Psych Unit 0 Vocab

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe that an event was predictable after it has already occurred.

Overconfidence

An excessive belief in one's own answers or abilities.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs.

Evolutionary Perspective

The approach that views psychological traits as adaptations that have evolved over time.

Psychodynamic Perspective

The approach that emphasizes unconscious processes and childhood experiences.

Biological Perspective

The approach that focuses on the physiological bases of behavior.

Behavioral Perspective

The approach that studies observable behaviors and the effects of learning.

Cognitive Perspective

The approach that focuses on mental processes like memory, thinking, and problem-solving.

Social-Cultural Perspective

The approach that examines how cultural and social contexts influence behavior.

Humanistic Perspective

The approach that emphasizes personal growth and the concept of self.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

An integrated approach that considers biological, psychological, and social factors.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

Population

The entire group of individuals from which a sample may be drawn.

Random Sample

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

Falsifiable

A characteristic of a hypothesis or theory that can be proven false by observation or experiment.

Sample

A subset of a population used to collect data.

Peer Review

The process by which academic work is evaluated by others in the same field before publication.

Operational Definition

A clear statement of how a variable will be measured.

Convenience Sample

A non-random sample that is taken from a population easy to reach.

Replication

The process of repeating a study to see if the results are consistent.

Reliability

The consistency of a research study or measuring test.

Representative Sample

A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole.

Experimental Methodology

A research method that involves manipulating one variable to determine its effect on another.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method involving the observation of behavior in its natural environment.

Non-Experimental Methodologies

Research methods that do not manipulate variables.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency of respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others.

Case Study

An in-depth analysis of a single individual or group.

Survey

A research method that involves collecting data from respondents using questionnaires or interviews.

Quantitative Measurement

Data that can be quantified and is typically measured using numerical values.

Likert Scales

A scale used to measure attitudes or opinions by asking respondents how much they agree or disagree.

Correlational Study

A type of research that examines the relationship between two or more variables.

Self-Report Bias

A type of bias that occurs when individuals do not accurately report their thoughts or behaviors.

Qualitative Measurement

Data that can be observed but not measured, often involving descriptions.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the treatment or intervention.

Single-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure in which the participants do not know if they are in the experimental or control group.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure in which both the participants and the researchers are unaware of which participants have been assigned to which group.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured in an experiment.

Confounding Variable

An outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable.

Placebo

An inactive substance or treatment used as a control in an experiment.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Random Assignment

The process of assigning participants to the experimental and control groups randomly.

Placebo Effect

The phenomenon in which participants experience a change simply because they believe they are receiving treatment.

Experimenter Bias

The influence of the experimenter's expectations on the outcome of a study.

Correlation

A measure of the relationship between two variables.

Positive vs Negative Correlation

A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other increases. A negative correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other decreases.

Scatterplots

A graphical representation of the relationship between two quantitative variables.

Correlation Coefficients

A numerical measure of the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables.

Third Variable Problem

The issue that arises when a third variable influences both of the variables being studied.

Illusory Correlation

The perception of a relationship where none exists.

Directionality Problem

The difficulty in determining the direction of the relationship between two variables.

Measures of Central Tendency

Statistical measures that summarize a set of data by identifying the central point.

Normal Curve

A symmetrical bell-shaped distribution that represents the distribution of many types of data.

Mean

The average of a set of scores.

Skewed Distribution

A distribution that is not symmetrical and can have a long tail on one side.

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution with two different modes or peaks.

Median

The middle value in a data set when the numbers are arranged in order.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Regression Toward the Mean

The phenomenon where extreme scores tend to be closer to the average upon retesting.

Mode

The value that appears most frequently in a data set.

Measures of Variation

Statistics that describe the spread of data points in a dataset.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how spread out the values in a data set are.

Percentile Rank

A score that indicates the percentage of scores that fall below a particular value.

Statistical Significance

A determination of whether the observed results of a study are likely due to chance.

Generalizability

The extent to which research findings can be applied to real-world settings beyond the study sample.

Effect Size

A quantitative measure of the magnitude of a phenomenon.

Institutional Review Board

A committee that reviews research proposals to ensure ethical standards are met.

Protection from Harm

An ethical principle that emphasizes minimizing any potential harm to participants in research.

Informed Consent

A process through which participants are informed about the study before agreeing to participate.

Debriefing

The process of informing participants about the nature of the study after its completion.

Avoiding Deceit

An ethical consideration that requires researchers to avoid misleading participants about the true nature of the research.

Informed Assent

An ethical principle that asks whether children or individuals with diminished capacity understand and agree to participate in research.

Research Confederates

Individuals who are part of the research team but pretend to be participants.

Confidentiality

An ethical principle that ensures participant information is kept private.