Psyc 1 Final

Independent Variable

Variable that the experimenters can control.

Operational Definition

What is measured in a study.

Dependent Variable

Variable that researchers measure and is not manipulated.

Correlational Study

A type of research where scientists passively observe and measure relationships without manipulation.

Experimental Study

Assigning participants to receive different conditions of an experiment by chance, where researchers manipulate an independent variable.

Random Assignment

A method that gives every participant an equal chance of being in each condition, ensuring representation.

Causal Relationship

Determined by evidence showing that changes in one variable directly cause changes in another.

Reasons a Study Might Not Replicate

Faking data, chance, p-hacking, poorly done experiments, and specific group applicability.

Attention

A range of psychological and neural phenomena allowing us to process identical stimuli in different ways.

Invisible Gorilla Experiment

Participants counted basketball passes while missing a gorilla that walked through the scene.

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to notice unexpected objects in our surroundings because attention is focused elsewhere.

Selective Attention

The process of focusing on relevant information, while ignoring other stimuli.

Overt Attention

Physically moving your eyes to focus on something.

Covert Attention

Mentally focusing on something without any physical movement.

Posner Cueing Paradigm

A study examining how attention can be directed towards specific stimuli, noting delays in focus shifts.

Voluntary Attention

Choosing to focus on a particular stimulus.

Involuntary Attention

Attention drawn to stimuli without conscious choice, such as sudden loud noises.

Sensory Memory

Brief storage of sensory information with high capacity.

Working Memory

Short-term memory with limited capacity that holds information for processing.

Long-Term Memory

Memory store with infinite capacity where all learned information is retained.

Importance of Sensory Memory

It provides the first insight into processing incoming information.

Auditory Sensory Memory

Briefly holds sounds for about 3-4 seconds.

Visual Sensory Memory

Briefly holds visual images for about 300 milliseconds.

Chunking

Binding individual items into a meaningful whole to increase working memory capacity.

Successful Encoding Prediction

Depth of processing increases the likelihood of successful encoding.

Depth of Processing

The idea that the level at which information is processed affects how well it is remembered.