Ap psychology ALL UNITS!

Wihelm Wundt

Wilhelm Wundt combined physiology and philosophy to create psychology and established the first psychology lab in Germany 1879. He believed in introspection and structuralism

Structuralism

structure is more important than function. structuralists believe that the mind must be broken into elements to understand its function using introspection.

Introspection

Self examination of one's own thoughts and feelings.

Functionalism

A psychological philosophy that considers mental life and behavior in terms of active adaptation to the persons environment. Was created to understand how the conscious mind is related to behavior.

William James

founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment.

Early Behaviorism

Study of observable events. theory that states our responses to environmental stimuli shape our actions.

John Watson

Father of behaviorism. Studied observable behaviors and led the little Albert experiment where he trained young boy to fear white rat.

Gestalt Psychology

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. looks at the mind and behavior as a whole

Sigmund Freud

Founder of psychoanalysis. Proposed theories about the role of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences.

Humanstic approach

humans have free will and ability to grow

self-actualization

The process of of fulfilling ones potential capabilities.

Evolutionary approach

An approach to psychology centered on evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors.

biological perspective

The perspective assumes personality characteristics are a function of various biological factors, including behavioral genetics, the neurological perspective, and an evolutionary perspective.

Cognitive approach

Thought processes impact the way people behave.

biopsycholosocial approach

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

Sociocultural Approach

examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.

biological psychology

Physical processes shape behavior. (ex-anger is due to hormonal imbalance in the brain)

clinical psychology

focuses on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

Cognitive psychology

Scientific study of the mind as an information processor. Studies the mental processes associated with thinking, knowing and communicating.

Counseling psychology

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living.

developmental psychology

Studies social, physical and cognitive changes throughout life span and how and why human beings change in life;used in cross sectional research

educational psychology

the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning

experimental psychology

the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method

industrial-organizational psychology

studies the relationships between work and people in order to help companies increase productivity, boost morale, and select and train employees.

personality psychology

studies personality along with its variation among individuals.

social psychology

studies how humans are influenced by one another.

positive psychology

Focuses on studying positive emotions to improve peoples lives.

psychodynamic approach

Made by sigmund freud. regards personality as formed by needs, strivings, and desires largely operating outside of awareness-motives that can also produce emotional disorders

Behaviorism

created by Ivan Pavlov.Rejection of psychodynamic approach. the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

correlational studies

Involves looking at the relationship between two or more variables. Is used when performing an experiment is not possible.

Survey research

The collection of information reported by people about a topic.

naturalistic observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

case studies

a research method that is in depth, time consuming that provides detailed info on unusual people.

longitudinal studies

A research method that studies the same participants over a period of time

cross-sectional study

Examines people from different groups at the same time. quick and easy to conduct.

Basic research

To increase knowledge about a topic

Applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Scientific Method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.

operational definition

a statement of the exact procedures used in the study which would eventually allow other researchers to replicate the research.

independent variable

The variable that changes in the experiment

dependent variable

The effect of the change in the experiment. This is what gets measured.

Confounding variable

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

control variable

A variable that is kept the same during an experiment.

random assignment

participants are assigned to each experiment group with an equal chance.

random sample

each individual in a large population has equal chance of being selected

sampling bias

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

experimenter bias

when researchers influence the results of an experiment to portray a certain outcome.

double-blind procedure

when neither the participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research because they don't know what group they have been assigned to.

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe that you knew what was going to happen all along.

Hawthorne effect

A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied

placebo effect

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

control/placebo group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

edward titchener

Student of Wilhelm Wundt; founder of Structuralist school of psychology.

external validity

How generalizable the results of the experiment are

internal validity

the degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of only the independent variable

valid

Well-founded reliable evidence and corresponds accurately to the real world.

reliable

research that can be replicated and is consistent

descriptive statistics

Describes data. numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups.

inferential statistics

Tell us what data means. procedures used to draw conclusions about larger populations from small samples of data

central tendency.

mean, median, mode. Identifying an average center from the data.

measures of variation

A measure used to describe the distribution of data

standard deviation

a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean. The higher the standard deviation, the less similar to the mean.

range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

correlation coefficient

A statistical measure that describes the strength of the relationship between the two variables. It an range from -1 to 1 -1 indicates a strong negative relationship while 1 indicates a stong positive relationship.

postitive correlation

as x increases, y increases

negative correlation

as one variable increases, the other decreases

statistical significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

normal distribution

a symmetrical frequency distribution/bell curve where the mode mean and median are at a 0 point value.

positively skewed distribution

Has a tail extending to the right (towards the larger values).This occurs when the dataset has a few unusual large values.

negatively skewed distribution

has a tail pointing to the left (towards the smaller values) This occurs when the dataset has a few unusual small values.

Quantitative data

numerical data

qualitative data

Information describing color, odor, shape, or some other physical characteristic

p-value

The probability level which forms basis for deciding if results are statistically significant (not due to chance).

psychometric

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules and proteins that contain the genes located inside the nucleus. Humans have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs in each cell).

Genome

the complete set of genes in a cell or organism that is a blueprint for an organisms design and function.

molecular genetics

the field of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.

behavior genetics

A field of study in psychology that examines the role of genetic and environmental influences on our behavior.

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule that carries most of the genetic instructions used in development functioning and growth.

identical twins (monozygotic twins)

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

heritablity

The proportion of observed differences on a trait among individuals of a population that are due to to genetic differences.

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Genes

DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmission.

fraternal/dizgotic twins

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment.

Mutation

change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information that may lead to change.

Nature vs. Nurture

name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

Epigenetics

How are enviroment influences how are genes are expressed and shapes you into the person who you are.

epigenetic marks

Caused by life experiences. chemical modifications to DNA that can turn genes on or off

Charles Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection

gene expression

genes that is turned on or off in response to environmental factors which can influence personality.

endocrine system

Our body's chemical communication system. It is a network of glands in the body that produce hormones to regulate bodily functions.

Hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream that control and regulate the activity of certain cells and organs.

adrenal glands

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress. trigger our flight or fight responses and release adreniline and norepinphrine.

pineal gland

Produces melatonin and regulates circadian rhythm.

pituitary gland

Important gland that is small pea-sized known as the master gland that controls growth and produceshormones such as oxytocin, which promotes pair bonding and social trust.

Hypothalamus

Important gland located in limic system that controls the pituitary gland. and communicates with adrenal gland. It releases and has a lot to do with the "4 Fs:" Fighting, Fleeing, Feeding, Mating.

thyroid gland

Located in neck.produces hormones that regulate metabolism, body heat, and bone growth

parathyroids

Located in neck. help regulate the level of calcium in the blood

Pancreas

Organ in stomach that regulates blood sugar and releases insulin and helps digestion.

Testies and ovaries

male/female reproductive organs that release sex hormones. Ovaries produce estrogen and testies produce testosterone.