AP Psych: Unit 1, Lecture 5 Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic research methodology, experimental design variables, statistical concepts, types of correlation, and major fields of psychology as presented in Unit 1 Lecture 5.

Correlational Studies

A type of study that checks the degree of association between two or more variables that occur naturally.

Longitudinal Studies

A type of study in which researchers conduct several observations of the same group of people over a period of time.

Naturalistic Observation

A type of study in which a researcher watches and takes notes on the activities of subjects in their normal environment.

Cross-Sectional Studies

A type of study that compares different population groups at one time.

Case Studies

Intensive psychological studies of a single, often atypical, individual.

Survey Research

A type of study that consists of giving a large, representative sample of people a set of questions to answer.

Experiment

An investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested.

Hypothesis

A definition of the cause-effect relationship being tested in an experiment, often following an "If…, then…" format.

Independent Variable

The variable that the researcher controls or manipulates; the treatment being tested.

Dependent Variable

The variable that the researcher is trying to measure to check if there is a cause-effect relationship.

Random Selection

The process of trying to get the most random possible group out of all people in a specific population.

Random Assignment

The process by which a researcher determines which participants will be in the control group and which will be in the treatment group to increase similarity.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment and provides a baseline for comparison.

Treatment Group

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

Placebo

An inactive substance given to participants in the control group to control for expectations that the substance will affect them.

Double-blind Design

A research design where neither the researchers nor the participants know who is in the control group or the treatment group.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistics that allow a researcher to look closely at and notice patterns about the sample group directly studied (e.g., bar graphs, scatter plots).

Inferential Statistics

Statistics that allow a researcher to apply patterns noticed about a small group to make predictions about a whole population.

Positive Correlation

A type of correlation in which the variables move in the same direction; the correlation coefficient is near $+1$.

Negative Correlation

A type of correlation in which one variable increases while the other decreases; the correlation coefficient is near $-1$.

No Correlation

A type of correlation in which there is no detectable relationship between variables; the correlation coefficient is near $0$.

Illusory Correlation

The phenomenon of perceiving a relationship between two unrelated variables.

Confounding Variable

A variable that influences both the dependent and independent variables, causing an illusory correlation.

Placebo Effect

An expectation that a substance or action given during an experiment has a real effect, regardless of whether it is active.

Participant/Subject Bias

Consciously or unconsciously behaving in a way to ensure the research outcome fits expectations of what the researcher wants to find.

Experimenter/Researcher Bias

Consciously or unconsciously conducting research to ensure the outcome fits within the researcher's expectations.

Single-Blind Procedure

A procedure used to avoid participant biases where subjects are not aware if they are in the control or treatment group.

Hawthorne Effect

A phenomenon where productivity or behavior changes because the subjects know they are being observed.

Biopsychosocial

A field of psychology that combines biological, psychological, and social approaches.

Humanistic Psychology

A field of psychology focusing on how people holistically can achieve acceptance, love, and self-fulfillment.

Social-cultural Psychology

The study of behavior through the lens of the individual within a broader cultural context.

Behavioral Psychology

A field of psychology that focuses on how positive and negative reinforcement can alter how we act.

Biological Psychology

A field of psychology that focuses on how the chemical pathways of the brain and nervous system work.

Psychoanalytic Psychology

A theory that poses that humans are controlled by their unconscious mind.

Evolutionary Psychology

Analyses behavior through the lens of how it makes humans "fit" to pass on their genes.