Summer Work Quiz

Key terms & Guided Questions

Structuralism

Early school of thought promoted by Wundt & Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Funtionalism

Early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental & behavioral processes function — how they enable an organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Overconfidence

When humans tend to think they know more than they do

Perceiving order in random events

Seeing patterns or meaning in random outcomes, even when no real patterns exist

Scientific Attitude

Being skeptical but not cynical, open-minded but not gullible

Critical Thinking

Thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions

Scientific Method

A self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis

Theory

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Operational Definitions

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study

Replication

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

Quantitative Reasearch/Measures

Uses numerical data to represent degrees of a variable where questionnaire responses fall on a continuum (agree/disagree)

Qualitative Research/Measures

Relies on in-depth narrative data

Descriptive Study

Non-experimental methods used to observe and record data

Case Study

A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth to reveal universal principles.

Survey

A descriptive technique used for obtaining self-reported attitudes/behaviors of a group, usually by questioning a representative sample

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without manipulating or controlling the situation

Structured Interview

A qualitative research technique using standardized questions to collect narrative data

Likert Scale

A qualitative rating scale where responses fall on a continuum (agree/disagree)

Social Desireability Bias

The tendency of respondents to answer questions in ways they presume a researched expects or wishes

Correlation

A measure to the extent to which 2 factors vary together, and thus well either factor predicts the other

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between 2 variables ranging from -1.00 to 1.00

Positive Correlation

A relationship where 2 sets of scores tend to rise & fall together

Negative Correlation

A relationship where 2 sets of scores relate inversly

Illusory Correlation

Perceiving a relationship between variables where none exist, or perceiving a relationship stronger than what exists

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots representing 2 variables the slope indicates direction, scatter indicates relationship strength

Directionality Problem

When with 2 variables you can’t tell which is the cause or the effect

Regression towards the mean

Tendency for extreme or unusual scores to fall back (regress) towards the mean

Statistical Significance

Statistical statement of how likely it is that a result occurred by a change, assuming there is no difference between the populations being studied

Meta-Analysis

Statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion

Effect Size

The strength of relationship between two variables. The larger the effect size, the more one variable can be explained by the other.

Cultural Norms

Shared, unspoken rules that guide how people behave, think, and interact within a specific social group or society

Peer Reviewers

Scientific experts who evaluate a research article’s theory, originality, and accuracy

Ethics

Rules & guidelines that protect the rights, safety, and feelings of people in therapy or research

Third, lurking, confounding variables

Outside factor in a study that links both the cause and the effect

Repersentative Sample

A smaller group of participants that accurately represents the key traits demographics, and proportions of a larger target population

Convenience Sample

Collecting research from a group that is readily-available

Experiment

Research method where investigator manipulates one or more independent variables to observe its effect on a dependent variable

Population

All those in a group being studied

Random Sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance

Independent Variable

An experiment factor that is manipulated

Dependent Variable

An outcome that is measured

Experimental Group

The group exposed to the treatment — one version of the independent variable

Control Group

The group not exposed to the treatment; used by comparing to experimental group to evaluate the effect

Single Blind Study

The research participants and research staff are ignorant to if the treatment or placebo was received.

Double Blind Study

Both research participants & research staff are ignorant to if the treatment or placebo was recieved

Placebo Effect

Thinking you are getting the treatment

Bar Graph

Histogram; shows frequency distribution

Expiramenter Bias

Unintentional bias by researchers influencing results to confirm their own beliefs

Measures of Central Tendency

Single score representing set of scores

Mean

Average of scores; add all and divide by number of scores

Median

Middle score in a distribution

Mode

Score of highest frequency

Percentile Rank

Percentage of scores lower than a given score

Bimodal Distribution

When there are 2 frequently occuring scores

Positive Skew

Where most scores end up on the left

Negative Skew

Where most scores end up on the right

Measures of Variation

Tells us how diverse data are. Range & Standard Deviation.

Normal Curve

Symmetrical, bell-shaped curve describing many types of data. 68% of data falls within 1 SD of the mean.

Institutional Review

Evaluation of a research study by an Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Informed Consent

Giving potential participants enough information about study to enable them to choose whether to participate

Informed Assent

Informed consent in case of minors

Protection from harm

researchers and doctors must keep people safe during studies or treatments

Confidentiality

Ethical and legal duty requiring mental health professionals & researchers to keep all a secret

Deception

Act of misleading, distorting, or withholding facts to make someone believe something that’s not true

Debriefing

Post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deception to its participants

Psychology

Science of behavior and mental processing using systematic observation, research methods, and critical thinking to avoid all kinds of biases.

Behavioral

Psych approach. Learning responses from observation.

Biological

Psych approach. How brain chemistry effects decisions.

Cognitive

Psych approach. How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information. How do we think?

Evolutionary

Psych approach. Why we have innate fears, desires, behaviors. Fear for a reason — natural selection.

Humanistic

Psych approach. What will help me achieve my goal to fulfillment? About love, acceptance, and fufillment so you can be the best version of you. If a student is not doing great at school, do they have all the resources, love, and support at home?

Psychodynamic

Psych approach. Modern Freud about unconscious desires and childhood traumas effecting