AP Psych Unit 1 and 2

Nature vs. Nurture

The question involves which has more impact on out development; the traits we inherit(nature) or the environment that we live in(nurture)

Structuralism

An early school of psychology that used introspection(talking about what comes to mind) to explore the elemental structure of the human mind; practiced by Wundt and Titchener

Functionalism

William James school of thought that stressed the adaptive and survival value of observable behaviors.

Psychodynamic Perspective

How behavior springs from past experiences, UNCONSCIOUS/sexual drives and conflicts; studied dreams. FREUD is founder

Behaviorist Perspective

School of thought that focuses on how we learn OBSERVABLE responses. Reinforcement, Punishment, Classical/Operant conditioning, Pavlov: Dogs and Classical Conditioning, Skinner: Rewards and Punishment (OC), Watson: FOUNDER: Little Albert Study

Humanistic Perspective

School of thought that focuses on the study of CONSCIOUS experience, the individual's freedom to choose, FREE WILL, and capacity for personal growth. Known as 3rd Force because 3rd perspective and very different from 1st two perspectives. FOUNDERS: Rogers and Maslow

Cognitive Perspective

How we THINK and PROCESS information. How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information.

Social-Cultural Perspective

Examines how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. (Ex: gestures, manners..)

Biological Perspective

Examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behavior (genes, neurotransmitters, hormones, brain parts...)

Evolutionary Perspective

The theory that focuses on the evolution of behavior and mental processes. Examines which human/animal behaviors continue or die out over years: DARWIN

Biopsychosocial Approach

An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social cultural to explain your behavior. Ex: Cause of Schizophrenia: genes, thought processes, and environment live in.

Dix

Mental Institution Reformer

Wundt

Established the first psychological laboratory in Germany; completed 1st true psychological experiment; father of psychology; founder of structuralism

Titchener

Student of Wundt, structuralist; used introspection

James

Wrote The Principles of Psychology and brought about the idea of functionalism

Hall

1st American Psych Lab, Founder of APA,1st American to receive PhD in Psychology

Calkins

1st female president of APA

Washburn

1st woman to earn PhD in Psychology; 2nd female president of APA

Basic vs. Applied Researchers

Basic: find data, statistics, #'s on topics vs. Applied: uses data from basic research and applies to real life situations.

Clinical Psychologist

Most POPULAR profession in psychology; deals with any problem you may have.

Psychiatrist

Has a MEDICAL degree, can PRESCRIBE medications, usually helps individuals with more severe problems and illnesses (depression, schizophrenia..)

Industrial/Organizational Psychologist

Helps workplaces/businesses be more productive/efficient; worker morale

Psychometrician

Works with TESTING: ACT, SAT, PSAT, AP: evaluates data, makes questions for tests...

Community Psychologist

Helps communities to be the best they can for their citizens; develops programs to help people in community be healthy and happy.

Educational Psychologist

Works with ENTIRE school systems to make them great places to work and learn.

Counseling

Focus more on everyday problems you may be facing (marriage, college life, friend problems...)

Social Psychologist

Focuses on how we relate to other people (groups, conformity, prejudice...)

Descriptive Methods of Research

ways psychologist gather information without doing an experiment

Survey

Gathers LOTS of information on a topic

Social Desirability Bias

careful on survey data because people may answer in a "socially desirable" way: how they "think" they should answer.

Case Study

Studies on person or unique case in depth Ex: find out all the information I can about the life of Michael Jackson: health records, friend reports....)

Naturalistic Observation

Studies people/animals in natural habitat (real life) without them knowing you are there. Helps you see REAL behavior. Ex: watch individuals at concert, mall...)

Longitudinal Study

Studies one person across their LIFE!! Ex: study how one person's IQ changes over lifetime)

Cross Sectional Study

Studies groups of people on same topic. Ex: studies boys/girls on IQ at certain age

Meta-analysis

Gathers data from MULTIPLE studies on same topic Ex: gather all data on studies done on all identical twins and IQ scores)

Descriptive Statistics

Numerical characterizations that describe data from descriptive methods

Histogram

A bar chart representing a frequency distribution (bars touch)

Frequency Polygon

Line graph

Central Tendency

A number that describes something about the scores in a distribution; MEAN, MEDIAN, MODE

Measures of Variability

Measures that indicate how spread out data/scores are; include RANGE AND STANDARD DEVIATION

Standard Deviation

tell you how spread out the scores are from the mean: BIG SD means scores very spread out....

Normal Distribution/Symmetrical/Bell Curve

Describes a symmetrical, bell shaped curve that shows the distribution of data/scores

Positively Skewed Curve

A distribution with a high number of LOW scores (sideways P) and the mean is pushed HIGHER than the median and mode

Negatively Skewed Curve

A distribution with a high number of HIGH scores; mean is pushed LOWER than the median and mode

Bimodal Distribution

Curve with two peaks

Nominal Data

Data of categories only (male/female)

Ordinal Data

Data involving ranking (1st, 2nd)

Ratio

Data with an absolute zero (weight, height)

Interval

Data where differences between numbers is important but there is no absolute zero (temperature, time...)

Correlational Studies

Examines how closely two variables are RELATED (studying and GPA)(Correlations do NOT prove causation)

Positive Correlation

When one variable increases, the other also increases, or as one decreases so does the other. Both variables move in the same direction. (studying and GPA)

Negative Correlation

The relationship between two variables in which one variable increases as the other variable decreases (ex: brush teeth and cavities)

Correlation Coefficient

A number showing the degree to which variables are related: 0 (no correlation) to 1 (strong correlation), -.80 and +.80 are the same strength, sign in front (+/- ) just tells directions of relationship (positive or negative)

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables;used with correlations

Illusory Correlation

the false perception of a relationship between two events when none exists. (Ex: wash car and rain)

Experiment

a study that CAN PROVE cause and effect

Hypothesis

An educated guess

Population

Large Sample of People (ALL of Homewood residents)

Random Sample

A sample in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected (All HW residents names in a hat and I select 500)

Representative Sample

A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole (have HW residents from all neighborhoods, all genders, all races....)

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance (Take my 500 residents and put names in a hat and draw 250 for experimental group and 250 for control group)

Experimental Group

Subjects in an experiment to whom the independent variable is administered (in our experiment: got chocolate)

Control Group

The group that does not receive the experimental treatment (in our experiment: no chocolate)

Independent Variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied (ex: Chocolate)

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured in an experiment (ex: memory)

Operational Definition

A statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables.(ex: 2 squares of Hershey's Milk Chocolate and 20 random words from Websters)

Inferential Statistics

Numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance(ex: P< .05) (less than 5% results happened by chance--good in USA)

Statistically Significant

Results are good and didn't happen by chance.

Ethics

Guidelines established by the APA that must be followed in an experiment: consent, debriefing,confidentiality, no harm....

Confounding Variables

Factors that cause differences between the experimental group and the control group other than the independent variable (ex: not enough sleep, sick...) Best way to avoid these is through random assignment

Generalizability

Can my results be used for the general population(did you have a representative sample of the population and follow all rules; if so, then yes:))

Hawthorne Effect

Changing your behavior because you know you are part of an experiment

Single Blind Study

An experiment in which participants do not know whether they are in the experimental group or the control group (controls for expectancy effect: think I'm getting something so act differently)

Double Blind Study

An experiment in which neither the participant nor the researcher knows whether the participant has received the treatment or the placebo (controls for experimenter bias: I wink at you to let you know that you have the "real" medicine)

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes (Behavior: Can see; running) (Mental Process: Can't see; thinking/memories)

Pseudoscience

A fake or false science that makes claims based on little or no scientific evidence (ex: astrology)

Barnum Effect

The tendency to accept certain information as true, such as character assessments or horoscopes, even when the information is so vague as to be worthless.

Empirical Evidence

Scientific evidence obtained by careful observation and experimentation

Hindsight Bias

"I knew it all along" phenomenon. When looking back at an event you say you knew it was going to end that way.

Individualistic Culture

a culture that values individual achievement and personal accomplishments (Ex: Western Cultures: USA)

Collectivistic Culture

a culture in which people believe that their primary responsibility is to their families, their communities, and their employers(ex: Eastern Cultures:China)

Ethnocentrism

tendency to view one's own culture and group as superior to all other cultures and groups (ex: French women don't shave--yuk!;)

APA (American Psychological Association)

Maintains all rules/regulations for the profession; largest organization of psychologists in USA

IRB (Institutional Review Board)

makes sure you are following ethical guidelines in experiments

IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee)

monitors animal rights in experiments