Psychology Video Notes: Perspectives, Methods, and Disorders

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the psychology lecture notes, including perspectives, research methods, and psychopathology.

Abnormal psychology

The branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought and their causes.

DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

Authoritative classification of mental disorders listing symptoms and diagnostic criteria.

Intern's Syndrome

The tendency to diagnose oneself with mental disorders based on personal symptoms.

Dorothea Dix

19th-century reformer who advocated humane treatment of the mentally ill and improved conditions.

Paradigm (in psychopathology)

A conceptual framework guiding how scientists study a subject and interpret data; shapes questions and methods.

Neuroscience perspective

Explains behavior in terms of brain and nervous system structure and function.

Evolutionary perspective

Explains behavior through natural selection and genetic influences.

Cognitive perspective

Focuses on information processing: thinking, memory, problem solving.

Behavioral perspective

Emphasizes observable behavior and learning through conditioning.

Psychoanalytic perspective

Emphasizes unconscious conflicts and early experiences; associated with Freud.

Socio-cultural perspective

Explains behavior by social and cultural context.

Case study

In-depth study of a single person or small group.

Naturalistic observation

Observing subjects in their natural environment, not in a lab.

Survey

Asking people questions to collect information (paper, online, etc.).

Correlation

A statistical relationship where two or more variables tend to occur together.

Causation

A relationship where one variable causes changes in another.

Directionality problem

When two variables are related, but it is unclear which causes which.

Third-variable problem

A third (often unknown) variable may be responsible for the observed relationship.

Experiment

A research method that manipulates an independent variable and measures its effect, using random assignment to infer causality.

Independent variable

The variable deliberately manipulated by the researcher.

Dependent variable

The variable measured to assess the effect of the manipulation.

Experimental group

Participants exposed to the independent variable.

Control group

Participants not exposed to the independent variable.

Random selection

Choosing participants from the population by chance.

Population

All members of the group being studied.

Sample

A subset of the population used in the study.

External validity

The extent to which study findings generalize to real-world settings.

Placebo

An inert treatment used to mask group assignment and test placebo effects.

Placebo effect

Improvement arising from expectations rather than the treatment.

Blinding

Keeping participants or researchers unaware of group assignments to reduce bias.

DSM categories (examples)

Anxiety disorders, Somatoform disorders, Dissociative disorders, Mood disorders, Schizophrenia, Personality disorders.

Atypical, Disturbing, Maladaptive, Unjustifiable

Core criteria used to identify abnormal behavior (unusual, disturbing, maladaptive, and unjustifiable).