AP Psych FULL COURSE vocab

literally every unit :p

Psychology

the scientific study of the human mind and its functions

Basic psychology

fundamental research of human behavior

Applied psychology

using basic psychology to solve real-world problems

Goals of psychology

describe, explain, predict, control

Subfields of psychology

health, education, sports, work, forensics, psychometrics, positive, development

Empiricism

the idea that knowledge needs to be gained from observation and experimentation

Psychoanalytic perspective

psychological perspective based around the unconscious mind (ego, superego, id) and childhood trauma —> founded by Freud

Behavioral perspective

psychological perspective based around observable behavior + conditioning, belief that behavior is fully motivated by reward/punishment —> founded by John B. Watson

Humanistic perspective

equal balance between nature/nurture: psychological perspective based around free will and a desire to reach full potential —> founded by Carl Rogers

Cognitive perspective

psychological perspective based around our interpretation of events and how we think

Evolutionary perspective

psychological perspective based around the idea that behavior stems from adaptations from our ancestors —> founded by Charles Darwin

Natural selection

Favorable traits are passed down because those organisms survive

Biological perspective

psychological perspective based around genetics and the chemical makeup of the brain

Sociocultural perspective

psychological perspective based around how the environment impacts behavior (society & culture)

Biopsychosocial model

human behavior is impacted by biological, psychological, and social factors

Hindsight bias

believing we could have predicted the outcome

Overconfidence

overestimating our abilities and knowledge

False consensus effect

overestimating how common our opinions are

Confirmation bias

better remembering information that supports our belief

Scientific method

question —> hypothesis —> experiment —> conclusion

n

sample size

Qualitative measures

observable descriptions

Self-report

data that participants provide themselves

Social desirability effect

tendency for survey participants to answer questions in a way that portrays them in a favorable light

framing/wording effects

the way a question is worded can affect the answer

Quantitative methods

measurable/numerical data

Likert scale

asking participants to rate their level of agreement on a numerical scale

Peer review

research studies are evaluated by others before being published

Naturalistic observation

research method where data is collected from observation of people in their natural environment/behaviors

Hawthorne effect

a phenomenon where individuals modify their behavior—often improving performance—simply because they know they are being observed

Laboratory observation

naturalistic observation research method where data is collected in a lab

Case study

research method involving the detailed analysis of an individual/group used to study rare conditions or behaviors

Meta-analysis

research method where data is collected from the results of many other studies

Scatterplot

a graph in which the values of two variables are plotted along two axes, the pattern of the resulting points revealing any correlation present.

correlation coefficient

a number ranging from -1 to 1, where the closer to zero=less statistically significant

r

correlation coefficient

Positive correlation

as one variable increases, so does the other

Negative correlation

as one variable increases, the other decreases

Directionality problem

an issue in correlation where you cannot tell which variable causes the other

Line of regression

a statistical method used to predict the value of one variable based on the value of another variable

Experimental design

a method using and independent and dependent variable

Independent variable

what is being altered in the experiment

Dependent variable

What changes in response to the independent variable

Hypothesis

a testable prediction about the outcome of an experiment based on the relationship between variables

Population

a group of people

Sample

the number of people being tested in an experiment

Representative sample

a sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the larger population

Sampling bias

when a sample is not generalizable

Random selection

the sample is chosen randomly to ensure it is representative of the general population

Convenience sampling

the same is chosen because they are easily acceptable

Experimental group

participants exposed to the independent variable

Control group

participants who do not recieve the independent variable

Placebo

an inert, inactive substance (like a sugar pill) given to a control group in an experiment to look identical to the actual treatment

Random assignment

a technique used in experiments to place participants into either the experimental or control group by chance

Quasi-experimental design

non-random assignement

Operational definition

How an idea/variable in a study is defined to be measured in that specific situation

Replication

hw easily the study can be replicated

Reliability

consistency/stability of the experiment

Confounding variable/“third variable problem”

a variable that interferes with the results of the study

Validity

how well a test measures what it’s supposed to measure

Placebo effect

when the group recieving the the placebo experiences symptoms that would suggest the recieved the actual treatment due to thinking they did

Single-blind study

when the participants are unaware of who recieved the placebo

Double-blind study

when neither the participants of researchers are aware of who recieved the placebo

Experimenter bias

the influence a researcher has on a study's results to match their expectations

APA

the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States

IRB

a campus or institutional committee that reviews research proposals to ensure the protection of human subjects' rights, welfare, and safety

Informed consent

an ethical principle that requires experimenters to obtain consent after informing participants of a study's purpose, risks, and procedures

Informed assent

Obtaining informed consent from the parent of a minor involved in the study

Debriefing

explaining the purpose and methods of the study to participants once it’s completed

Research confederates

research assistants posing as participants

Histogram

a bar graph-like tool to display data

Measures of central tendency

descriptive statistics used to summarize a dataset by identifying its center or "average"

Mode

the number seen the most

Mean

Add all data then divide by amount of numbers

Median

the middle of the data

Normal curve

a symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution where most scores cluster around the mean

Positively skewed distribution

most data clusters at the higher end

Negatively skewed distribution

most data clusters at the lower end

Multimodal distribution (or “bimodal distribution”)

When there is more than one mean

Measures of variability

a value that indicates how varied, or spread out, a data set is

Range

all the datas collected (greatest-lowest)

Standard deviation

measures the average distance of scores from the mean

z score

how many standard deviations a raw score is from the mean

Percentile rank

percentage of students in a norm group who scored at or below a specific student's score (ie: 90th percentile)

Inferential stats

procedures used that allow researchers to infer or generalize observations

p value

the statistical significance

Statistical significance

robability that research results occurred by chance

Regression towards the mean

tendency for extreme scores or behaviors to be followed by scores closer to the mean (basically, mean line looks similar to data plot)

Effect size

magnitude or strength of the relationship between two variables or the difference between group means

Wilhelm Wundt

father of psychology

Sigmund Freud

psychoanalyst founder

John B Watson

founder of behaviorism

Carl Rogers

founder of humanism

Charles Darwin

founder of evolutionary perspective

Heredity

a genetic transfer of traits

Heritability

statistic measuring how much variation of a trait within a population is due to genetic differences

Epigenetics

the study of how environmental factors, experiences, and behavior influence gene expression (turning genes on or off)

Endocrine system

a set of glands that release hormones to stabilize things like metabolism, growth, and mood

Hormones

chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream

Pituitary gland

the “master gland” in the brain that secretes hormones, controlled by the hypothalamus