✨ UNIT 0: Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Structuralism

Introspection to understand the structure of the mind, associated with Wundt and Titchener.

Functionalism

Focus on the purpose and function of consciousness, associated with William James.

Behaviorism

Study of observable behavior only, associated with Watson and Skinner.

Psychoanalytic

Focus on unconscious drives and childhood influences, associated with Freud.

Humanistic Psychology

Focus on growth potential and self-actualization, associated with Rogers and Maslow.

Cognitive Psychology

Study of thoughts, memory, language, and problem-solving.

Biological Psychology

Focus on the brain, genetics, and neurotransmitters.

Evolutionary Psychology

Focus on survival advantages and natural selection.

Sociocultural Psychology

Study of the effect of culture and social environment on behavior.

Wilhelm Wundt

Founded the first psychology lab and utilized introspection.

William James

Key figure in the development of functionalism.

Mary Whiton Calkins

First female president of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Margaret Floy Washburn

First woman to earn a PhD in psychology.

G. Stanley Hall

First president of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Theory

A general principle based on observations in psychology.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction derived from a theory.

Operational Definitions

Descriptions of variables in measurable terms.

Replication

The repetition of a study to confirm findings.

Descriptive Studies

Methodologies such as case studies, naturalistic observation, and surveys.

Correlational Studies

Research that measures relationships but cannot establish causation.

Experimental Studies

Research that demonstrates cause-and-effect relationships.

Cross-Sectional Study

Research that compares different population groups at one point in time.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured in an experiment.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment.

Experimental Group

The group that receives the treatment in an experiment.

Random Assignment

Process of assigning participants to groups by chance.

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental design where neither participants nor researchers know group assignments.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to seek information that confirms existing beliefs.

Placebo Effect

The phenomenon where expectations influence results.

Informed Consent

The ethical principle of informing participants about a study before they agree to participate.

Standard Deviation

A measure of the spread of scores in a data set.

Correlation Coefficient (r)

A statistical measure that indicates the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables, ranging from -1 to +1.

Statistical Significance (p < .05)

A determination that results are unlikely to be due to chance.