psych unit 0 vocab quiz 1

"Psychology"

"The scientific study of behavior and mental processes."

"Empiricism"

"The view that knowledge comes from experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation."

"Structuralism"

"An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind."

"Introspection"

"The process of looking inward to directly observe one’s own psychological processes."

"Functionalism"

"A school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function and help an organism adapt and survive."

"Behaviorism"

"The scientific study of observable behavior

"Humanistic psychology"

"A perspective that emphasized human growth potential and personal fulfillment."

"Cognitive psychology"

"The scientific study of mental processes, such as perception, memory, and problem-solving.

"Nature–nurture issue"

"The longstanding debate over the relative contributions of biology (genes) and experience (environment)."

"Natural selection"

"The principle that traits contributing to survival and reproduction are most likely to be passed on."

"Levels of analysis"

"The different complementary views for analyzing phenomena (biological, psychological, social-cultural).

"Biopsychosocial approach"

"An integrated perspective that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.

"Basic research"

"Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base."

"Applied research"

"Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems."

"Counseling psychology"

"A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living and achieving greater well-being."

"Clinical psychology"

"A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats psychological disorders."

"Psychiatry"

"A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders

"Scientific attitude"

"Approach to psychology that requires curiosity

"Curiosity"

"Desire to explore and understand without being misled."

"Skepticism"

"Questioning claims and looking for evidence rather than accepting them blindly."

"Humility"

"Awareness of our own vulnerability to error and openness to new perspectives."

"Critical thinking"

"Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments but examines assumptions

"Theory"

"An explanation using principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors/events."

"Hypothesis"

"A testable prediction, often implied by a theory."

"Falsifiable hypothesis"

"A prediction that can be proven wrong through evidence."

"Operational definition"

"A carefully worded statement of exact procedures (operations) used in research."

"Replication"

"Repeating a study with different participants and situations to confirm findings."

"Pseudoscience"

"Claims that appear scientific but lack supporting evidence or testability."

"Hindsight bias"

"The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that we “knew it all along.

"Overconfidence"

"The tendency to think we know more than we actually do."

"Pattern perception"

"The tendency to see patterns in random events."

"Illusory correlation"

"Perceiving a relationship between variables when none exists."

"Case study"

"A descriptive research method in which one individual or group is studied in depth."

"Naturalistic observation"

"Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without manipulation."

"Survey"

"A research method in which people self-report their attitudes or behaviors."

"Self-report bias"

"Inaccuracy in survey responses due to dishonesty, memory errors, or social desirability.

"Sampling bias"

"A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample."

"Population"

"The entire group being studied, from which samples are drawn.

"Random sample"

"A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion."

"Longitudinal study"

"Research in which the same people are restudied over a long period of time."

"Cross-sectional study"

"Research comparing people of different ages or groups at one point in time."

"Reliability"

"The extent to which research results are consistent and repeatable."

"Validity"

"The extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it claims to."

"Qualitative research"

"Research that explores ideas and experiences through non-numerical data (e.g., interviews).

"Quantitative research"

"Research that collects and analyzes numerical data for statistical analysis."