AP Psych Vocab Unit 1

anonymity

a principle of research ethics stating that the identity of a study participant should remain unknown

behavioral perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of the environment in determining behavior

biological perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of physiological processes in determining behavior

biopsychosocial perspective

an eclectic approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of physiological processes in determining behavior

case study

a non-experimental technique in which one individual or small group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

cognitive perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of thoughts and interpretations of the environment on behavior

confederate

in an experimental situation, a person who poses as a participant but who is actually working with the experimenter

confidentiality

protection given to research participants against unauthorized access to information they reveal in confidence

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

confounding variable(s)

in an experiment, a factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study’s results

control group

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; serves as comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

convenience sampling

any process for selecting a sample of individuals that is neither random nor systematic but rather is governed by chance or ready availability; data obtained do not generalize to the larger population

correlation

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus how well either factor predicts the other

correlation coefficient

a numerical index of the degree of a relationship between two variables

debriefing

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

deception

in an experiment, any distortion of or withholding of fact with the purpose of misleading others

dependent variable(s)

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulateddi

directionality problem

a problem encountered in correlational studies;the researchers find a relationship between two variables, but they cannot determine which variable may have caused changes in the other variable

double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant/unaware about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo; commonly used in drug-evaluation studies

effect size

the magnitude of a relationship between two or more variables

ethical procedures

a set of standards and principles of professional conduct that must be followed when conducting psychological researcha

evolutionary perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role that natural selection plays on the mind and behavior

experimental group

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable

experimental methodology

a research methodology in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

experimenter bias

caused when researchers may unintentionally influence results of a research study to confirm their own beliefs

falsifiable

the possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproved by observation or experiment

the gambler’s fallacy

the belief that the odds of a chance event increase if the event hasn’t occurred recently

generalizability

the extent to which results or findings obtained from a sample are applicable to a broader population

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it; also known as the “I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon”

humanistic perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the potential for healthy personal growth

hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

independent variable

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated and being studied

illusory correlation

perception of a relationship where none exists, or perception of a stronger relationship than actually exists

informed assent

process by which a minor is given enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

informed consent

giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

institutional review board (IRB)

a committee named by an agency to review research proposals for ethical acceptability and compliance with the organization’s codes of conduct

likert scale

a numerical scale used to assess attitudes; includes a set of possible answers with labeled anchors on each extreme

meta-analysis

a statistical procedure for analyzing the results of  multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion

naturalistic observation

a non-experimental technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

non-experimental methodology

research that lacks the manipulation of an independent variable, random assignment of participants to conditions or orders of conditions, or both

operational definition

a description of something in terms of the procedures, actions, or processes by which it could be observed and measured

overconfidence

the tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments

peer review

the evaluation of scientific or academic work by other qualified professionals practicing in the same field

placebo

an insert substance or condition which the recipient assumes is an active agent; used for comparison

placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an insert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent

population

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

protection from harm

the right of research participants to be protected from physical or psychological harm

psychodynamic perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role that the unconscious mind plays on behavior

qualitative measurements

give results in a descriptive, non numerical form

quantitative measurements

give results in a definite form, usually as numbers and units

random assignment

placing participants into experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups

random sampling

choosing participants in a way that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

regression toward the mean

tendency for extremely high or low scores to become more moderate (i.e. closer to the mean) upon retesting over time

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced

representative sample

the selection of research participants from a population in an unbiased way, such that the participants chosen accurately reflect the total population

sample

a subset of a population that is selected for study with the aim of making inferences to the population

sampling bias

a flawed process that produces an unrepresentative sample

self-report bias

a problem that arises when researchers rely on asking people to describe their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors rather than measuring these directly and objectively; people may not give answers that are fully correct, either because they do not know the full answer or because they seek to make a good impression

single-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which the participants are ignorant/unaware about whether they have received the treatment or the placebo

social-desirability bias

a problem that arises from research participants responding in ways that presume a researcher’s expects or wishes

sociocultural perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role that a person’s society and culture affect behavior

standard deviation

a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean

statistical significance

how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

structured interview

a research procedure in which all participants are asked to answer the same questions

survey technique

technique for obtaining the self-reported answers to questions of large numbers of persons to gain information on attitudes and behavior

third variable problem

the concept that a correlation between two variables may stem from both being influenced by some other factor