Unit 0: Scientific Foundations of Psychology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core psychological terms, cognitive biases, theoretical perspectives, and research methodology from Unit 0.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes in both humans and animals.

Empirical Evidence

Information gathered by observation or experimentation.

Cognitive Biases

Distortions in thinking that can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency for people to look for or remember information that confirms what they already have.

Hindsight Bias

"Knowing" something was going to happen after it has already occurred, although one may have predicted it.

Overconfidence

Having too much faith in one's abilities, thinking one knows more than they actually do.

Psychological Perspectives

A variety of techniques or approaches psychologists use to understand and explain why people think and act the way they do.

Biological Perspective

Also known as Biopsychology, this focuses on the influence of genetics and brain chemistry (physical and biological processes) on thinking and behaving.

Evolutionary Perspective

An approach where psychologists and researchers take basic principles of evolution, including natural selection, and apply them to psychological phenomena.

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on intelligence and mental processes (such as thinking, problem solving, memory, language, and decision) that influence behavior.

Humanistic Perspective

Emphasizes the human capacity for choice and growth, maintaining a positive outlook on people related to their motivation to fulfill their potential.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Emphasizes that behavior is determined by childhood experiences and past experiences left in the unconscious mind.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable behaviors and learned behaviors, stating that people and animals are controlled by their environment.

Sociocultural Perspective

Focuses on society and culture in terms of our behavior and shaping thoughts.

Hypothesis

An educated guess or prediction about how two or more variables relate to each other.

Falsifiable

Able to be proven wrong through an observation, test, or experiment.

Replication

Repeating a research study to determine if its findings can be consistent.

Replication Attempt

Repeating an exact research study to see if you get the same results again.

Reliability

Getting consistent and stable scores or results every time you run a test or measurement.

Validity

Making sure a test or study actually measures what it claims to measure.