Studied by 13 people
exam 1
American Psychological Association
professional organization representing psychologists in the United States
behaviorism
focus on observing and controlling behavior
biopsychology
study of how biology influences behavior
biopsychosocial model
perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors interact to determine an individual’s health
clinal psychology
area of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behavior
cognitive psychology
study of cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to experiences and actions
counseling psychology
area of psychology that focuses on improving emotional, social, vocational, and other aspects of the lives of psychologically healthy individuals
developmental psychology
scientific study of development across a lifespan
dissertation
long research paper about research that was conducted as part of the candidate’s doctoral training
empirical method
method for acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities
forensic psychology
area of psychology that applies the science and practice of psychology to issues within and related to the justice system
functionalism
focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment
humanism
perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans
introspection
process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts
ology
suffix that denotes “scientific study of”
personality psychology
study of patterns of thoughts and behaviors that make each individual unique
PhD
(doctor of philosophy) doctoral degree conferred in many disciplinary perspectives housed in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences
postdoctoral training program
allows young scientists to further develop their research programs and broaden their research skills under the supervision of other professionals in the field
psyche
Greek word for soul
psychoanalytic theory
focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior
psychology
scientific study of the mind and behavior
PsyD
(doctor of psychology) doctoral degree that places less emphasis on research oriented skills and focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context
sport and exercise psychology
area of psychology that focuses on the interactions between mental and emotional factors and physical performance in sports, exercise, and other activities
structuralism
understanding the unconscious experience through introspection
attrition
reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time
cause-and-effect relationship
changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable. can be determined only through an experimental research design
clinical or case study
observational research study focusing on one or a few people
confirmation bias
tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs
confounding variable
unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other, when actually the outside factor causes changes in both variables
control group
serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study - by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups
correlation
relationship between two or more variables. when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does
correlation coefficient
number from -1 to +1 indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r
cross-sectional research
compares multiple segments of a population at a single time
debriefing
when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion
deception
purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment
deductive reasoning
results are predicted based on a general premise
dependent variable
variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had - the measurable outcome
double-blind study
experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments
empirical
grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing
experimental group
group designed to answer the research question. experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance
experimenter bias
researcher expectations skew the results of the study
fact
objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research
falsifiable
able to be disproven by experimental results
generalize
inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population
hypothesis
tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables
illusory correlation
seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists
independent variable
variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter. in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group
inductive reasoning
conclusions are drawn from observations
informed consent
process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and the obtaining the person’s consent to participate
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals
Institutional Review Board
committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants
inter-rater reliability
measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event
longitudinal research
studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time
naturalistic observation
observation of behavior in its natural setting
negative correlation
two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller, not the same as no correlation
observer bias
when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations
operational definition
description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables
opinion
personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate
participants
subjects of psychological research
peer-reviewed journal article
article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication
placebo effect
people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation
population
overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in
positive correlation
two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller
random assignment
method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group
random sample
subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
reliability
consistency and reproducibility of a given result
replicate
repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability
sample
subset of individuals selected form the larger population
single-blind study
experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group, but participants do not
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statistical analysis
determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance
survey
list of questions to be answered by research participants - given as paper and pencil questioners, administered electronically, or conducted verbally - allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people
theory
well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena
validity
accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure
archival research
method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships
action potential
electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon
adrenal gland
sits atop our kidneys and secretes hormones involved in the stress response
agonist
drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter
all-or-none
phenomenon that incoming signal from another neuron is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation
allele
specific version of a gene
amygdala
structure in the limbic system involved in our experience of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories
antagonist
drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter
auditory cortex
strip of cortex in the temporal lobe that is responsible for processing auditory information
autonomic nervous system
controls our internal organs and glands
axon
major extension of the soma
biological perspective
view that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems
Broca’s area
region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production
central nervous system (CNS)
brain and spinal cord
cerebellum
hindbrain structure that controls our balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills, and it is thought to be important in processing some types of memory
cerebral cortex
surface of the brain that is associated with our highest mental capabilities
chromosome
long strand of genetic information
computerized tomography (CT)
imaging technique in which a computer coordinates and integrates multiple x-rays of a given area
corpus callosum
thick band of neural fibers connecting the brain’s two hemispheres
dendrite
branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neurons
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
helix-shaped molecule made of nucleotide base pairs
diabetes
disease related to insufficient insulin production
dominant allele
allele whose phenotype will be expressed in an individual that possesses that allele
electroencephalography (EEG)
recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp
endocrine system
series of glands that produce chemical substances known as hormones
epigenetics
study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same genotype leads to different phenotypes
fight or flight response
activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity so that we might fight off a given threat or run away to safety
Note 
Flashcard (47)