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key words and phrases from chapter 1 of the textbook what is psychology? Pastorino and Doyle-portillo
psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
scientific method
a systematic process used by psychologists for testing hypotheses about behavior
theory
an explanation of why and how a behavior occurs
pseudopsychology
psychological information or conclusions that sound scientific but have not been systematically tested using the scientific method
critical thinking
thought processes used to evaluate and analyze information and apply it to other situations
prediction
an expected outcome of how variables will relate
hypothesis
an educated guess
predictive hypothesis
an educated guess about the relationships among variables
casual hypothesis
an educated guess about how one variable will influence another variable
population of interest
the entire universe of animals or people that could be studied
sample
the portion of the population of interest that is selected for a study
naturalistic observation
observing behavior in the environment in which the behavior typically occurs
case study
an in depth observation of one or a few participants or settings
generalizability
how well a researchers findings apply to other individuals and situations
survey
a research method that asks a large group of people about their attitudes, beliefs, and/or behaviors
correlation
relationship between two or more variables
positive correlation
a relationship in which increases in one variable correspond to increases in the other variable
negative correlation
a relationship in which increases in one variable correspond to decreases in the other variable
experiment
a research method that is used to test casual hypothesees
independent variable
the variable in an experiment that is manipulated
dependent variable
the variable in an experiment that measures any effect of the manipulation
experimental group
the group of participants who receive the manipulation that is being tested
control group
the group of participants who do not receive the manipulation that is being tested
placebo effect
a measurable change in participants behavior due to the expectation or belief that a treatment will have certain effects
double blind study
an experiment in which neither the experimenters nor the participants know to which group (experimental or control) participants have been assigned
confounding variable
any factor other than the independent variable that affects the dependent measure
random assignment
a method of assigning participants in which they have an equal chance of being placed in any group or condition of the study
quasi experiment
a research study that is not a true experiment because participants are not randomly assigned to the different conditions
institutional review board (IRB)
a committee that reviews research proposals to ensure that ethical standards have been met
informed consent
the ethical principle that research participants be told about various aspects of the study, including any risks, before agreeing to participate
confidentiality
the ethical principle that researchers do not reveal which data was collected from which participant
debriefing
the ethical principle that participants be fully informed of the nature of the study after participating in research involving deception
structuralism
an early psychological perspective concerned with identifying the basic elements of experience
introspection
observing ones own thoughts, feelings, or sensations
biological perspective
an approach that focuses on physical causes of behavior
neuroscience
a field of science that investigates the relationships between the nervous system and behavior/mental processes
functionalism
an early psychological perspective concerned with how behavior helps people adapt to their environment
evolutionary perspective
an approach that focuses on how evolution and natural selection influence behavior
psychoanalytic theory
sigmund freuds view that emphasizes the influence of unconscious desires and conflicts on behavior
psychodynamic perspective
an approach that focuses on internal unconscious mental processes, motives, and desires that may explain behavior
behaviorism
a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of observable stimuli, responses, and consequences
stimulus
any object or event that is perceived by our senses
response
an organisms reaction to a stimulus
behavioral perspective
an approach that focuses on external, environmental influences on behavior
sociocultural perspective
an approach that focuses on societal and cultural factors that may influence behavior
humanism
a psychological perspective that emphasizes the personal growth and potential of humans
humanistic perspective
an approach that focuses on how an individuals view of themselves and the world influences behavior
cognition
mental processes such as reasoning and problem solving
cognitive perspective
an approach that focuses on how mental processes influence behavior
positive psychology
the study of factors that contribute to happiness, positive emotions, and well being
eclectic approach
an approach that integrates and combines several perspectives when explaining behavior
biopsychology
researches the biological processes that underlie behavior, including genetic, biochemical, and nervous system functioning
clinical psychology
researches, assess, and treats children, adolescents, and adults who are experiencing difficulty in functioning or who have a serious mental health disorder such as schizophrenia
cognitive psychology
studies mental processes such as decision making, problem solving, language, and memory
community psychology
seeks to understand and enhance the quality of life for individuals, communities, and society. focuses on early intervention and prevention of individual and community problems
counseling psychology
researches, assesses, and treats children, adolescents, and adults who are experiencing adjustment difficulties
cross cultural psychology
investigates cultural similarities and differences in traits and behaviors and examines the cultural goals, values, and practices that underlie them
developmental psychology
researches how we develop physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally over the life span
educational psychology
researches how people learn and how variables in an educational environment influence learning. may develop materials and strategies to enhance learning
environmental psychology
examines the relationship between environments and human behavior. focuses on designing, managing, protecting, and/or restoring the environment to enhance behavior. also studies environmental attitudes, perceptions, and values to promote environmentally appropriate behavior
experimental psychology
conducts research on sensation, perception, learning, motivation, and emotion
forensic psychology
work with mental health issues within the context of the legal system. may study a certain type of criminal behavior such as rape or murder, or may be asked to determine a persons competence to stand trial
health psychology
researches ways to promote health and prevent illness. may be concerned with issues such as diet and nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle choices that influence health
human factors psychology
researches human capabilities as they apply to the design, operation, and maintenance of machines, systems, and environments to achieve optimal performance (ex. designing the most effective configuration of control knobs in airplane cockpits for pilots)
industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology
examines that relationship between people and their work environments. may study issues such as increasing job satisfaction or decreasing employee absenteeism, or focus in understanding the dynamics of workplace behavior, such as leadership styles or gender differences in management styles
personality psychology
researches how people differ in their individual traits, how people develop personality, whether personality traits can be changed, and how those qualities can be measured
school psychology
assesses students psychoeducational abilities (academic achievement, intelligence, cognitive processing) and shares test results with teachers and parents to help them make decisions regarding the best educational placement for students
social psychology
researches how our beliefs, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others, whether in the classroom, on an elevator, on the beach, on a jury, or at a football game
sports psychology
investigates the mental and emotional aspects of physical performance
humanistic perspective (27)
to think like a psychologistâŠ
you must be skeptical about explanations of behavior, rather than accepting of them
psychology is notâŠ
simply giving advice, just âcommon senseâ, limited to studying mental illness
goals of psychological research
to: describe, predict, explain, and control/change behavior
how do psychologists do research?
by forming predictive and casual hypotheses and then conducting research using the scientific method
how are predictive hypotheses tested?
naturalistic observation, case studies, surveys, correlational studies
how are casual hypotheses tested?
by experiments in which variables are controlled and care is taken to test a random sample of a population of interest. the experimental group is compared to the control group on the dependent variable to see whether the independent variable had an effect
how does the apa ensure the humane conduct of experiments?
they established a set of strict ethical guidelines that must be followed when researchers study animals and humans
key ethical guidelines
informed consent, confidentiality, protecting participants from harm, debriefing
when did psychology become a distinct field of scientific study?
wilhem Wundt established the first psychology laboratory, Germany 1879
what was William Jamesâs focus?
functionalism
what was freudâs focus?
psychoanalytic theory
what did John b Watson and b f skinnerâs research lead to?
behavioral perspective
Note 
Flashcard (51)