harder psych vocab

Operational Definition

How a variable is specifically measured/manipulated

Confounding Variable

Hidden factor that changes results

Validity

Measures what it claims

Reliability

Consistent results over time

Statistical Significance

Results unlikely due to chance

Random Sample

Representative group of population

Corpus Callosum

Connects brain hemispheres

Broca’s Area

Speech production

Wernicke’s Area

Language comprehension

Endocrine System

Hormone system

Pituitary Gland

“Master gland” controlling hormones

Neuroplasticity

Brain’s ability to change and adapt

Mnemonic Device

Memory shortcut

Elaborative Rehearsal

Linking info to meaning

Chunking

Grouping info for memory

Encoding Specificity

Context helps recall

Hindsight Bias

“I knew it all along” effect

Availability Heuristic

Judging based on easy examples

Confirmation Bias

Seeking supporting evidence only

Generalization

Similar stimuli → same response

Discrimination

Telling stimuli apart

Extinction

Learned behavior fades

Spontaneous Recovery

Behavior returns after extinction

Cognitive Dissonance

Mental conflict from inconsistency

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating personality, underestimating situation

Social Loafing

Less effort in groups

Deindividuation

Loss of self in groups

Normative Influence

Conform to fit in

Informational Influence

Conform due to uncertainty