Psychology Perspectives and Research Methods

Vocabulary flashcards covering psychological perspectives, scientific method, statistics, research designs, and AP Psychology exam terms.

Psychodynamic Perspective

An approach that emphasizes unconscious thoughts, desires, conflicts, and early experiences as influences on behavior and mental processes.

Behavioral Perspective

An approach that focuses on how behavior is learned through interactions with the environment, especially through conditioning and consequences.

Humanistic Perspective

An approach emphasizing free will, personal growth, self-awareness, and the desire to reach one's full potential.

Cognitive Perspective

An approach focusing on how thoughts, beliefs, memories, expectations, and other mental processes influence behavior.

Biological Perspective

An approach explaining behavior and mental processes through biological factors such as the brain, nervous system, hormones, and genetics.

Evolutionary Perspective

An approach considering how behaviors and mental processes may have developed because they helped organisms survive and reproduce.

Sociocultural Perspective

An approach examining how social interactions, cultural norms, expectations, and cultural environments influence behavior and mental processes.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

An approach explaining behavior and mental processes through interacting biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to look for, interpret, and remember information that supports what you already believe.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after an event has happened, that you could have predicted it beforehand.

Overconfidence

The tendency to be more confident in one's knowledge, predictions, or abilities than is justified.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables or about an expected outcome.

Experimenter Bias

A researcher's expectations or beliefs that unintentionally influence the study, participants, observations, or interpretation of results.

Single-Blind Study

A study in which one group involved in the research, usually the participants, does not know which condition participants are in.

Double-Blind Study

A study in which both participants and researchers interacting with them do not know which condition participants are in.

Placebo Condition

A condition in which participants receive an inactive treatment that resembles the actual treatment.

Sample

The group of participants actually studied in a research project.

Representative Sample

A sample whose important characteristics closely resemble those of the larger population being studied.

Random Sample

A sample in which every member of the population has an equal or known chance of being selected.

Sample Bias

A systematic problem in the way a sample is selected that causes it to differ from the population it should represent.

Generalizability

The extent to which study results can be applied to a larger population or other situations.

Falsifiable

Able to be tested in a way that could potentially show the hypothesis is false.

The American Psychological Association (APA)

A major professional organization for psychology in the United States that develops professional, educational, and ethical standards.

Mean

The arithmetic average of a set of scores.

Median

The middle score in an ordered set of scores.

Mode

The most frequently occurring score in a data set.

Range

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

Normal Curve

A symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution in which most scores cluster around the mean.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how much scores in a data set typically differ from the mean.

Percentile Rank

The percentage of scores in a distribution that fall at or below a particular score.

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution with two distinct peaks or modes.

Institutional Review Boards (IRB)

Committees that review research involving human participants to ensure ethical standards and protections are met.

Informed Consent

A participant's agreement to take part in research after receiving information about the study, including relevant risks and procedures.

Informed Assent

A person's affirmative agreement to participate in research when the person may not be legally able to provide full informed consent.

Confidentiality

Protecting participants' private information and limiting improper disclosure of their identities or data.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behavior in a natural environment without interfering with the behavior.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of one individual, group, or situation.

Correlation Coefficient

A number from $-1.00$ to $+1.00$ indicating the direction and strength of a correlation.

Experimental Method

A research method in which researchers manipulate an independent variable and use random assignment to test for cause and effect.

Independent Variable

The variable that the researcher deliberately manipulates.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured to determine whether it changes because of the independent variable.

Confounding Variable

An unwanted variable that changes along with the independent variable and could provide an alternative explanation for the results.

Operational Definitions

Precise descriptions of how the variables in a study are measured or manipulated.

Experimental Group

The group that receives the treatment or experiences the independent variable being tested.

Control Group

The comparison group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Random Assignment

The process of assigning participants to experimental conditions by chance.

Placebo Effect

A change in behavior or symptoms caused by expectations about a treatment rather than by the treatment itself.

Deception

Intentionally withholding or misleading participants about some aspect of a study when ethically justified and necessary.

Debriefing

Explaining the true purpose, procedures, and any deception involved in a study after participants finish.

Article Analysis Question (AAQ)

An AP Psychology free-response question requiring analysis of a summarized research article and identification or interpretation of research elements.

Evidence-Based Question (EBQ)

An AP Psychology free-response question requiring a defensible psychological claim supported with evidence from provided sources.

Defensible Claim

A clear claim or conclusion supported by appropriate psychological evidence and reasoning.