Ap Psych Unit 1

Front 1

Empiricism

Back 1

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation.

Front 2

Structuralism

Back 2

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind.

Front 3

Functionalism

Back 3

a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function--how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.

Front 4

Experimental Psychology

Back 4

the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method.

Front 5

Behaviorism

Back 5

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes.
Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not (2).

Front 6

Humanistic Psychology

Back 6

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Front 7

Cognitive Neuroscience

Back 7

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).

Front 8

Psychology

Back 8

the science of behavior and mental processes.

Front 9

Nature-Nurture Issue

Back 9

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors.
Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

Front 10

Natural Selection

Back 10

the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

Front 11

Levels of Analysis

Back 11

the differing complementary views from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon.

Front 12

Biopsychosocial Approach

Back 12

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.

Front 13

Biological Psychological

Back 13

a branch of psychology that studies the links between biological (including neuroscience and behavior genetics) and psychological processes.

Front 14

Evolutionary Psychology

Back 14

the study of the roots of behavior and mental processes using the principles of natural selection.

Front 15

Psychodynamic Psychology

Back 15

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders.

Front 16

Behavioral Psychology

Back 16

the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning.

Front 17

Cognitive Psychology

Back 17

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Front 18

Social-Cultural Psychology
(Socio-cultural)

Back 18

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.

Front 19

Psychometrics

Back 19

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.

Front 20

Basic Research

Back 20

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

Front 21

Developmental Psychology

Back 21

the scientific study of physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan.

Front 22

Educational Psychology

Back 22

the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.

Front 23

Personality Psychology

Back 23

the study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Front 24

Social Psychology

Back 24

the scientific study of how we think about it, influence, and relate to one another.

Front 25

Applied Research

Back 25

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

Front 26

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology

Back 26

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.

Front 27

Human Factors Psychology

Back 27

the study of how people and machines interact resulting in the design of machines and environments.

Front 28

Counseling Psychology

Back 28

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, and marriage) and in achieving greater well-being

Front 29

Clinical Psychology

Back 29

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

Front 30

Psychiatry

Back 30

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who often provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.

Front 31

SQ3R

Back 31

a study method incorporating five steps; Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse, Review.

Front 32

Hindsight Bias

Back 32

the tendency to believe, after learning and outcome, that one would have foreseen it.
Also knows as the "I knew it all along" phenomenon.

Front 33

Critical Thinking

Back 33

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

Front 34

Theory

Back 34

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.

Front 35

Hypothesis

Back 35

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

Front 36

Operational Definition

Back 36

a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables.
i.e. Human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

Front 37

Replication

Back 37

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.

Front 38

Case Study

Back 38

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Front 39

Survey

Back 39

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.

Front 40

Population

Back 40

all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.
Note: Except for national studies, this does NOT refer to a country's whole population.

Front 41

Random Sample

Back 41

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

Front 42

Naturalistic Observation

Back 42

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.

Front 43

Correlation

Back 43

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus, of how well either factor predicts the other.

Front 44

Correlation Coefficient

Back 44

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Front 45

Scatterplot

Back 45

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation).

Front 46

Illusory Correlation

Back 46

the perception of a relationship where none exists.

Front 47

Experiment

Back 47

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control the other relevant factors.

Front 48

Random Assignment

Back 48

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups.

Front 49

Double-Blind Procedure

Back 49

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Front 50

Placebo Effect

Back 50

experimental results caused by expectation alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent.

Front 51

Experimental Group

Back 51

in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Front 52

Control Group

Back 52

in an experiment, the group that is NOT exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of treatment.

Front 53

Independent Variable

Back 53

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Front 54

Confounding Variable

Back 54

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.

Front 55

Dependent Variable

Back 55

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

Front 56

Mode

Back 56

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.

Front 57

Mean

Back 57

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.

Front 58

Median

Back 58

the middle score in distribution, half the scores are above it, and half are below it.

Front 59

Range

Back 59

the difference between the highest and lowest score in a distribution.

Front 60

Standard Deviation

Back 60

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.

Front 61

Normal Curve

Back 61

a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scored fall near the mean (68% fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes.

Front 62

Statistical Significance

Back 62

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.

Front 63

Culture

Back 63

the enduring behavior, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Front 64

Informed Consent

Back 64

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.

Front 65

Debriefing

Back 65

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants.