College Network Introductory Psychology Lesson 1 Ch 1-4

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naturalistic observation

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method used by researchers to unobstrusively study the behaviors of organisms in their natural environment

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psychiatry

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the study of mental disorders from a medical perspective

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psychology

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the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes

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associationism

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theory developed by James Mill that suggests that ideas are organized in the mind based on our initial association through experience

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behaviorism

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theory proposed by John Watson that seeks to identify the ways in which people learn through interactions with their environment

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biophychosocial orientation

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professional stance of many modern psychologists that supposes people and their behavior must be considered in the context of biological systems, psychological processes, and social influences

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empiricism

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the concept that all knowledge stems from our senses

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functionalists

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Psychologists who study the ways in which psychological processes help humans adapt to their environment, survive, and prosper

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gestalt theory

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theory created by Max Wertheimer and further developed by Friedrich Perls that dictates that experience is a function of patterns of the whole being, rather than simply a sum of parts

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mental measurement

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field that analyzes various aspects of human functioning and measures differences in functioning between individuals

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psychoanalysis

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practice developed by Sigmund Freud that focuses on unconscious conflicts and their resolutions to explain human behavior

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structuralism

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theory created by Wilhelm Wundt that considers the most basic elements of ideas and how they combine to form complex notions

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applied research

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research that involves the active study and/or resolution of existing problems

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basic research

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research that is geared toward gaining knowledge and clarifying concepts with limited emphasis toward the applicability of the findings

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case study

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a detailed investigation of a single subject or topic from which the findings are generalized; this type of study is often conducted by clinicians, is rich in clinical information, and provides researchers with hypotheses about the interaction of problems and other factors

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correlational studies

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studies that show how two phenomena or situations correspond to one another

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cross validation

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method of checking data against other researchers' findings in order to reduce possible bias

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dependent variable

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an experimental variable whose value depends on that of the independent variable

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descriptive studies

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studies that describe a phenomenon or situation

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epidemiological research

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Type of research that focuses on the prevalence and incidence of events

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experimental studies

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studies that test the likelihood that one variable causes a change in another variable

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experimenter bias

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threat to research validity that develops when the involved researchers skew the interpretation of their results due to factors such as personal beliefs, drive to succeed, occupational pressure to publish research, and the corresdonding reluctance of journal editors to publish negative or inconclusive findings

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hindsight bias

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threat to research validity that develops if a person examines a situation that is already in existence or an event that has already occured and then generates an explanation for the elements of the situation or event

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incidence

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an epidemiological term that refers to the number of new cases of a disorder in a given period

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independent variable

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an experimental variable manipulated by researchers to see whether any change results in the experiments other variable(s)

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inferential studies

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studies that use statistical techniques to make inferences about the larger population based on a relatively small sample

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lifetime prevalence

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an epidemiological term that refers to the percentage of the population who will have a specific disorder at some time during their lives

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meta-analysis

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research method that involves compiling the results of numerous studies on a particular phenomenon and analyzing the compiled data

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prevalence

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an epidemiological term that refers to the percentage of individuals who have a certain disorder during a certain period of time

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random assignment

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the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group

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survey

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a type of research in which questionnaires are completed by a large group of individuals

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correlation coefficient

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a statistic describing the correspondence between scores/ratings on two different variables, ranging from -1 to +1

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descriptive statistics

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statistics that summarize data by describing their general trends or characteristics

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frequency distribution

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a table that shows the number of subjects falling into several subdivisions of a larger group on a variable of interest

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histogram

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a graphic representation of the data in a frequency distribution

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inferential statistics

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statistics that allow researchersto determine how likely it is that theresults found in a particular study reflect real-world differences instead of simply differences between the relatively few subjects in the research sample

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mean

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the arithmetic average of the values in a data set

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median

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the central value in a data set, at which half the values are larger and half the values are smaller that the value in question

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mode

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the most frequent response in a set of data

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outliers

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any data results that exist far removed from a main cluster of data

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population

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the entire group of potential research subjects

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range

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an entire set of data, from the lowest number to the highest number

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reliability

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the consistency with which something is measured

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representative sample

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a research sample whose traits are reflective of those of the population as a whole

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sample

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a set of subjects chosen from the overall population who will be used in research efforts

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statistical significance

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the degree to which research results have not occured by chance

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validity

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the ability to accurately measure or predict the logical correctness of some proposition or conclusion