AP Psychology - Unit 1

applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

basic research

pure science to increase knowledge

behaviorism

psychology should be an objective science that only studies, not mental processes (Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner)

behavioral psychology

observable behavior and its explanation

biological psychology

studies links between biological and psychological processes

biopsychosocial approach

integrates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

case study

one person is studied in depth to reveal universal principles

clinical psychology

studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

cognitive neuroscience

study of the brain activity linked with cognition

cognitive psychology

all mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

confounding variable

(other than independent variable) might produce an effect

control group

group that is not exposed to the treatment; comparison for evaluating the effects

correlation

the extent to which two factors may vary together; how well one factor predicts the other

correlation coefficient

index of relationship between two things (from -1 to 1)

counseling psychology

assists people with life problems and in achieving greater well-being

critical thinking

examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions (doesn’t blindly accept arguments)

cross-sectional study

analyze data from a population at a single point in time

dependent variable

what is observed or affected

developmental psychology

study of (physical, cognitive, and social) change throughout a life span

double-blind procedure

participants and staff are blind about whether the participants have received treatment or a placebo

educational psychology

how psychological processes affect and teaching and learning

empiricism

knowledge = (sensory) experience; science should rely on observation and experimentation; nurture

experiment

investigator manipulates the independent variable to observe the effect (dependent variable); aims to control other relevant factors (control variables)

experimental group

group that is exposed to the treatment (one version of the independent variable)

experimental psychology

study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method (Edward B. Titchener)

evolutionary psychology

roots of behavior and mental processes using principles of natural selection

functionalism

focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function (enabling us to adapt, survive, and flourish) (William James)

hindsight bias

thinking that you could have foreseen something after it happens

human factor psychology

the study of how people and machines interact (used to design of safe and easily used machines)

humanistic psychology

emphasizes the potential for personal growth by meeting one’s needs (Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers)

hypothesis

a testable prediction

illusory correlation

perception of a relationship where there isn’t one

independent variable

what is changed; the effect is studied

industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology

applying psychological concepts and methods to workplaces

levels of analysis

differing views (biological, psychological, social-cultural) analyzing a phenomenon

longitudinal study

follows people over periods of time; continuous or repeated observations of the same variables

mean

the average of a distribution

median

the middle score in a distribution; half of the scores above, half below

mode

most frequently occurring in a distribution

naturalistic observation

observing behavior without trying to manipulate and control the situation

natural selection

trait variations contributing to survival are most likely to be passed on

nature-nurture issue

genes vs experience; what develops psychological traits

negatively skewed distribution

the tail on the left side of the distribution is longer; mean and median are less than the mode

normal distribution (curve)

symmetrical curve; most scores are close to the average, few are extreme (2.14, 13.59, 34.13, 34.13, 13.59, 2.14)

operational definition

a statement of procedures (operations) used to define variables (ex: human intelligence = what an intelligence test measures)

personality psychology

individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone

population

group studied, from which samples may be drawn

positively skewed distribution

the tail on the right side of the distribution is longer; mean and median are greater than the mode.

psychiatry

medicine dealing with psychological disorders

psychodynamic psychology

unconscious mind influencing behavior

psychology

science of behavior and mental processes

psychometrics

measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

p-value

probability of not obtaining similar test results; how likely it is that there’s significant difference of data between groups

p>.05 = not statistically significant (more than 5% due to chance)

null hypothesis:  there is no significant difference between specified populations

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance

random sample

each member has an equal chance of getting in

range

difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

replication

repeating the essence of a research study to see if the findings extend to other people and circumstances

standard deviation

measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

scatterplot

graphed dots, representing the values of two variables; slope=direction of the relationship; amount of scatter = the strength of the correlation (little scatter=high correlation)

social-cultural psychology

how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

social psychology

how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

statistical significance

measure of how likely it is that an obtained result did not occur by chance

structuralism

self-reflection to explore structural elements of the mind while people did mundane tasks (Edward B. Titchener, William Wundt)

SQ3R

study method: Survey the text, ask Questions, Read, Rehearse what you read, Review

survey

gets self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group; questions a representative sample of the group

theory

explanation w/ set of principles; organizes observations and predicts events