Unit 0 AP Psychology

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Scientific Method

systematic process of asking questions collecting data testing ideas

Hypothesis

testable prediction

Theory

evidence-based explanation of observations

Empirical Method

gaining knowledge through observation and experiment

Structuralism

studied structure of the mind using introspection

Functionalism

focused on purpose of thoughts and behaviors

Psychoanalytic

emphasizes unconscious motives and early experiences

Gestalt Psychology

whole experience is more than the sum of its parts

Behaviorism (Behavioral Psychology)

studies only observable behavior

Humanistic

emphasizes free will growth and self-actualization

Quantitative Research

numerical measurable data

Qualitative Research

descriptive non-numerical data

Cognitive Psychology

study of thinking memory and problem-solving

Feminist Psychology

examines gender biases and issues in psychology

Multicultural Psychology

studies cultural influences on behavior

Cross-Cultural Psychology

compares behavior across different cultures

Positive Psychology

focuses on happiness strengths and well-being

Psychodynamic

modern version of psychoanalysis (focus on unconscious/relationships)

Psychometrics

measuring mental abilities and traits

APA (American Psychological Association)

professional org for psychology

Biological Psychology (Biopsychology)

links biology and behavior

Evolutionary Psychology

studies how evolution shapes behavior

Sensation & Perception

how we sense and interpret the world

Developmental Psychology

study of changes across the lifespan

Personality Psychology

studies personality traits and patterns

Social Psychology

studies how people interact and influence each other

I-O Psychology (Industrial-Organizational)

psychology in the workplace

Health Psychology

how behavior affects health

Biopsychosocial Model

health = biology + psychology + social factors

Sport & Exercise Psychology

psychology of sports and performance

Clinical Psychology

diagnosing and treating mental illness

Counseling Psychology

helping with everyday problems

Forensic Psychology

psychology in legal and criminal systems

Sociocultural Perspective

how society and culture shape behavior

Critical Thinking

analyzing information carefully

Hindsight Bias

"I knew it all along" after it happens

Confirmation Bias

seeking info that supports what you already believe

Overconfidence

thinking you know more than you do

Scientific Attitude

curiosity skepticism humility

Empirical

based on observation/evidence

Facts vs. Opinions

facts are proven opinions are beliefs

Deductive Reasoning

general idea → specific conclusion

Inductive Reasoning

specific examples → general idea

Falsifiable

can be proven wrong with evidence

Correlational Research

studies relationships between variables

Clinical Studies

studying people in therapy

Case Studies

in-depth study of one or few people

Generalizability

how well results apply to others

Naturalistic Observation

observing in natural settings

Structured Observation

observing in controlled settings

Observer Bias

researcher’s expectations influence results

Inter-rater Reliability

agreement among different observers

Surveys

questionnaires/interviews for data

Sample

group studied

Population

larger group you want results to apply to

Measures of Central Tendency

mean median mode

Archival Research

using past records/data

Longitudinal Research

following same group over time

Cross-Sectional Research

comparing groups at one time

Attrition Rates

participants dropping out of study

Social Desirability Bias

giving “good” answers instead of true ones

Self-Report Bias

when people misreport their own behavior

Response Bias

tendency to answer in a certain way (like always yes)

Correlation

relationship between variables

Correlation Coefficient

number showing strength/direction of correlation

Positive Correlation

both go up or both go down

Negative Correlation

one goes up the other goes down

Scatterplot

graph of correlation

Cause & Effect

one variable directly changes another

Confounding Variable

outside factor that affects results

Illusory Correlations

thinking two things are related when they aren’t

Causality

showing one thing causes another

Experimental Group

gets treatment

Control Group

no treatment (comparison)

Operational Definition

exact definition of how variables are measured

Experimenter Bias

researcher expectations affect study

Single-Blind Study

participants don’t know groups researchers do

Double-Blind Study

neither participants nor researchers know groups

Placebo Effect

improvement from believing you got treatment

Independent Variable

factor the researcher changes

Dependent Variable

factor measured in study

Participants (Subjects)

people in a study

Random Sample

everyone has equal chance of being chosen

Representative Sample

sample reflects the population

Random Assignment

participants randomly placed in groups

Statistical Analysis

math used to interpret results

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

checked by other experts before publishing

Replicate (Replicability)

repeating a study to confirm results

Reliability

consistent results

Validity

measures what it’s supposed to

Meta-Analysis

combining many studies into one analysis

Quasi-Experimental

experiment without random assignment

Regression Toward the Mean

extreme scores move closer to average later

Sampling Bias

sample doesn’t represent population

Convenience Sampling

using easy-to-reach participants

Descriptive Statistics

numbers that summarize data

Histogram

bar graph showing data distribution

Mean

average score

Median

middle score