Intro to Psychology - Key Terms and Concepts

Flashcards for reviewing key vocabulary and concepts from a Psychology introductory lecture.

What is Psychology?

A science and a profession involving the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, with application of research findings to improve human life. The term comes from the Greek words psyche (soul/mind) and logos (study).

To Describe (Goals of Psychology)

Observe behavior and note what is happening.

To Explain (Goals of Psychology)

Understand why people behave the way they do.

To Prescribe (Goals of Psychology)

Anticipate behaviors based on previous patterns.

To Influence (Goals of Psychology)

Use psychological principles to bring about change.

Clinical Psychology

Diagnosing and treating mental health conditions

Counseling Psychology

Helping people with everyday life challenges.

Developmental Psychology

Studying how people grow and change over time.

Educational Psychology

How people learn and how to improve teaching

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Applying psychology to the workplace

Health Psychology

How psychological factors affect health

Neuropsychology

Brain-behavior relationships

Social Psychology

How individuals are influenced by others.

Forensic Psychology

Applying psychology to legal and criminal systems

Informed Consent

Participants must be fully informed about the nature of the therapy/research and agree to participate.

Right to Withdraw

Participants/Clients can leave/withdraw at any point without penalty or pressure.

Confidentiality

Client data must be kept private and secure.

Do No Harm

Psychologists must avoid causing physical or psychological distress.

Confirmation Bias

We pay attention to information that supports our beliefs and ignore what contradicts them.

Hindsight Bias

After something happens, we believe we could have predicted it.

Psychoanalysis

Unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, internal conflict.

Structuralism

Break down mental processes into the most basic components (sensations, images, feelings).

Behaviorism

Observable, measurable behavior — not thoughts or feelings.

Gestalt Psychology

The mind perceives objects as whole patterns (Gestalts), not as individual parts.

Biological Perspective

Human behavior is influenced by genetics, neurochemistry, the brain, and the nervous system.

Behavioral Perspective

Behavior is learned through conditioning (classical and operant) and environmental influences.

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on mental processes like thinking, memory, perception, and problem-solving.

Psychoanalytic Perspective

Behavior is driven by unconscious motives, early childhood experiences, and internal conflict.

Subjectivist Perspective

Focuses on the individual's personal experience and how they create meaning in their lives.

Independent Variable (IV)

What the researcher changes (e.g., hours of sleep)

Dependent Variable (DV)

What is measured (e.g., memory performance)

Experimental Group

Receives the treatment or condition

Control Group

Doesn’t receive the treatment—used for comparison

Random Assignment

Ensures participants are equally likely to be in any group

Control of Confounding Variables

Factors that might unintentionally influence results

Naturalistic Observation

Occurs in a natural setting (e.g., playground behavior)

Laboratory Observation

More controlled environment (e.g., one-way mirror)

Positive Correlation

Both variables increase or decrease together (e.g., study time ↑, GPA ↑)

Negative Correlation

One increases while the other decreases (e.g., stress ↑, sleep ↓)