Studied by 422 people
Psychology
Scientific study of our behavior and mental processes
Nature-Nurture
The evolutionary aspects of someone versus how they were raised; Genetics vs. Being Raised
Empiricism
The idea that all knowledge comes from experience.
Basic Research
Learning and gaining knowledge of psychological research in order to conduct your own research; studying psychology in order to further study and research it.
Applied Research
Learning and gaining knowledge of psychological research in order to apply it into a job. For example: counseling, clinical, and education.
Perspective
Based on a person’s past and how it affects their psychology in the present. For example: evolutionary perspective (how natural selection has influenced our psychology) or biopsychosocial (how our biology, psychology, and social upbringing has influenced our psychology.
Structuralism
That structure is more important that functions; Structuralists believe that the mind but be broken into elements to understand the brain and its functions.
Introspection
The inward study of a person’s thoughts and feelings.
Functionalism
Theory about the nature of mental states; mental states are defined by what they do rather than by what they are made of.
Psychoanalytic
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.
Gestalt
School of thought which suggests that we view objects and situations in their simplest form and as a whole, instead of multiple connected parts.
Biological Perspective
All feelings and behaviors come from the brain.
Evolutionary Perspective
Focuses on the theories of natural selection and survival of the fittests; suggests that feelings and behaviors come from an evolutionary need.
Psychodynamic Perspective
Focuses on repressed thoughts and feelings; Sigmund Freud.
Behavioral Perspective
Approach that focuses on understanding and analyzing observable behaviors and the ways in which they are learned and maintained through interactions with the environment; Focuses on behaviors of an individual and what that says about your psychology.
Cognitive Perspective
Focuses on thoughts and how people think.
Humanistic Perspective
Emphasizes roll of motivation, free will, and potential for growth.
Sociocultural Perspective
Feelings and behaviors are determined by culture and upbringing.
Biopsychosocial Perspective
Combines biological, psychological, and social perspectives into one in order to understand someone’s feelings and behaviors.
Biological Psychology
All feelings and behaviors come from the brain.
Counseling Psychology
A field of psychology that allows people to overcome mental health challenges to improve their quality of life. Example: marriage counseling.
Clinical Psychology
Concerned with how psychological disorders are defined and diagnosed, and what treatments are recommended for these disorders.
Cognitive Psychology
Field of psychology focused on the mind and mental functions.
Community Psychology
Focuses on studying the interaction between people and their social environments and how social institutions influence individuals and groups.
Comparative Psychology
The scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals.
Developmental Psychology
A field of psychology focused on the human lifespan from conception to death.
Forensic Psychology
Application of psychology to the law and forensics.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Focuses on applying the scientific study of individual and groups to optimize workplace performance.
Human Factors Psychology
Focuses on understanding how people interact with systems, tools, and environments to improve their efficiency, safety, and overall user experience.
Psychometric Psychology
A field of study that focuses on the theory and technique of pyschcological measurement; measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational achievement.
Social Psychology
Study of how other people and groups influence behavior and mental processes as well as how behavior and mental processes influence our experiences in social situations.
Experimental Methodologies
Refers to the various research methods and procedures used to conduct experiments and test hypotheses. Ex: Controlled experiment, independent variable, dependent variable, control group, random assignment, blinding, and replication.
Case Study
A research design intended to reveal things in people that could potentially be further studied; usually on an individual or a small group.
Naturalistic Observation
Recording and observing naturally-occurring behavior, most commonly in non-human animals.
Survey
For people to report their behaviors or opinions; involves people answering questions.
Correlation
The measure of the extent to which 2 factors vary together; how two variables are related.
Meta-analysis
A procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies.
Qualitative Study
Focuses on in-depth and narrative data.
Structured Interview
A method of gathering information in which a questions wording and order of administration are determined in advance.
Quantitative Study
Research focused on numerical data.
Likert Scale
A scale in which respondents are asked to rate the level to which they agree with a statement; used to assess personality, attitudes, and behaviors.
Longitudinal Study
A research design that examines how individuals develop by studying the same sample over a long period of time.
Theory
Explains behaviors or events by offering ideas that organize observations; not exactly a law but has lots of evidence backing it up. Ex: theory of natural selection.
Hypothesis
A testable prediction
Replication
Repeating of original observations with different participants, materials, and circumstances.
Operational Definition
A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures or operations used in a research study.
Peer Review
An evaluation process where scholars or researchers assess each other’s work before it gets published.
Population
All the cases in a group being studied, from which samples will be drawn.
Random Sample
Takes a small, random portion of the entire population to represent the entire data set, where each member has an equal probability of being chosen.
Sampling Bias
The collection of samples that do not accurately represent the entire group.
Experimental Group
The group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested
Control Group
The group of participants in an experiment who do not receive any treatment or intervention; group that doesn’t receive treatment.
Independent Variable
The characteristics of an experiment that is manipulated or changed by researchers, not by other variables in the experiment.
Dependent Variable
The variable that measures the outcome of the experiment.
Confounding Variable
A variable that the experimenter did not account for initially that affected the dependent variable.
Experimenter Bias
When researchers influence the results of an experiment to portray a certain outcome.
Social Desirability Bias
When respondents give answers to questions that they believe will make them look good to others, concealing their true opinions or experiences.
Self-Report Bias
When people provide inaccurate or misleading information about themselves in a survey or questionnaire. Can result from memory errors, misunderstandings, or a desire to portray oneself in a certain way.
Third Variable
Any variable that is extraneous to the two variables being studied.
Double Blind Study
When neither the participant in a study nor the person giving the study know who is the control group and who is in the experimental group.
Placebo/Placebo Effect
Experimental results caused by expectations
Random Selection
A method of selecting a sample from a population in which one half of the sampling is in a placebo group while the other half is in an experimental group.
Random Assignment
The process of assigning participants to different groups in an experiment.
Hawthorne Effect
Phenomenon where individuals alter their behavior simply because they are aware that they are being observed or studied.
Cohort Effect
Differences in characteristics, behaviors, or experiences of a group of people (cohort) that result from the specific time period in which they were born and raised.
Research Confederate
An individual who is part of the research team but poses as a participant or someone else involved in the study; similar to a “secret shopper”.
Measures of Central Tendency - Mean, Median, Mode
Statistical measures that describe the center point or typical value of a data set.
Measures of Variance - Range & Standard Deviation
Statistical tools that describe the extent to which data points in a data set different from the mean of the data.
Percentile Rank
A percentage of scores in a distribution that a particular score is above. Example: if a test score is in the 85th percentile, it means that the score is higher than 85% of all scores in the distribution.
Normal Curve
A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that represents the distribution of many types of data.
Bimodal Distribution
Refers to a probability distribution with two distinct peaks or modes.
Regression Toward the Mean
Statistical phenomenon where extreme or unusual scores tend to be closer to the average (mean).
Scatterplot
Graphical representation of the relationship between two quantitative variables.
Correlation Coefficient - r
Statistical measure that quantifies the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables (+0.1, -0.05, etc.)
Statistical Significance / p-value
Likelihood that the results of an experiment or study are not due to chance but rather reflect a true effect or relationship.
Effect Sizes
Measure the magnitude of the relationship or difference observed in a study.
Institutional Review Board
A committee responsible for reviewing and overseeing research involving human participants to ensure that it adheres to ethical standards and regulations.
Informed Consent
Ethical principle in research that ensures participants are fully aware of what a study entails before they agree to take part.
Protect participants from harm
Minimizing risk, informed consent, monitoring and support, debriefing, confidentiality, and right to withdraw.
Deception
Deliberately misleading or withholding information from participants about certain aspects of a research study.
Debriefing
The process that occurs after a research study has been completed in which researchers provide participants with full information about the study.
Cross-Sectional Study
A research design conducted at a single point in time, comparing groups of differing ages to arrive at conclusions about development.
Null Hypothesis
States that there is no difference between two sets of data; researcher must prove that any difference present is due to chance.
Convenience Sample
Any process for selecting a sample of individuals or cases that is neither random nor systematic but rather is governed by chance or ready availability.
Positive Skew
Majority of data points are concentrated on the left side, with some outliers on the higher end.
Negative Skew
Most data points are concentrated on the right side, with some outliers on the lower end.
Positive Perspective
Approach that focuses on the study of positive aspects of human experience and well-being; strengths, virtues, and factors that contribute to a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Correlation is not _____________
causation
You can’t generalize a study’s results if you didn’t have a ________________
randomly sampled population
Random selection is used for _____________ while random assignment is used for ________________
sampling, grouping
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Flashcard (136)