Intro to Psych Chapter 1 - FINAL EXAM

psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

critical thinking

The process of thinking deeply and actively, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence.

Wilhelm Wundt

founded the first psychology laboratory

biological approach

An approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system.

neuroscience

The scientific study of the structure, function, development, genetics, and biochemistry of the nervous system, emphasizing that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion.

behavioral approach

An approach to psychology emphasizing the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants.

psychodynamic approach

An approach to psychology emphasizing unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives (such as the drive for sex) and society’s demands, and early childhood family experiences. Founded by Sigmund Freud

humanistic approach

An approach to psychology emphasizing a person’s positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny.

cognitive approach

An approach to psychology emphasizing the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.

sociocultural approach

An approach to psychology that examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.

biopsychosocial approach

A perspective on human behavior that asserts that biological, psychological, and social factors are all significant ingredients in producing behavior.

culture

refers to the shared knowledge, practices, and attitudes of groups of people and can include language, customs, and beliefs about what behavior is appropriate and inappropriate

theory

A broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain observations and to make predictions about future observations.

hypothesis

A testable prediction that derives logically from a theory.

descriptive research

Describing a phenomenon—determining its basic dimensions what this thing is, how often it occurs, and so on. Includes observation, surveys and interviews, and case studies.

case study

An in-depth look at a single individual.

correlational research

Research that examines the relationships between variables, whose purpose is to examine whether and how two variables change together.

correlational coefficient

Most commonly represented by the letter ‘r’ and is a statistic that tells us two things about the relationship between two variables-its strength and its directions. The value always falls between -1.00 and +1.00.

experiment

A carefully regulated procedure in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables that are believed to influence some other variable.

random assignment

Researchers’ assignment of participants to groups by chance, to reduce the likelihood that an experiment’s results will be due to preexisting differences between groups.

independent variable

A manipulated experimental factor; the variable that the experimenter changes to see what its effects are.

dependent variable

The outcome; the factor that can change in an experiment in response to changes in the independent variable.

experimental group

The participants in an experiment who receive the drug or other treatment under study—that is, those who are exposed to the change that the independent variable represents.

control group

The participants in an experiment who are as much like the experimental group as possible and who are treated in every way like the experimental group except for a manipulated factor, the independent variable.