Introduction To Psychology - 8Th Edition - Rod Plotnik - Chapter 2

Front 1

animal model

Back 1

examining or manipulating some behavioral, genetic, or physiological factor that closely approximates some human problem, disease, or condition.

Front 2

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD

Back 2

not diagnosed by any medical tests but on the basis of the occurrence of certain behavioral problems. A child must have six or more symptoms of inattention, such as making careless mistakes in schoolwork, not following instructions, and being easily distracted, and six or more symptoms of hyperactivity, such as fidgeting, leaving classroom seat, running about when should not, and talking excessively. These symptoms should have been present from an early age, persisted for at least six months, and contributed to maladaptive development.

Front 3

case study

Back 3

an in-depth analysis of the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, experiences, behaviors, or problems of a single individual.

Front 4

control group

Back 4

composed of participants who undergo all the same procedures as the experimental participants except that the control participants do not receive the treatment.

Front 5

correlation

Back 5

an association or relationship between the occurrence of two or more events.

Front 6

correlation coefficient

Back 6

a number that indicates the strength of a relationship between two or more events: the closer the number is to –1.00 or +1.00, the greater is the strength of the relationship.

Front 7

debriefing

Back 7

explaining the purpose and method of the experiment, asking the participants their feelings about being participants in the experiment, and helping the participants deal with possible doubts or guilt that arise from their behaviors in the experiment.

Front 8

dependent variable

Back 8

one or more of the subjects’ behaviors that are used to measure the potential effects of the treatment or independent variable.

Front 9

double-blind procedure

Back 9

neither the researchers (“blind”) nor the subjects (“blind”) know who is receiving what treatment. Because neither researchers nor subjects know who is receiving which treatment, the researchers’ or subjects’ expectations have a chance to equally affect both treatments (drug and placebo).

Front 10

experiment

Back 10

a method for identifying cause-and-effect relationships by following a set of rules and guidelines that minimize the possibility of error, bias, and chance occurrences.

Front 11

experimental group

Back 11

composed of those who receive the treatment.

Front 12

hypothesis

Back 12

an educated guess about some phenomenon and is stated in precise, concrete language to rule out any confusion or error in the meaning of its terms.

Front 13

independent variable

Back 13

a treatment or something that the researcher controls or manipulates.

Front 14

interview

Back 14

a technique for obtaining information by asking questions, ranging from open-ended to highly structured, about a subject’s behaviors and attitudes, usually in a one-on-one situation.

Front 15

laboratory experiment

Back 15

a technique to gather information about the brain, genes, or behavior with the least error and bias by using a controlled environment that allows careful observation and measurement.

Front 16

laboratory setting

Back 16

studying individuals under systematic and controlled conditions, with many of the real-world influences eliminated.

Front 17

naturalistic setting

Back 17

a relatively normal environment in which researchers gather information by observing individuals’ behaviors without attempting to change or control the situation.

Front 18

placebo

Back 18

an intervention, such as taking a pill, receiving an injection, or undergoing an operation, that resembles medical therapy but that, in fact, has no medical effects.

Front 19

placebo effect

Back 19

a change in the patient’s illness that is attributable to an imagined treatment rather than to a medical treatment.

Front 20

questionnaire

Back 20

a method for obtaining information by asking subjects to read a list of written questions and check off or rate their preferences for specific answers.

Front 21

random selection

Back 21

each participant in a sample population has an equal chance of being selected for the experiment.

Front 22

scientific method

Back 22

an approach of gathering information and answering questions so that errors and biases are minimized.

Front 23

self-fulfilling prophecy

Back 23

a strong belief or making a statement (prophecy) about a future behavior and then acting, usually unknowingly, to fulfill or carry out the behavior.

Front 24

standardized test

Back 24

a technique to obtain information by administering a psychological test that has been standardized, which means that the test has been given to hundreds of people and shown to reliably measure thought patterns, personality traits, emotions, or behaviors.

Front 25

statistical procedures

Back 25

used to determine whether differences observed in dependent variables (behaviors) are due to independent variables (treatment) or to error or chance occurrence.

Front 26

survey

Back 26

a way to obtain information by asking many individuals—either person to person, by telephone, or by mail—to answer a fixed set of questions about particular subjects.

Front 27

testimonial

Back 27

a statement in support of a particular viewpoint based on detailed observations of a person’s own personal experience.