chapter 1 psychology

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, research methods, and theoretical perspectives in Chapter 1 of Exploring Psychology.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Any observable action performed by an individual.

Mental Processes

Internal, subjective experiences including thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, motivations, and dreams.

Four Goals of Psychology

Description, explanation, prediction, and control of behavior and mental processes.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it; also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.

Wilhelm Wundt

German psychologist who established the first psychology research laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany in 1879.

Objective Introspection

The process of examining and measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities, used by Wilhelm Wundt to analyze the mind's content.

Structuralism

An early school of psychology led by Edward Titchener that sought to identify the structures of conscious experience by breaking them down into basic emotions and sensations.

Functionalism

An early school of psychology associated with William James and influenced by Charles Darwin that focused on the functions of behavior and mental experiences and how psychology applies to life.

William James

American philosopher and psychologist associated with functionalism who investigated the functions and practical applications of mental processes.

Psychoanalysis

A perspective founded by Sigmund Freud emphasizing that unconscious conflicts determine behavior and personality.

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician who developed psychoanalytic theory, focusing on the influence of the unconscious mind on human behavior.

Behaviorism

A school of psychology championed by John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner that redefined the field as the scientific study of observable behavior.

Humanistic Psychology

A perspective championed by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow that assumes the positive potential of human beings and emphasizes free will, self-determination, and choice.

Cognitive Perspective

A psychological approach focused on mental processes including memory, intelligence, perception, learning, and problem-solving.

Cognitive Neuroscience

An interdisciplinary study of the physical workings of the brain and nervous system during cognitive processes.

Sociocultural Perspective

A perspective focusing on how behavior and thinking vary across diverse situations and social/cultural settings.

Biopsychological Perspective

A perspective attributing human and animal behavior to biological events, including genetic, neural, and biological processes.

Scientific Method

A structured system of learning that includes perceiving the question, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, drawing conclusions, and reporting or revising results.

Naturalistic Observation

A descriptive research method involving the observation of subjects in their natural environments without interference.

Laboratory Observation

A research method where behavior is observed in a controlled laboratory setting.

Case Study

An intensive, detailed examination of a single individual, group, or organization.

Bystander Effect

A social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The tendency for individuals to feel less personal responsibility for taking action when they are part of a group.

Correlation

A statistical measure of the extent to which two variables are related or change together.

Positive Correlation

A relationship where two variables increase or decrease together in the same direction.

Negative Correlation

A relationship where an increase in one variable corresponds to a decrease in the other.

Perfect Positive Correlation Graph

A scatter plot where data points form a straight upward slope from left to right, representing $r = +1.00$.

Perfect Negative Correlation Graph

A scatter plot where data points form a straight downward slope from left to right, representing $r = -1.00$.

No Correlation Graph

A scatter plot where data points show no visible linear trend or relationship, representing $r = 0$.

Independent Variable

The factor in an experiment that is manipulated or controlled by the researcher to test its effects.

Dependent Variable

The outcome factor that is measured in an experiment to observe changes caused by the independent variable.

Experimental Group

The group of participants in an experiment who receive the treatment or independent variable being tested.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment, used as a baseline for comparison.

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are unaware of who has received the treatment or placebo.

Placebo Effect

Experimental results caused by expectations alone, occurring when a participant reacts to an inactive substance or fake treatment.