Scientific Foundations of Psychology

IRB

(institutional review board) at every uni with psychological research; oversees /approves /denies research.

Placebo effect

if a person believes they got the real treatment sometimes they feel as if its real.

Structuralism

the structure (parts and how they fit together) of the mind, accomplished through introspection (self-reflection)

Functionalism

what does the mind do and allow the person to do

Psychodynamic

division of consciousness into conscious and subconscious

Behaviorism

studying outward behavior, learning, and condition

Biological

the influences (mostly brain, genetics, and nervous system) on thoughts and behavior

Cognitive

the encoding/processing/storing/retrieval of memories and thought patterns

Evolutionary

natural selection of behaviors and genes that led to ancestors survival

Humanistic

positive aspects of humanity, how we strive to meet our needs for love, acceptance, self-esteem

Socio-cultural

differences in behavior and thinking across cultures

Bio(psycho)social approach

combines the 3 into 1 approach to work together

The Case Study

study one person/small group in detail, over a long period of time; apply conclusions from that person/group to a whole population

Naturalistic Observation

observing/recording behavior while watching a normal situation

Surveys

questioning a random sample of people that represents the group youre trying to study; looks at lots of cases with less depth

Framing

refers to the wording of a question or the way its presented and can have effects on the way people answer

Random Sampling

every person in the target population has an equal chance of being selected

sampling bias

the possibility that the group of people selected doesnt accurately represent the population of interest

Experiments

usually done in a lab, the research manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) and observes their effect on something else (dependent variable)

Double-blind procedure

neither the experimenter nor the participants know who is receiving the actual treatment and which is receiving the placebo

Placebo

people in control groups are given a false treatment and dont know its false

Metanalysis

a "study of studies" in which a researcher takes data from several completed studies and looks for new patterns in the data

Coercion

participants have to be volunteers and are allowed to leave the study

Informed Consent

must inform participants of all aspects of the study before it begins (within reason)

Anonymity

keep personal information confidential

Risk/Harm

the amount of physical/emotional/psychological harm done to participants should be kept to a minimum

Deception

researchers have to be very careful about how much to deceive their participants

Debriefing

after the study is done the researcher has to sit down with the participants and debrief all aspects of the study

Animal research

must be guaranteed health, comfort, and humane treatment and must minimize infection, illness, and pain

Validity

how well does a test measure what it says it measures

Face validity

does the material on the test appear to measure what its supposed to

Construct validity

how well does the test measure a construct (theoretical or hypothetical idea)

Criterion-related validity

how well do the scores on this test correlate to another established test

Predictive validity

how well does the test predict/forecast performance on a future task or test

Reliability

does a test produce consistent results

Test-retest reliability

can the test produce consistent scores in at least 2 administrations

Parallel/Alternative form reliability

can 2 different versions of the test produce consistent results

Inter-Rater/Grader reliability

can 2 different people interpreting the test come to consistent conclusions

Internal consistency reliability

do different questions on the same test that measure the same concepts obtain similar results