AP PSYCH UNIT 0

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Overconfidence

When someone believes they are smarter than they really are

Hindsight Bias

When you believe that you knew something for the entire time

Confirmation Bias

Only paying attention to the information that supports what you believe in and ignoring contradicting info

Theory

Any idea that explains why or how stuff works based on a lot of evidence

Hypothesis

A descriptive guess about what will happen in the experiment

Falsifiable

A possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be wrong

Operational Definition

Detailed description of the procedures

Replication 

Repeating a study to see if the results are the same

Case Study

A super-duper detailed examination of an individual or a group

Meta Analysis

Combining results from multiple studies to find overall trends

Naturalistic Observation

The subjects are unaware that they are being experimented on

Survey

Questioning people to gather information

social Desirability Bias

Answering in a way that makes you look good

Self-Report Bias

When people don’t accurately report their behavior/feelings

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher’s expectations affect their results or how they interpret data

Population

The entire group you want to study

Sampling bias

A smaller group taken from the population for a study. Flawed sampling process that produces an under representative sample

Sampling Bias

When the sample for a study is not from the population so the results are inaccurate

Random Sample

Everyone in the population has an equal chance of being chosen

Convenience Sampling

Choosing participants who are the easiest to reach

Representative Sample

a sample that accurately matches the characteristics of the population

Experimental Methodology

a research method where researchers manipulate on thing (Independent Variable) to see the effect on another thing (Dependent Variable)

Non-Experimental Methodology

A research method where the researcher observes and measures variables without manipulating them. Case studies, naturalistic observations, and surveys

Correlation

A measure of a relationship between 2 variables, showing how one may predict the other

Correlation Coefficient

a number ranging from -1 to 1 that shows the strength between two variables

Variable

Anything that can change in a study

Scatterplot

A graph that shows the relationships between two variables

Regression toward the Mean

The tendency for extreme results to be closer to average next time

Experimental Group

The group that receives the treatment or change in an experiment

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to groups randomly

Single-Blind Procedure

An experiment where participants don’t know if they are receiving the actual treatment or placebo

Double-Blind Procedure

an experiment where neither the participants and researchers know which participants are receiving the treatment or placebo

Cofounding Varibale

An outside factor that might affect the results of an experiment

Validity

How well a study or test measures what it’s supposed to measure

Quantitative Research

Research that mostly has numbers for data

Qualitative research

Research that relies on non-numerical data, like narrative & experiences

Institutional Review

When a research is being reviewed by a committee to make sure it is safe

Descriptive Statistics

Summarizing data to describe patterns in a clear way

Historgrams

Different from Bar Graphs as Histograms do not have gaps between the bars

Measure of Central Tendency

A way to find the “center” of a data set, using mean, median, and mode

Standard Deviation

A measure of how much scores vary from the average

What is the mean of the Normal Curve?

68.26%

Inferential Statistics

Using data from a small group to make a guesses for a larger group

Effect size

A measure of how strong the relationship between variables are

Social-Cultural Perspective

Behavior is a result of culture, society, nationality, gender

Biological Perspective

Behavior is a result of the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, genes

Humanistic Perspective

Behaviors is a result of meeting our needs for love & acceptance

Behavioral Perspective

Behavior is a result of observation/ prior learning/ punishment, rewards, classical/operant conditioning

Cognitive Perspective

Behavior is a result of thoughts & memories, how we process the world around us, our perceptions

Psychanalytic/Psychdynamic Perspective

Behavior is a result of unresolved childhood conflicts buried in the unconscious mind

Evolutionary Perspective

Behavior is a result of natural selection, survival, reproduction

The 3 elements of Scientific Attitude

Curiosity, Skepticism, Humility

Critical Thinking

Psychology findings are a result of a scientific derived evidence based on careful observation and testing

Studies

Self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis

Peer Reviews

Other scientist who are experts evaluate research article theory, originality, and accuracy

Representative Sample

Subset of a population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the entire population

Self-Desirability Bias

People answer in the way they think will please researcher

Correlation Cofficeint:

The closer the coefficient is to -1 or 1 the stronger it is. When closer to 0 the weaker it is

Illusory Correlation

Perception of a relationship where none exist or perceiving a stronger - than - actual relationship

Skewed Distribution

Distributed around the mean. Left is positive and Right is negative

Measures of Variation

Range - the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution variation

Percentile Rank

When you score 85% on a test and the percentile rank is 90%, you did better than 90% of the people who took the test

Statistical Significance

Determines how frequently a result occurred by manipulation or by chance

Cognitive Bias

Systematic efforts in thinking that occur to mental shortcuts or faulty reasoning

Eclectism

Deriving ideas from various perspectives into an approach tailored to specific needs of patient

Cultural Norm

Shared expectations and rules that guide behavior within a specific culture or society

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