Ap Pysch Unit 0 Vocab

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Pyschodynamic Perspective

It’s mostly focused on the brain’s hidden parts, likely in the past. Like childhoods, old conflicts and trauma affecting a person

Behaviorism Perspective

It focuses on studying observable behaviors, and emphasizes the environment shaping a person’s actions and responding next time from rewards and punishments.

Humanistic Perspective

An optimistic approach on how an individual can achieve full potential and growth through free will and motivation. And how that individual can benefit others.

Cognitive Perspective

The problem-solving part of the brain. It focuses on how memory, thinking and internal feelings influence behaviors

Biological Perspective

A perspective that emphasizes how the nervous system and brain chemicals influence different behaviors. Like how for instance, certain brain injuries can lead to aggression.

Evolutionary Perspective

How natural selection and evolution shaped behaviors overtime. For instance, Arachnophobia was developed because early humans avoided to survived.

Sociocultural Perspective

How culture shapes a person through experiences and influences. In other words, how the current environment can affect a person’s behaviors.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

A recent perspective that connects biological, sociocultural, and pyschological to understand human behaviors

Psychology

The study of the human mind and behaviors

Mental Processes

The activities and thoughts that happens in the human mind

Behavior

A set of actions in response to the environment

Confirmation Bias

The tendency of people to find evidence that supports their beliefs yet ignores information that challenges it.

Hindsight Bias

A type of bias that people convinces themselves of what will happen before an event takes place. And will stand with that belief when it actually happens.

Overconfidence

When an individual thinks they’re just better and have higher expectations in a situation. For instance, A student who usually gets good grades thinks they can ace the next test without any kind of preparation.

Empirical Evidence

Information gathered from observations, experiences, and experiments to confirm or disprove a theory.

The Scientific Method

A systematic approach to understand human behaviors that involves asking questions, forming hypothesis, testing it, and analyze it to make conclusions.

replication

Repeating a study to see if the results are similar and therefore trustworthy

Hypothesis

A prediction that tests through study and experimentation.

Falsifiable

To prove a theory wrong through experiments or observations.

Peer Review

Asking different experts or basically letting people review your work to see if it’s valid

Reliability

The consistency and trustworthiness of a study.

Validity

The accuracy of a research.

research design

Specific research plans used to conduct a study

Methodology

Techniques researchers used to conduct and research data in order to answer a specific question

Quantitative Data (numerical)

Numbers and facts collected in a survey that are not up for debate. Like the population of a city collected from a census.

Qualitative data (Non-Numerical)

Opinions in word forms that comes from surveys, interviews and are up for debate. Pretty much describes the quality of a subject.

Likert Scales

A scale used in surveys to evaluate opinions and feelings.

Structured Interviews

Asking questions in an interview in order to collect data. The questions are also predetermined and planned.

Survey technique

Asking questions about opinions behaviors, characteristic in order to collect data.

Wording Effect

The way a question is worded can influence the test taker responding in their answers

Social Desirability Bias

When people provide answers that is believed to be socially accepted rather than expressing their true thoughts.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method where a researcher observes behaviors in its natural setting without disturbances

Case Study

A study and analysis about a specific subject, place, groups or event.

Correlational Research

It observes the relationship between variables, without manipulating them. Does NOT show cause and effect.

Third Variable Research

When outside variables that weren’t accountable impact the results of a study

Scatterplot

A type of visual graph that contains clusters of dots to display the relationship between two variables

Correlation Coefficent

A statistic measure that ranges from -1.00 to +1.00

Positive Correlation

When the data in a scatter plot forms an upward slope indicating it’s positive

As 1 variable increases, the other one does the same

Negative Correlation

Opposite of positive; the dots from a downward slope

As one variable increases, the other falls

Experimental Method

A research technique that is used to examined the cause and effect between relationships variables. It EXPLAINS behaviors

Independent Variable

The standalone. When it isn’t depending on the other variables, nevertheless is changed and controlled by ONLY the researcher. Basically the “Cause"

Dependent Variable

This variable DEPENDS on the independent variable and is affected for sure. It is closely examined for any changes and basically the Effect.

Confounding Variable

Factors other than the independent variable that can impact the dependent variable. The researcher may not be able to remove it

Operational Definitions

Specifies how a researcher will measure and manipulate variables in a study.

Experimental Group

The group that gets the independent variable for the experiment

Control Group

The group that doesn’t receive the treatment. But serves as the baseline for an experiment to see what this group would react. Used for comparision.

Random Assignment

When each participant has an equal chance of being put into either the experimental and control group

Placebo effect

When a substance that has no effect but has a real effect on the patient. Believing the treatment would be helpful and leads to a positive reaction

experimenter Bias

When a researcher affects results and data unintentionally, mainly their beliefs and expectations.

Single Blind Study

When the participants are unaware of the group they’re in.

Double Blind Study

When both the participants and experimenters are unaware of the group the participants are in

Placebo Conditions

Assigning the placebo to one group of participants while the other group receives the actual treatment being tested.

Sample

The selected group in a population to represent the population overall in the study

Representative Sample

A sample from a larger group that accurately represents the characteristics of a larger group

random sample

When a certain amount of individuals are selected from a group to participate a reach and has an equal chance.

sample bias

When a sample doesn’t accurately represent the population being studied

Generalizability

The results are generalized, which

which the findings of a study can be applied to a broader population or different contexts beyond the specific participants and settings of the study

Statistics

A large amount of data can be collected in research studies.

Descriptive Statistics-Describe

When researchers organize and describe data; researchers are describing the data that is being collected.

inferential Statistics-Generalization

When researchers make predictions about their data from a sample about a larger population.

Measures of Central Tendency

Statistical tools used to describe the central or average value of a data.

Mean

The average value of a data set.

Median

The score that is in the exact middle of the set.

Mode

A measure of Central Tendency where it’s the most frequently occurring value.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Normal Curve

The majority of the data falls near the center of the distribution

Regression to the Mean

It happens when outliers, like high or low results are followed by results that are closer to the average.

Positive Skew

Majority of the data clusters on the LEFT side of a graph, suggesting the presence of outliers or unusual HIGH values

Negative Skew

Most of the data clusters on the RIGHT, suggesting the presence of outliers and LOW values.

Standard Deviation

A way to measure how close or spread numbers are in a group.

Percentile Rank

Percentage of scores at or below a particular score.

Bimodal Distribution

When a distribution has two modes, causing a distribution with two peaks

Effect Sizes

Measures the strength of a relationship between variables.

Meta Analysis

A technique to combine and analyze all past studies that are on same research question to get an overall picture.

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

A committee that was created to protect human participants in a study. They can accept or decline proposed experiments that had the participants protected or not.

Protect Participants from Harm

A principle that ensures the human participants’ physical and emotional safety, privacy rights, and well-being.

Informed Consent

Researchers must give information of an experiment to their participants so they can understand the risks of the study; it ensures whether they want to join or not.

Informed Assent

A participant cannot provide full consent legally on their own, since they’re a minor and need parents’ permission.

Confidentiality

Any data that’s collected in some studies is kept secured in order to protect the privacy and personal information of participants..

Deception

A research method where participants are intentionally misled about the true purpose of a study.

Confederates

A person part of the research team, but ACTS and PRETENDS to be a participant in a study.

Debriefing

Informing and expanding a studies’ purpose to participants after an experiment. It is quite essential for ethical research practices; especially when deception is used.

Defensible Claim

A state or argument that is supported by logical reasoning or evidence; It can be supported in a debate.