AP PSYCH VOCAB AUG

Curiosity

A passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled.

Skepticism

A questioning attitude that challenges claims and demands evidence before acceptance.

Humility

An awareness of our own vulnerability to error and an openness to new perspectives.

Critical Thinking

The process of thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions but instead examines assumptions, assesses sources, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

Questioning

The active process of inquiry and challenging assumptions, a key component of skepticism and critical thinking.

Argumentation

The process of developing and defending a claim using evidence and reasoning.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (also known as the "I

Overconfidence

The tendency to be more confident than correct; to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.

Perceiving Order in Random Events

The natural human tendency to find patterns or meaning in random sequences, even when there are none.

Scientific Method

A self

Theory

A well

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory, specifying the relationship between variables.

Falsifiable

The quality of a good theory or hypothesis, meaning it is possible to design an experiment that could prove it to be incorrect.

Replicate (Replication)

Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants and situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.

Operational Definition

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study to measure a variable (e.g., "intelligence" is operationally defined as the score on an IQ test).

Population

All the individuals in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.

Variables

Any factor or characteristic that can change or vary.

Predict

To estimate that a specific thing will happen in the future, a key goal of correlational research.

Theoretical Principles

The underlying concepts and ideas that form the foundation of a theory.

Superforecaster

An individual who consistently and accurately predicts future events at a much higher rate than average people or experts.

Qualitative Research

Research that gathers non

Quantitative Research

Research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form, allowing for statistical analysis.

Non

experimental Research

Experimental Research

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable).

Naturalistic Observation

A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without manipulation.

Correlational Research

A method used to measure the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

Case Study

A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Longitudinal Study

Research that follows and retests the same group of people over a long period.

Cross

sectional Study

Twin Study

A study comparing the similarities between identical (monozygotic) and fraternal (dizygotic) twins to explore the influence of heredity and environment.

Meta

analysis

Survey

A descriptive technique for obtaining the self

Interview

A data

Structured Interview

An interview where the questions are predetermined and asked in a specific, fixed order.

Representative Sample

A sample that accurately reflects the demographic characteristics of the larger population it is drawn from.

Random Sample

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

Convenience Sampling

A sample chosen from a group that is easy to contact or reach; it is often not representative of the whole population.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency for survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others.

Self

report Bias

Likert Scale

A rating scale where respondents specify their level of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements.

Experiment

The only research method that can establish a cause

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the treatment (one version of the independent variable).

Control Group

The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the treatment; it serves as a comparison.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, minimizing preexisting differences between them.

Independent Variable (IV)

The factor that is manipulated or changed by the experimenter; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.

Confounding Variable

A factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.

Placebo

An inert substance or condition that is given to the control group.

Placebo Effect

Experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance that the recipient assumes is an active agent.

Single

blind Procedure

Double

blind Procedure

Experimental Bias

The tendency for a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study to influence the results.

Validity

The extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to.

Correlation

A measure of the relationship between two variables. Correlation does not prove causation!

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two variables, ranging from

Positive Correlation

A relationship where two variables tend to rise or fall together (e.g., as study time increases, grades increase).

Negative Correlation

A relationship where as one variable increases, the other decreases (e.g., as TV viewing time increases, grades decrease).

No Correlation

When two variables have no relationship, indicated by a correlation coefficient near 0.

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots, each representing the values of two variables, used to visualize a correlation.

Directionality Problem

In a correlation, the inability to know which variable caused the other.

Third Variable Problem

When an unobserved third variable affects both observed variables, creating a spurious correlation.

Illusory Correlation

Perceiving a relationship between variables where none exists.

Regression Toward the Mean

The tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back (regress) toward the average.

Descriptive Statistics

Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups (e.g., mean, median, mode, standard deviation).

Inferential Statistics

Numerical data that allow one to generalize—to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population.

Histogram

A bar graph depicting a frequency distribution.

Mean

The arithmetic average of a distribution.

Median

The middle score in a distribution.

Mode

The most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

Standard Deviation

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean.

Variation

How similar or diverse the scores in a distribution are.

Skewed Distribution

A representation of scores that lacks symmetry around their average value.

Normal Curve (Bell

Shaped Curve)

Percentile Rank

The percentage of scores in a distribution that are equal to or lower than a particular score.

Statistically Significant

A statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. A result is typically considered significant if the probability of it occurring by chance is less than 5% (p<.05).

Effect Size

A measure of the magnitude or strength of a phenomenon (e.g., the difference between two groups or the strength of a relationship).

Null Hypothesis (H0)

The hypothesis that there is no significant difference or relationship between variables. Researchers aim to reject the null hypothesis.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)

The hypothesis that a significant difference or relationship does exist between variables.

Alpha Level (p

value)

Confidence Interval

A range of values within which a population parameter is estimated to lie, with a certain degree of confidence.

Peer Reviewers

Experts in a field who evaluate the quality and validity of research before it is published.

Informed Consent

The ethical principle that research participants must be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.

Debriefing

The post

Do No Harm

The fundamental ethical principle to protect participants from any lasting physical or psychological harm.

Confidentiality

The ethical principle of keeping participants' personal information private.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee at a research institution that reviews and approves research proposals to ensure they are ethical.