Prologue+Chapter 1 Vocab Psych

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structuralism

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

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functionalism

Back 2

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

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behaviorism

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

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humanistic psychology

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

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cognitive neuroscience

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

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psychology

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the science of behavior and mental processes.

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nature-nurture issue

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the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors arising from the interactions of nature and nurture.

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natural selection

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

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level analysis

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

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biopsychosocial approach

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

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basic research

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pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

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applied research

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scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

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counseling psychology

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a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in libing and in achieving greater well-being.

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clinical psychology

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

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psychiatry

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a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders,practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatment as well as psychology.

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hindsight bias

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the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenonmenon)

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critical thinking

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

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theory

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

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hypothesis

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a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

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operational definition

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a statement of the procedures used to define research variavles. For example, define as what an intelligence test measures.

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replications

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repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to other participants and circumstances.

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case study

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an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing unicersal princples.

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survey

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

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population

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all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.

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random sample

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

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naturalisti observation

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

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correlation

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

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correlation coefficient

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a statistical index of relationship between two things.

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scatterplots

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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 two variables. The amount of scatter suggest the strength of the correlation.

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illusory correlation

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the perception of a relationship where none exists.

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experiement

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a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental porcess. By randome assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant facotors.

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random assignment

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

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double-blind procedure

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

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placebo

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

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experimental group

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

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control group

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

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independent variable

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

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dependent variable

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

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mode

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the most frequently occurring scores in a distribution.

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mean

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

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median

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

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range

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the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

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standard deviation

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

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statistical significance

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

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culture

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

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Taco

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A tasty food.