Introduction to Psychology and Scientific Inquiry

Flashcards covering the roles of various psychologists, the scientific method, research designs, and experimental variables as outlined in the lecture notes.

Experimental Psychologist

A professional who embraces scientific methods as a means of inquiry and often conducts non-human experiments.

Applied Psychologist

A professional who examines how experiments relate to humans in specific fields such as sports, school, clinical, and industrial settings.

Social Psychologist

A professional who focused on studying social interactions and perspectives.

Counseling Psychologist

A professional who addresses problems encountered in day-to-day life.

Clinical Psychologist

A professional who treats severe disorders and dibilitating issues; may hold credentials such as LPC, LCDC, or LISW.

Ph.D. (Science Practitioner)

A doctoral degree focused on science investigations within the field of psychology.

Psy.D. (Practitioner Scholar)

A doctoral degree focused on the role of the practitioner scholar.

Community Psych

A branch of psychology that is upfront about values, embraces social change, and addresses systems.

Psychology

The systematic study of the brain and behavior/mind.

Operationalized Terms

The components of a rationale consisting of conditions, operations, and procedures that must be measurable.

Quantitative Approach

A research method that uses a set of surveys or scales (e.g., $1$-$5$) and looks at factors like Ethnic and Gender.

Qualitative Approach

A research method involving a wide range of general terms and open-ended, elaborate responses.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction based in a body of knowledge that includes specific conditions and a degree of falsifiability.

Sociodemographic Characteristics

The details used to describe a sample, including age, race, income, and education.

Operational Definitions

Measurable responses to measures of data that allow results to be analyzed based on what a person does.

Discussion

The section of a study involving the interpretation of data in relation to the hypothesis and previous investigations.

Peer-Reviewed Journals

The gold standard for scholarly articles, where an editor and reviewers ensure the quality of published manuscripts.

Open Access Journals

Journals where authors must pay as a condition of acceptance, which can lead to the greater circulation of low quality research.

Case Study

An inquiry method that involves comprehensively studying one person or profiling a specific clinical element.

Naturalistic Observation

A method of observing what groups do under natural conditions, such as watching $8$-year-olds during recess.

Behavior Observation

A clinical examination of targeted behaviors.

Representative Sample

A sample selection that determines how similar the subjects are to the general population.

Demand Characteristics

Factors related to an investigator's readiness or participant behavior that can result in sabotaging results.

Halo Effect

A bias that can occur during the scoring of results.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that is manipulated by the researcher to act as the "cause," such as caffeine or electric shocks.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The observed effects or results, measured by intensity, frequency, or duration.

Intensity

The amount of a measured variable in an experiment.

Frequency

How often a behavior occurs, such as $5$ $2$-hour sessions for studying.

Duration

The schedule or length of time for a measured behavior.

Control Group

Participants who do not receive the independent variable and may sometimes receive a placebo.