AP Psychology Terms (Simplified) - Research Methodology

Psychology

Scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Observable actions or responses of organisms.

Mental Processes

Internal activities like thinking, feeling, and remembering.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts for problem-solving and decision-making.

Psychodynamic Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on unconscious drives and childhood experiences.

Sigmund Freud

Founder of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic theory.

Cognitive Perspective

Study of mental processes like thinking and memory.

Behavioral Perspective

A type of psychological perspective that focuses on observable behaviors and learning.

Humanistic Perspective

A psychological perspective that emphasizes growth, free will, and self-actualization.

Neuroscientific and Biological Perspective

A type of psychological perspective that examines brain and biological processes influencing behavior.

Evolutionary Perspective

Studies how natural selection shapes behavior.

Social-Cultural Perspective

Examines how social and cultural factors influence behavior.

Cognitive Neuroscience

Study of brain activity linked to cognition.

Behavior Genetics

Study of genetic influences on behavior.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in natural environments without interference.

Behaviorism

Theory that behavior is learning through conditioning.

Hypothesis

Testable prediction about a relationship between variables.

Theory

Well-tested explanation of observed phenomena.

Hindsight Bias.

Tendency to believe you knew it all along.

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Pyramid of human needs, from basic to self-actualization.

Predictability

The ability to forecast behavior or outcomes.

Inevitability

Belief that outcomes are unavoidable or predetermined.

Memory Distortion

Alteration or inaccuracy in recalling memories.

Overconfidence Effect

Overestimating the accuracy of one’s beliefs.

Overestimation

Believing one's abilities are greater than they are.

Overplacement

Ranking oneself higher than others in ability.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

Incompetent individuals overestimate their abilities.

Curse of Knowledge

A cognitive bias where one assumes others know what they know.

Critical Thinking

Analyzing facts to form a judgment.

Case Study

In-depth analysis of an individual or group.

Survey

Collecting data through questionnaires or interviews.

Random Sampling

Selecting participants randomly to represent a population.

Population

Entire group being studied in research.

Operational Definition

Defining variables in measurable terms.

False Consensus Effect

An effect where one overestimates how many share their beliefs.

Correlations

An indirect relationship between two variables.

Correlation Coefficient

Numerical measure of correlation strength and direction.

Scatterplot

Graph showing relationship between two variables.

Illusory Correlation

Perceiving a relationship where none exists.

Regression Towards the Mean

Extreme scores tend to average out over time.

Experiment

Research method testing cause-and-effect relationship

Placebo

Inactive substance or treatment used as a control.

Double-Blind Procedure

Neither participants nor researchers know who receives treatment.

Placebo Effect

Improvement due to expectations, not treatment.

Experimental Condition

Group exposed to the treatment in an experiment.

Confounding Variables

Factors other than the independent variable affecting results.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to groups randomly to avoid bias.

Ethics Code

Guidelines for ethical research practices.

Ethics Code

Obtain informed consent from participants.

Ethics Code

Protect participants from harm and discomfort.

Ethics Code

Maintain confidentiality of participant data.

Ethics Code

A necessary step; debrief participants after the study.

Causation

Cause-and-effect relationship between variables.

Mode

Most frequently occurring value in a dataset.

Mean

Average of a dataset.

Median

Middle value in a dataset.

Range

Difference between highest and lowest values.

Standard Deviation

Measure of variability in a dataset.

Skewed Right

Data tail extends more to the right.

Skewed Left

Data tail extends more to the left.

Statistical Significance

Likelihood results are not due to chance.

Generation Effect

Better memory for self-generated information.

Reliability

Consistency of a measurement or test.

Validity

Accuracy of a measurement or test.

Longitudinal Studies

Research tracking the same subjects over time.

Cross-Sectional Studies

A type of research method that compares different groups at one time.

Hawthorne Effect

Behavior changes due to awareness of being observed.