Psychological Research Methods and Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards derived from introductory psychological research notes covering key definitions, cognitive biases, scientific methods, and research terms.

Psychological Research

The scientific study of mental processes and behavior.

Mental Processes

Internal covert activities of our mind that cannot be seen from the outside, including sensory input, memory, thinking, attention, and emotions.

Behavior

Outward or overt actions and reactions that can be observed from the outside.

Attention

The ability to focus on a specific stimulus.

Social Interaction

How we interact with other people based on the relationship.

Stimulus

Anything in the environment that causes behavior.

Adaptive Reactions

Actions that allow us to adapt to new or changing environments.

Abnormal Behaviors

Behaviors that are considered different and deviate from societal norms.

Cognitive Bias

Taints our thinking and conclusions.

Confirmation Bias

A tendency where people look for, interpret, or remember information in a way that confirms what they already believe.

Hindsight Bias

A phenomenon where people believe they knew something was going to happen after it already occurred, even if they didn't actually predict it beforehand.

Overconfidence

A state when people have too much faith in their own judgments of abilities, thinking they know more than they actually do.

Empirical Evidence

Information that is obtained through observation, experimentation, or measurement, which helps prevent cognitive bias.

Scientific Method

A systematic approach used by psychologists to study human behavior and mental processes.

Hypothesis

A specific testable prediction or educated guess about a relationship between variables or research question.

Falsifiable Statement

A statement that can be tested and potentially proven false through observation and experiment.

Replication

The process of repeating a study using same or similar methods to see if findings can be reproduced.

Reliability

Refers to the consistency of a research study or measurement tool.

Validity

Refers to the extent to which a measurement tool accurately measures what it intends to measure.

American Psychological Association (APA)

An organization dedicated to advancing the field of psychology and promoting the application of psychological knowledge to improve human welfare.