AP Psychology Unit 1 - Introduction to Psychology

Structuralism

full of introspection/self-reflection based on the five senses. Failed because sometimes we don't know why we feel what we do!- Titchener (Wundt's student)

Functionalism

focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function, and how they help us survive. -William James

Behaviorism

study of observable behavior. Had to do with people's reactions and behaviors instead of the feelings themselves.

Humanistic Psychology

Emphasized significance of current environmental factors as opposed to childhood. Anti-behaviorist because behaviorism was too mechanical.

Cognitive Neuroscience

study of brain activity linked with mental activity

Psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

Nature-Nurture Issue

the controversy over the contributions of biology and experience to an individual, their mental processes, and their behaviors., the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors

Natural Selection

nature selects the traits that let an organism survive and reproduce. -Charles Darwin

Levels of Analysis

the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon

Biopsychosocial Approach

considers influences of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Basic Research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

Applied Research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems (perhaps in the workplace)

Counseling Psychology

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being

Clinical Psychology

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

Psychiatry

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy.

Hindsight Bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (I knew it all along!)

Critical Thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

Culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Scientific Method

A set of general procedures for gathering and interpreting data.

Psychometric Research

A system of collecting and refining psychological data and assessing psychological phenomena.

Hypothesis

Scientists test how two or more factors are likely to be related. A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Experimental Group

Randomly assigned group that receives treatment.

Control Group

Randomly assigned group that does not receive treatment.

Naturalistic Observation

Observational research carried out in the environment.

Placebo Effect

Experimental results caused by expectations alone.

Placebo: A non-pharmaceutical substance, such as a sugar pill, that has a direct therapeutic effect on pain and sickness because the patient believes it will work. The more $, the more "real" it is.

Double Blind Study

The researcher and patient both do not know if the substance is a placebo or the real substance.

Experiment

Systematic manipulation of one variable while holding the other variables constant.

Scientific Theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.

Operational Definition

a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables (hunger = hours without eating).

Replication

repeating the essence of a research study.

Description

where observations are gathered. These methods do not explain observation - they only describe it.

Case Study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles. If the individual studied is atypical, the results may be misleading.

Survey

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group. Must be carefully worded.

Population

all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.

Random Sample

a sample that lets every person in a group have an equal chance of participating. More does not necessarily mean more accurate.

Correlation

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and how well they predict the other.

Correlation Coefficient

a statistical measure of the relationship between two things.

Scatterplots

a graphed cluster of dots which represent the values of two variables. (Positive = directly proportional, negative = indirectly proportional, closer to zero = weak/no correlation)

Illusory Correlation

a perceived but nonexistent correlation. A result of being more likely to notice unusual events and ignore usual ones.

Experimentation

research method in which a researcher manipulates one or more factors while controlling others.

Random Assignment

assigning participants to experimental/control group by chance.

Independent Variable

the experimental factor that is being manipulated.

Dependent Variable

the variable that changes when the independent variable is manipulated.

Measure of Central Tendency

a single score that represents a whole set of scores.

Mode

the most frequently occurring score(s). Simplest measure.

Mean

arithmetic average. Most commonly reported; can be easily distorted by atypical scores.

Median

the midpoint.

Variation

how similar or diverse scores are.

Range

the gap between lowest and highest scores.

Standard Deviation

a measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.

Normal Curve/Distribution

a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data.

Statistical Significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. -> when the sample averages are reliable, and the differences are large, it is probably not due to chance.