psychology

Popular psychology

Popular psychology

can include theories or concepts that may or may not have a basis in scientific psychology

Psychobabble

a buzzword(s) taken from psychological terminology but used out of context to appeal to wider audience

theory

An explanation for psychological phenomenon

concept

idea or rationale

empirical studies

Scientific studies that produce results which can be measured

entity theory

A fixed mindset is formally called. This states that intelligence is innate, unchangeable and an internal characteristic

growth mindset

believe that intelligence is not fixed – they think that it can be developed and therefore do not mind challenges

fixed mindset

People believe intelligence is static.

The Incremental Theory

This states that intelligence is malleable and can grow through effort

Peer reviews

carried out on scientific studies to find out how their colleagues arrived at conclusions and to judge whether the results are supported by the data

Aim

the purpose of the study (indicates which mental process or behaviour is studied)

target population

the group whose behaviour the researcher investigates

sample

members of the target pop. participating in the study

procedure

step by step process used by the researcher to carry out the study

findings

how the researcher interpreted the data that was collected

biological approach

Focuses on physiology and genetics

cognitive approach

Focuses on mental processes like memory, thinking, and attention

socio-cultural approach

Focuses on how the environment and culture affect thinking and ultimately behaviour

falsifiable

possible for the theory or study to be proven wrong.

replication

past attempts to test or replicate the study

quantitative data

data comes in the form of numbers

reliable

a study can be replicated

validity

The study measures what is was meant to measure

Construct validity

characterizes the quality of operationalizations (how you defined the observable behaviours)

Internal validity

characterizes the methodological and quality of the experiment (have confounding variables been controlled)

External validity

there are two types – ecological validity and population validity*

Ecological validity

study represents what happens in real life

Population validity

study is generalizable from the sample to the target population

effect size

The absolute value of the correlation coefficient (number from -1 to 1)

reliable

if a study can be REPLICATED (repeated with same findings) then it is considered

validity

the study measures what it has to measure

Null hypothesis

Iv doesn’t affect DV

experimental hypothesis

IV affects DV

quasi experiments

These are different from “true” experiments in that allocation into groups is not done randomly. Instead, some pre-existing difference is used

deductive approach

When a hypothesis is tested against empirical evidence so that it can be accepted or rejected

inductive approach

When a research question is open ended (no hypothesis) and invites descriptions of events or behaviour

interviewer effect

any characteristic that interferes with the interview process

participant bias

occurs when participants adjust their responses to what they think the interviewer wants to hear

social desirability bias

occurs when people may not tell the truth (or the whole truth) when asked a question in order to paint “the best picture of themselves”

naturalistic observations

Observations that take place in a natural setting are called

researcher bias

research being affected by what the researcher expects to find

INTER-OBSERVER RELIABILITY

multiple researchers compare their observations to make sure what they observed actually happened

overt observations

when participants know they are being observed

covert observations

when participants do NOT know they are being observed

non participant observation

• The researcher is NOT part of the group being observed

participant observation

The researcher IS part of group being observed

case studies

use multiple research methods

triangulation

Using multiple methods of investigation to explore the same aim/hypothesis