Psychology 101- Chapter 1

Front 1

Psychology

Back 1

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Front 2

Biological Perspective

Back 2

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how the brain, nervous system, and other psysiological mechanisms produce behavior and mental processes.

Front 3

Cognitive Perspective

Back 3

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how mental processes, such as perception, memory, and problem solving, work and impact behavior.

Front 4

Behaviroal Perspective

Back 4

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how external environmental events condition observable behavior.

Front 5

Sociocultural Perspective

Back 5

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how other people and the cultural context impact on behavior and mental processes.

Front 6

Hindsight Bias

Back 6

-"I knew it all along phenomenon"
-The tendency, after learning about an outcome, to be overconfident in one's ability to have predicted it.

Front 7

Descriptive Methods

Back 7

Research methods whose main purpose is to provide objective and detailed descriptions of behavior and mental processes.

Front 8

Naturalistic Observation

Back 8

A descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest is observed in the natural setting, and the researcher does not intervene in the behavior being observed.

Front 9

Participant Observation

Back 9

A descriptive research method in which the observer becomes part of the group being observed.

Front 10

Case Study

Back 10

A descriptive research method in which the researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time.

Front 11

Survey Research

Back 11

A descriptive research method in which the researcher uses questionares and interviews to collect information about the behavior, beliefs, and attitudes of particular groups of people.

Front 12

Population

Back 12

The entire group of people that a researcher is studying.

Front 13

Sample

Back 13

The subset of a population that actually participates in a research study.

Front 14

Random Sampling

Back 14

A sampling technique that obtains a represenative sample of a population by ensuring that each individual in a population has an equal opprotunity to be in the sample.

Front 15

Correlational Study

Back 15

A research study in which two variables are measured to determine if they are related (how well either one predicts the other)

Front 16

Psychology

Back 16

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Front 17

Biological Perspective

Back 17

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how the brain, nervous system, and other psysiological mechanisms produce behavior and mental processes.

Front 18

Cognitive Perspective

Back 18

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how mental processes, such as perception, memory, and problem solving, work and impact behavior.

Front 19

Behaviroal Perspective

Back 19

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how external environmental events condition observable behavior.

Front 20

Sociocultural Perspective

Back 20

A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how other people and the cultural context impact on behavior and mental processes.

Front 21

Hindsight Bias

Back 21

-"I knew it all along phenomenon"
-The tendency, after learning about an outcome, to be overconfident in one's ability to have predicted it.

Front 22

Descriptive Methods

Back 22

Research methods whose main purpose is to provide objective and detailed descriptions of behavior and mental processes.

Front 23

Naturalistic Observation

Back 23

A descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest is observed in the natural setting, and the researcher does not intervene in the behavior being observed.

Front 24

Participant Observation

Back 24

A descriptive research method in which the observer becomes part of the group being observed.

Front 25

Case Study

Back 25

A descriptive research method in which the researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time.

Front 26

Survey Research

Back 26

A descriptive research method in which the researcher uses questionares and interviews to collect information about the behavior, beliefs, and attitudes of particular groups of people.

Front 27

Population

Back 27

The entire group of people that a researcher is studying.

Front 28

Sample

Back 28

The subset of a population that actually participates in a research study.

Front 29

Random Sampling

Back 29

A sampling technique that obtains a represenative sample of a population by ensuring that each individual in a population has an equal opprotunity to be in the sample.

Front 30

Correlational Study

Back 30

A research study in which two variables are measured to determine if they are related (how well either one predicts the other).

Front 31

Variable

Back 31

Any factor that can take on more than one value.

Front 32

Correlation coeffifcient

Back 32

A statistic that tells us the type and the strength of the relationship between two variables. The sign of the coefficient (= or -) positive or negative, respectively. The absolute value of the coefficient (0.0 to 1.0) represents the strength of the correlation, with 1.0 being the maximum strength.

Front 33

Positive correlation

Back 33

A direct relationship between two variables.

Front 34

Negative correlation

Back 34

An inverse relationship between two variables.

Front 35

Scatterplot

Back 35

A visual depiction of correlational data in which each data point represents the scores on the two variables for each participant/

Front 36

Third-variable problem

Back 36

A explanation of a correlation between two variables in terms of another (third) variable that could possibly be responsible for the observed relationship between the two variables.

Front 37

Random assignment

Back 37

A control measure in which participants are randomly assigned to groups in order to equalize participant characteristics across the various groups in an experiment.

Front 38

Independent variable

Back 38

In an experiment, the variable that is a hypothesized cause and thus is manipulated by the experimenter.

Front 39

Dependent variable

Back 39

In an experiment, a variable that is hypothesized to be affected by the independent variable and thus is measured by the experimenter.

Front 40

Experiment

Back 40

A research method in which the researcher manipulates one or more independent variables and measures their effect on one or more dependent variables while controlling other potentially relevant variables.

Front 41

Experimental group

Back 41

In an experiment, the group exposed to the independent variable.

Front 42

Control group

Back 42

In an experiment, the group not exposed to the independent variable.

Front 43

Operational definition

Back 43

A description of the operations or procedures that a researcher uses to manipulate or measure a variable.

Front 44

Placebo effect

Back 44

Improvement due to the expectation of improving because of recieveing treatment.

Front 45

Placebo group

Back 45

A control group of participants who believe that are recieving treatment, but who are only recieving a placebo.

Front 46

Placebo

Back 46

An inactive pill or treatment that has no known affects.

Front 47

Inferential Statistical Analyses

Back 47

Statistical analyses that allow researchers to draw conclusions about the results of a study by determining the probability the results are due to random variation (chance). The results are statistically significant if this probability is .05 or less.

Front 48

Double-blind procedure

Back 48

A control measure in an experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which participants actually recieve treatment and which recieve a placebo.

Front 49

Descriptive statistics

Back 49

Statistics that describe the results of a research study in a concise fashion.

Front 50

Frequency distribution

Back 50

A depiction, in a table or figure, of the number of participants (frequency) recieving each score for a variable.

Front 51

Mean

Back 51

The numerical average of a distribution of scores.

Front 52

Median

Back 52

The score positioned in the middle of a distribution of scores when all of the scores are arranged from lowest to highest.

Front 53

Mode

Back 53

The most frequently occuring score in a distribution of scores.

Front 54

Range

Back 54

The difference between the highest and the lowest scores in a distribution of scores.

Front 55

Standard deviation

Back 55

The average extent that the scores vary from the mean for a distribution of scores.

Front 56

Normal distribution

Back 56

A frequency distribution that is shaped like a ball. About 68% of thes scores fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% within 2 standard deviations, and over 99 percent within 3 standard deviations of the mean.

Front 57

Percentile rank

Back 57

The percentage of scores below a specific score in a distribution of scores.

Front 58

Right-skewed distribution

Back 58

An symetric frequency distribution in which there are some unusually high scores that distort the mean to be greater than the median.

Front 59

Left-skewed distribution

Back 59

An asymetric frequency distribution in which there are some unusually low scores that distort the mean to be less than the median.