section you are still assigned if it’s just a small part of that section. Also, I have not included references to the Epstein readings here, because much of what is tested on this will depend on the class discussions; make sure that you know the major concepts of each reading, and what the big issues are within each reading so that you are prepared for test questions based on the class discussions of these readings.
The studying approach I recommend below will not only help you learn the material better in general, but will prepare you specifically for my exams. These exams include both factual questions, in which you simply need to know specific information, AND applied questions, in which you need to use the information in ways that demonstrate a deeper understanding.
I strongly recommend that as part of your studying approach, you outline every chapter, to ensure that you not only learn the individual concepts but also how they relate to each other. As you’ll learn in the Memory chapter, you retain more information via deep processing. Also remember that many test questions require you to demonstrate that you understand what various concepts mean in real-life, rather than just what each of them are in isolation. When you begin to study, start by reviewing the chapter summaries at the end of each chapter (assuming of course that you’ve already read the chapters themselves!). Then put marks next to those sections that were strongly emphasized in class, so you know they’re important. Also put (different) marks next to the sections that I said you could skip. In addition to keeping up with the reading and reviewing the class notes, here are some tips for how to use this study guide:
FIRST, look through the study guide briefly, just so you know where best to focus your efforts as you read/review.
THEN, after your first bout of studying, go to the study guide (ie, this paper) and see how much you can answer without looking in your notes or textbook. This will give you a good idea of what you really know for the exam.
AFTER doing the study guide without looking, go back and check your answers. Make note of any sections that you missed, and make sure to reread that material. This is true for sections you got wrong as well as those you left blank.
FINALLY, before the exam, you should be able to do this whole study guide by heart. If you start studying in advance, you’ll give yourself the time you need to do all the steps listed here, and you should do well on the test. If you try doing this the night before, chances are you won’t be able to, and you also won’t have a chance to ask questions before the exam. So please study in advance.
Chapter 1 - Introduction: What Is Psychology?
1. General definition/description of field of psychology
2. General sense of the range of topics encompassed within the field of psychology
3. The importance of critical thinking: pseudoscience and science; empiricism; the scientific method; operationalization; falsifiability; pitfalls/obstacles to critical thinking (ie, emotional reasoning).
4. Research methods: descriptive vs correlational vs. experimental methods; know each type of studies included within each method category, including what kind of study, its pros and cons, and specific terms and concepts (ie, correlation coefficient, independent vs dependent variable, control condition, experimenter effects, etc) relevant within study types.
5. Statistics: descriptive vs inferential; know terms and concepts important in basic statistics (ie, variance, statistical significance, cross-sectional vs. longitudinal) and how they are used.
Chapter 2 - Theories of Personality
1. What is personality? What are traits? What are some of the terms related to traits (ie, central vs secondary traits)?
2. Biological theory: Basic terms and concepts (ie, heredity and heritability, temperament); ways in which this theory explains personality, limitations, and ways to evaluate the theory. Important names associated with this theory.
3. Learning theory: Basic terms and concepts (ie, operant vs classical conditioning, social learning theory); ways in which this theory explains personality, limitations, and ways to evaluate the theory. Important names associated with this theory.
4. Cultural theory: Basic terms and concepts (ie, individualistic vs collectivist); ways in which this theory explains personality, limitations, and ways to evaluate the theory.
5. Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory: Basic terms and concepts (ie, id/ego/superego, defense mechanisms, psychosexual development); ways in which this theory explains personality, limitations, and ways to evaluate the theory. Can skip "Two Other Psychodynamic Approaches" pgs 60 - 62. Important names associated with this theory.
6. Humanistic theory: Basic terms and concepts (ie, unconditional positive regard, hierarchy of needs, self-actualization); ways in which this theory explains personality, limitations, and ways to evaluate the theory. Important names associated with this theory.
7. What is the Barnum Effect? What is its relevance to personality theory?
Chapter 3 - Development Across the Lifespan
1. What is development? Know basic of Erikson’s theory of lifespan development (toward end of chpt).
2. Prenatal development: what are its stages? What are some factors that can interfere with normal prenatal development?
3. Infant development: Know basic terms and concepts such as reflexes (what types of infant reflexes are there, and what is their purpose?), attachment (what is it, how is it measured, what are types of attachments and implications of attachment type).
4. Cognitive development: Piagetian theory: why is it so important? What are important terms/concepts within this theory (ie, assimilation vs accomodation, with examples of each), stages of Piagetian development (know the main features of each stage - needn’t know exact ages but do know order of stages - know key terms/concepts/activities within each stage (ie object permanence, conservation, egocentricity, etc). What are limitations of Piagetian theory?
5. Can skip section on speech development (pg 80-83).
6. Gender development: know basic terms and differences among them (ie, gender identity vs sex or gender roles). What are major theories of gender development, and what are examples of each.
7. Moral development: Kohlberg’s theory: what is it, what are its stages, how is it assessed? Gilligan’s criticism: what is it, what does she propose instead? Pros and cons of these theories.
8. Adolescent development: What is adolescence? What are the major physical and psychological changes that occur during this period?
9. Adulthood development: What are the major physical and psychological changes that occur during this period? What are current views of "old age" and how do they differ from stereotypical views?
Have fun, and Good luck!!
Please feel free to come see me, stop by after class, etc if there’s anything you don’t understand. I’d much rather help you learn the material before the exam than commiserate with you if you don’t do well!
This page was last updated on 05/24/04 .