CHAPTER 1

Antecedent conditions

All circumstances that occur or exist before the event or behavior to be explained; also called antecedents.

Applied research

Research that is designed to solve real-world problems.

Basic research

Research designed to test theories or to explain psychological phenomena.

Cause-and-effect relationship

The relation between a particular behavior and a set of antecedents that always precedes it—whereas other antecedents do not—so that the set is inferred to cause the behavior.

Commonsense psychology

Everyday, nonscientific collection of psychological data used to understand the social world and guide our behavior.

Data

Facts and figures gathered from observations in research. (Data is the plural form of the Latin word datum, so to be correct we say that data are gathered rather than that data is gathered.)

Empirical data

Data that are observable or experienced; capable of being verified or disproved through investigation.

Experimentation

The process undertaken to demonstrate that particular behavioral events will occur reliably in certain specifiable conditions; a principal tool of the scientific method.

Good thinking

Organized and rational thought, characterized by open-mindedness, objectivity, and parsimony; a principal tool of the scientific method.

Laws

General scientific principles that explain our universe and predict events.

Measurement

The systematic estimation of the quantity, size, or quality of an observable event; a principal tool of the scientific method.

Methodology

The scientific techniques used to collect and evaluate psychological data.

Observation

The systematic noting and recording of events; a principal tool of the scientific method.

Parsimony

An aspect of good thinking, stating that the simplest explanation is preferred until ruled out by conflicting evidence; also known as Occam’s razor.

Pseudoscience

A field of study that gives the appearance of being scientific but has no true scientific basis and has not been confirmed using the tools of the scientific method: observation, measurement, and experimentation

Psychology experiment

A controlled procedure in which at least two different treatment conditions are applied to subjects whose behaviors are then measured and compared to test a hypothesis about the effects of the treatments on behavior.

Replication

The process of repeating research procedures to verify that the outcome will be the same as before; a principal tool of the scientific method.

Science

The systematic gathering of data to provide descriptions of events taking place under specific conditions, enabling researchers to explain, predict, and control event

Scientific method

Steps scientists take to gather and verify information, answer questions, explain relationships, and communicate findings.

Subject

The scientific term for an individual who participates in research.

Testable

Capable of being tested; typically used in reference to a hypothesis. Three requirements must be met to have a testable hypothesis: procedures for manipulating the setting must exist, and the predicted outcome must be observable and measurable.

Theory

A set of general principles that attempts to explain and predict behavior or other phenomena.

Treatment

A specific set of antecedent conditions created by the experimenter and presented to subjects to test its effect on behavior.