Chapter One Vocabulary

Front 1

psychology

Back 1

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Front 2

structuralism

Back 2

early school of psychology that emphasized studying the most basic components, or structures, of conscious experiences

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functionalism

Back 3

early school of psychology that emphasized studying the purpose, or function, of behavior and mental experiences

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psychoanalysis

Back 4

personality theory and form of psychotherapy that emphasize the role of unconscious factors in personality and behavior

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behaviorism

Back 5

school of psychology and theoretical viewpoint that emphasize the study of observable behaviors, especially as they pertain to the process of learning

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humanistic psychology

Back 6

school of psychology and theoretical viewpoint that emphasize each person's unique potential for psychological growth and self-direction

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neuroscience

Back 7

the study of the nervous system, especially the brain

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positive psychology

Back 8

the study of positive emotions and psychological states, positive individual traits, and the social institutions that foster positive individuals and communities

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evolutionary psychology

Back 9

the application of principles of evolution, including natural selection, to explain psychological processes and phenomena

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culture

Back 10

the attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people and communicated from one generation to another

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cross-cultural psychology

Back 11

branch of psychology that studies the effects of culture on behavior and mental processes

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ethnocentrism

Back 12

the belief that one's own culture or ethnic group is superior to all others, and the related tendency to use one's own culture as a standard by which to judge other cultures

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individualistic cultures

Back 13

cultures that emphasize the needs and goals of the individual over the needs and goals of the group

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collectivistic cultures

Back 14

cultures that emphasize the needs and goals of the group over the needs and goals of the individual

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psychiatry

Back 15

medical specialty area focused on the diagnosis, treatment, causes, and prevention of mental and behavioral disorders

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scientific method

Back 16

a set of assumptions, attitudes, and procedures that guide researchers in creating questions to investigate, in generating evidence, and in drawing conclusions

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empirical evidence

Back 17

verifiable evidence that is based upon objective observation, measurement, and/or experimentation

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hypothesis

Back 18

a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables; a testable prediction or question

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critical thinking

Back 19

the active process of minimizing preconceptions and biases while evaluating evidence, determining the conclusions that can reasonably be drawn from evidence, and considering alternative explanations for research findings or other phenomena

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variable

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a factor that can vary, or change, in ways that can be observed, measured, and verified

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operational definition

Back 21

a precise description of how the variables in a study will be manipulated or measured

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statistics

Back 22

a branch of of mathematics used by researchers to organize, summarize, and interpret data

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statistically significant

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a mathematical indication that research results are not very likely to have occured by chance

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meta-analysis

Back 24

a statistical technique that involves combining and analyzing the results of many research studies on a specific topic in order to identify overall trends