AP Psychology Unit 1 Terms

Psychology

Scientific study of behavior and mental processes in humans and animals

Behavior

Any observable action

Mental Processes

Individual thoughts and feelings (not directly observed)

What makes Psychology a science?

Empirical evidence and the scientific method

Structuralism

What the mind is

Functionalism

What the mind does

Wilhelm Wundt

Created structuralism (father of psychology)

William James

Created functionalism

Perspectives

Psychologists use variety of approaches to explain actions

Evolutionary Perspective

Principles of evolution and natural selection (mental processes serve evolutionary purpose)

Psychodynamic Perspective

Behavior determined by past experiences left in unconscious mind (childhood experiences shape adult personality)

Behavioral Perspective

People and animals controlled by environment (behavior based on good or bad outcomes)

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on processes of mind influencing behavior

Humanistic Perspective

Focuses on human capacity for choice and growth

Sociocultural Perspective

Focuses on society and culture shaping person’s reality

Biological Perspective

Influence of physical and biological processes (genetics and brain chemistry)

Biopsychosocial Approach

Links between genetic and environment (encompasses all perspectives)

Basic Research

Aims to increase scientific knowledge base

Applied research

Used to solve specific issue

Theory

Explanation using set of principles to predict behavior

Hypothesis

Testable prediction

Falsifiability

Capacity for hypothesis to be proven wrong

Operational Definition

Statement of exact procedures used in research study

Verifiability

Being able to be proven true

Case Study

Observational technique where a few individuals are studied in-depth

Survey Method

Self-reported data

Naturalistic Observation

Observation of subject in natural environment

Laboratory Observation

Observing behavior in controlled environment

Hawthorne Effect “Observer Effect”

When people know they are being watched they behave less naturally

Correlational Studies

Researched used to see if 2 variables are related

Observer Bias “Research Bias”

Observers may unconsciously skew their research to fit their goals

Third Variable Problem

Cannot rule out possibility that a 3rd variable causes change

Experimental Method

Only way to establish a cause and effect relationship

Confounding Variable “Lurking”

Differences between experimental and control group other than those resulting from independent variable

Control Group

No treatment or treatment with no effect

Experimental Group

Exposed to independent variable

Quasi Experiment

Participants aren’t randomly assigned to experimental groups

Placebo Condition

Allows researchers to separate effect of variable from expectations of participant

Single-Blind Studies

Participants don’t know what treatment group they’re in

Double-Blind Studies

Participants and researchers don’t know what group participants are in

Reliability “Consistency”

Can experiment be repeated

Validity “Accuracy”

Are experiment results accurate

Ethics

Rules of conduct necessary when carrying out research

Institutional Review Board

Review proposals for research involving human participants

Informed Consent

Written description of what participants can expect during experiment

Discontinuing Participation

Participant is capable of discontinuing participation at any time

Deception

Misleading participants to maintain integrity

Debriefing

Revealing true nature of experiment to participants

Confidentiality

Data collected should be confidential