Vocab: Chapter 1 Module 1&2

What is description in psychology?

Observation of behavior and noting everything about it.

What is explanation in psychology?

Reasons for behavior in the process of forming theories.

What is prediction in psychology?

Determining what will happen in the future.

What is the focus of control in psychology?

Modifying behavior from undesirable to desirable.

Who is Wilhelm Wundt?

A physiologist and physicist who applied scientific principles to study the human mind.

What is structuralism?

A method of analysis that focuses on relationships of contrast between elements.

What is functionalism?

The study of how the mind allows people to adapt, live, and play.

Who is Sigmund Freud?

An Austrian neurologist known for psychoanalysis.

What is psychoanalysis?

The theory and therapy based on Freud's work, emphasizing unconscious conflicts.

What is Pavlov's theory?

Conditioning through association of stimuli.

What is behaviorism?

The science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only.

What is a psychologist?

An expert or specialist in psychology.

What is a psychiatrist?

A medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

What is the scientific method?

A system of gathering data to reduce bias and error.

What are the steps in the scientific method?

Formulate the question, develop a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, draw conclusions, report results.

What is the observer effect?

The tendency of people or animals to behave differently when they know they are being observed.

What is observer bias?

The tendency of observers to see what they expect to see.

What is a case study?

A study of one individual in great detail.

What is correlation?

A measure of the relationship between two variables.

What is the placebo effect?

The phenomenon where participants' expectations can influence their behavior.

What is a double-blind experiment?

A study where neither the experimenter nor the subjects know if they are in the experimental or control group.