Psychological Perspectives and Research Methods

Flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts from psychological perspectives and research methods in psychology.

Humanist Perspective

Focuses on personal growth and potential, emphasizing free will in behavior choices.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Examines unconscious thoughts and memories, often rooted in childhood experiences.

Biological Perspective

Explains psychological phenomena in terms of biological processes including genetics and neurotransmitters.

Evolutionary Perspective

Studies human thought and behavior in terms of natural selection and survival advantages.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on conditioned behaviors and observable actions, emphasizing the role of reinforcement.

Cognitive Perspective

Examines how we interpret and remember environmental events, influencing our thoughts and behaviors.

Sociocultural Perspective

Emphasizes the influence of culture and social context on thought and behavior.

Eclectic Perspective

Combines elements from multiple psychological perspectives to understand human behavior fully.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to favor information that confirms existing beliefs while disregarding evidence to the contrary.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction that expresses the relationship between two variables.

Dependent Variable

The measured factor in an experiment that is affected by the independent variable.

Independent Variable

The factor that is manipulated or changed in an experiment to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Random Sampling

A sampling method where every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected.

Stratified Sampling

A sampling method that ensures representation from various subgroups within a population.

Confounding Variable

A variable other than the independent variable that may affect the dependent variable.

Placebo Effect

Observations that subjects may experience changes simply due to believing they are receiving treatment.

Correlation

A statistical relationship between two variables, which can be positive, negative, or nonexistent.

Inferential Statistics

Statistical methods used to determine whether findings from a sample can be generalized to the larger population.

p-value

The probability that the difference between groups is due to chance; typically, a p-value of 0.05 or lower is considered statistically significant.

Ethical Guidelines

Standards established by the American Psychological Association to ensure ethical conduct in psychological research.