Chapter 1

Front 1

behaviorism

Back 1

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

Front 2

humanistic psychology

Back 2

emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Front 3

psychology

Back 3

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Front 4

critical thinking

Back 4

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. rather it examines assumptions, uncovers hidden values, weighs evidence, and assesses conclusions

Front 5

culture

Back 5

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

Front 6

biopsychological approach

Back 6

an integrated approach that incorporates different but complementary views from biological, psychological and social-cultural perspectives

Front 7

nature-nurture issue

Back 7

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

Front 8

dual processing

Back 8

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Front 9

positive psychology

Back 9

the scientific study of human functioning with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

Front 10

hindsight bias

Back 10

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (I knew it all along phenomenon)

Front 11

theory

Back 11

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

Front 12

hypothesis

Back 12

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Front 13

operational definition

Back 13

a statement of the procedures used to define research variables. Ex. Human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures

Front 14

replication

Back 14

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 15

case study

Back 15

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

Front 16

survey

Back 16

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a presentative, random sample of them

Front 17

random sample

Back 17

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

Front 18

naturalistic observation

Back 18

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

Front 19

correlation

Back 19

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

Front 20

illusory correlation

Back 20

the perception of a relationship where none exists
ex. more likely to get pregnant after adopting

Front 21

experiment

Back 21

a method in which researchers vary one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable)

Front 22

random assignment

Back 22

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance thus minimizing any differences between them

Front 23

experimental group

Back 23

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

Front 24

control group

Back 24

the group in an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Front 25

placebo

Back 25

an inert substance or condition that is assumed to be an active agent

Front 26

double-blind procedure

Back 26

a procedure in which participants and research staff are ignorant about who has received the treatment or placebo

Front 27

placebo effect

Back 27

results caused by expectations alone

Front 28

independent variable

Back 28

the experimental factor that is mainipulated, the variable whose effect is being studied

Front 29

dependent variable

Back 29

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

Front 30

biological psychology

Back 30

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

Front 31

neuron

Back 31

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Front 32

dendrites

Back 32

neuron extensions that receive messages and conducts impulses toward the cell body

Front 33

axons

Back 33

neuron extensions that pass messages to other neurons or cells

Front 34

action potential

Back 34

a nerve impulse

Front 35

synapse

Back 35

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Front 36

threshold

Back 36

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Front 37

all or none response

Back 37

a neurons reaction of either firing or not firing

Front 38

neurotransmitters

Back 38

neuron-produced chemicals that cross synapses to carry messages to other neurons or cells

Front 39

opiates

Back 39

chemicals such as opium, morphine, and heroin that depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety