Studied by 16 people
Empirical thinking
research based on observing and experimenting
critical thinking
the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.
Structuralism
early school of thought promoted by Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind
Functionalism
early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish
Behavorism
the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only, by John B Watson and B. F Skinner
humanistic psychology
the study of mental processes, focused on ways that current environments nurture or limit growth potential
Cognitive Pschology
how info is perceived, processed, and remembered
cognitive neuroscience
A field that attempts to understand the links between cognitive processes and brain activity.
Psychology
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
nature-nurture issue
the long-standing controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors
natural selection
A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment
evolutionary psychology
focuses on how humans are alike because of common biology and evolutionary history
behavior genetics
focuses on differences related to differing genes/environments
Culture
Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.
positive psychology
the scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive
levels of analysis
the differing complementary views for analyzing any given phenomenon
biopsychosocial approach
an approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
basic research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
counseling psychology
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being
psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
community psychology
a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups
testing effect
enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information
SQ3R
a study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review
Aristotle
A Greek Philosopher who used observation and questioning to understand the body-psyche relationship- 'content of the mind comes through senses'
Plato
'character and intelligence inherited.'
Socrates
greek philopsher who believed knowledge was innate
Francis Bacon
British researcher who emphasized observation and experimentation
Rene Descartes
French philosopher; some ideas are intuitive
Charles Darwin
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection
Wilhem Wundt
Created the first school of psychology in Germany (1879)
Edward Titchener
Student of Wilhelm Wundt; founder of Structuralist school of psychology.
G. Stanley Hall
american psychologist who established the first psychology research laboratory in the United States and founded the American Psychological Association
Mary Whiton Calkins
American psychologist who conducted research on memory, personality, and dreams; first woman president of the American Psychological Association
Margaret Floy Washburn
First female to be awarded a PhD in psychology; 2nd president of the APA
Sigmund Freud
Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis.
William James
founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment
Ivan Pavlov
discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell
John Locke
'mind is a blank slate'
B.F. Skinner
Behaviorist that developed the theory of operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats
Abraham Maslow
Humanistic psychologist known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" and the concept of "self-actualization"
Carl Rogers
Field: humanistic; Contributions: founded person-centered therapy, theory that emphasizes the unique quality of humans especially their freedom and potential for personal growth, unconditional positive regard, fully functioning person
American Psychological Association (APA)
professional organization representing psychologists in the United States
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it- 'i knew it all along'
Theory
explains behaviors/events by offering ideas that organize observations, and summarizes/simplifies
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
operational definition
a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study
Replication
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances
case study
a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
naturalist observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group
random sample
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
Population
all those in a group being studied from which results may be drawn
Correalation
a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things
correlation coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)
Variable
anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure
Scatterplot
a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables, the slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables
illusory correlation
perception of a relationship where none exists, or perception of a stronger relationship than actually exists
regression toward the mean
the tendency for extremes of unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward their average
experimental group
In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
control group
the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.
random assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
double-blind procedure
A research strategy in which neither subjects nor experimenters know which subjects are in the experimental or control groups.
Placebo
something which has a positive mental effect, but no physical effect
independent variable
variable that is manipulated
dependent variable
the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated
cofounding variable
a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment
demand characteristics
cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behavior is expected
Single-blind procedure
research design in which participants don't know whether they are in the experimental or control group
informed consent
An ethical principle requiring that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.
Debriefing
the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants
Ethical Guidelines
suggested rules for acting responsibly and morally when conducting research or in clinical practice
Protection from harm
the right of research participants to be protected from physical or psychological harm
Confidentiality
the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals
descriptive statistics
brief informational coefficients that summarize a given data set
inferential statistics
procedures used to draw conclusions about larger populations from small samples of data
Mode
The value that occurs most frequently in a given data set.
mean
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores
Median
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
standard deviation
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
normal curve (normal distribution)
a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (about 68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes.
statistical significance(p-value)
how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
frequency distribution
an arrangement of data that indicates how often a particular score or observation occurs
Note 
Flashcard (24)