Psych Midterm Ch. 1 and Prologue 1

Structuralism

prompted by Wundt and Titchener, focused on introspection (looking into oneself) and thinking about the STRUCTURE of the human mind.

Functionalism

Prompted by James and influenced by Darwin; the FUNCTION of mental and behavioural processes, how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Behaviourism

the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behaviour without reference to mental processes.

humanistic psychology

perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people

Cognitive neuroscience

the study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Nature-Nurture issue

the controversy over the relative contributions of biology and experience

Natural selection

A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.

Evolutionary psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Behaviour genetics

the study of how behavioural tendencies are influenced by genetic factors

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

positive psychology

the scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

Levels of analysis

the differing complementary views for analyzing any given phenomenon

biopsychosocial approach

biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

Basic research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

Applied research

research undertaken to solve a specific problem

counseling psychology

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being

Psychiatry

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy

Community psychology

a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving

SQ3R

Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

Hindsight bias

I knew it all along phenomenon

Overconfidence

the tendency to be more confident than correct

Critical thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions.

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 definition

a statement of the procedures used to define research variables

Replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances

case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

naturalistic observation

watching behavior in real-world settings without trying to manipulate the situation

Survey

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

Population

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

Random sample

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

Correlation

A measure of the relationship between two variables

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Scatterplot

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. Little scatter indicates high correlation.

Regression toward the mean

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward their average.

Experiment

a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

Experimental group

In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Control group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

Double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Placebo effect

the phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior

independant variable

the thing that will be changed in each experiment

dependent variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested.

Confounding variable

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment

informed consent

An ethical principle requiring that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.

Debriefing

the postexperimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

Mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

Mean

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores

Median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

Range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Normal curve

the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes

statistical significance

how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance