AP Psychology Terms - Unit 0

Psychodynamic Perspective

Focuses on how our unconscious mind or past experiences can influence and shape behaviour.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable, measurable actions and how they're learned through interactions with the environment.

Humanistic Perspective

Emphasizes personal growth, free will, self-awareness and the concept that everyone can reach their full potential.

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on internal mental processes like thinking, memory, perception, and attention, and how it explains human behaviour.

Biological Perspective

Explains human behaviour, thoughts and feelings through physical and biological mechanisms like the brain, genetics, and nervous system.

Evolutionary Perspective

Explains human behaviour, thoughts and feelings as inherited adaptations shaped by natural selection that helped organisms survive and reproduce.

Sociocultural Perspective

Looks at how our behaviours and thoughts are influenced by the society and culture we live in.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

Integrates biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of human behaviour.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to seek out or interpret information in ways that support existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after an event occurs, that we could have predicted it all along.

Overconfidence

The tendency to be more confident in our knowledge or abilities than is objectively justified.

Empirical Evidence

Information gathered through direct observation or experiments rather than opinions or assumptions.

Scientific Method

A step-by-step process to investigate questions through observation, hypothesis testing, data collection, and analysis.

Hypothesis

A specific, testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

Falsifiable

Able to be proven wrong by an observation, experiment, or physical evidence.

Peer Review

The process in which other experts evaluate research before it is published.

Replication

Repeating a study to see if the same results are obtained.

Reliability

The consistency of a research study or measuring test.

Validity

The accuracy of a test or research to measure what it claims to measure.

The American Psychological Association (APA)

A major organization for psychologists in the US that develops ethical standards and guidelines for psychology.

Research Design

The overall plan for a research study, determining how to collect and analyze data.

Methodology

The big-picture plan, strategy, and reasoning behind why specific tools or methods were chosen.

Quantitative Data

Numerical information that can be measured and statistically analyzed.

Qualitative Data

Non-numerical information that describes experiences, opinions, behaviours, or characteristics.

Likert Scales

A rating system used to measure people's attitudes, opinions, or levels of agreement with a specific statement.

Structured Interviews

Interviews where everyone is asked the same questions in the same way.

Survey Technique

A research method that collects self-reported information by asking people questions.

Wording Effect

A change in responses caused by the way a question is phrased.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency to give answers that make oneself look more favourable and acceptable to others rather than honest answers.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behaviour in its normal environment without interfering.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of a single subject or group.

Correlational Research

A non-experimental study that measures the relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them.

Third Variable Problem

A situation where an unseen variable affects the results of a study.

Scatterplot

A type of graph that uses dots to show the relationship between two different numeric variables.

Correlation Coefficient

A number between -1 and 1 that describes the strength and direction of a relationship between variables.

Positive Correlation

A relationship where two variables tend to move in the same direction together.

Negative Correlation

A relationship where two variables move in opposite directions.

Experimental Method

A specific type of scientific investigation where researchers manipulate one variable to see if it causes change in another.

Independent Variable

The variable that is deliberately changed or manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured to determine whether the independent variable had an effect.

Confounding Variable

An extra variable that wasn't accounted for that could affect the results of an experiment.

Operational Definitions

Clear, measurable definitions of the variables used in a study.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the test variable and provides a comparison.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance to ensure differences are due to the treatment.

Placebo Effect

A change in behaviour or symptoms caused by the belief that a treatment will have an effect.

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher's expectations unintentionally influence participants or the results.

Single-Blind Study

When participants do not know whether they are receiving the treatment or not, but researchers do.

Double-Blind Study

When neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving a particular treatment.

Placebo Condition

The experimental condition in which participants receive an inactive treatment that looks like the real treatment.

Sample

A group of subjects selected from a larger population for study.

Representative Sample

A sample that reflects the important characteristics of the larger population being studied.

Random Sample

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

Sample Bias

A sample that does not accurately represent the population from which it was drawn.

Generalizability

The extent to which research findings can be applied to people or situations beyond the study itself.

Statistics

Mathematical methods used to collect, analyze, and draw conclusions from data.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistics used to summarize and organize the data collected in a study.

Inferential Statistics

Statistics used to make predictions and draw conclusions about a larger population based on a sample.

Measure of Central Tendency

A statistical measure that describes the center value of a data set (mean, median, and mode).

Mean

The average of a set of numbers.

Median

The middle number in a set of numbers arranged in order.

Mode

The number that appears most frequently in a data set.

Range

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

Normal Curve

A bell-shaped curve showing data distribution where most scores fall near the middle.

Regression to the Mean

The tendency for unusually high or low scores to move closer to the average when measured again.

Positive Skew

A distribution where more numbers are on the lower side, but a few high numbers stretch the average higher.

Negative Skew

A distribution where more numbers are on the higher side, but a few low numbers pull the average down.

Standard Deviation

A statistical measurement showing how far numbers in a data set are spread out from their mean.

Percentile Rank

The percentage of scores in a data set that fall at or below a specific score.

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution with two distinct peaks or most common values.

Statistical Significance

A result unlikely to have occurred by chance alone according to a predetermined criterion.

Effect Sizes

Measures the practical importance or magnitude of a difference or relationship between variables.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies on the same topic.

Institutional Review Boards (IRB)

Committees responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure it is ethical.

Informed Consent

Participants are given enough information to make a voluntary, informed decision about participating.

Informed Assent

Agreement by a minor or person unable to give legal consent, explained in a developmentally-appropriate way.

Confidentiality

Protecting participants' private information and not revealing identities unnecessarily.

Deception

The act of misleading or wrongly informing someone about the true nature of a situation.

Confederates

People working with the researcher who pretend to be participants to influence real participants.

Debriefing

Providing participants with a full explanation of the study after completion, including purpose and deceptions.

Article Analysis Question (AAQ)

An AP Psychology question requiring analysis of a research study using evidence from the article.

Evidence-Based Question (EBQ)

A question requiring a claim supported by specific evidence and psychological reasoning.

Defensible Claim

An arguable statement that can be validated using logical reasoning and scientific evidence.