AP Psych Unit 0 Vocab

Critical Thinking

Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments/conclusions; it reveals biases, sketchy sources, and checks evidence.

Structuralism

A psychological approach used by Wundt and Titchener that employed introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Humanistic Psychology

A historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of humans.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of mental processes involved in perception, learning, memory, thinking, and communication.

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Nature:Nurture Issue

The controversy over the contributions of biology (genes) and experience in the development of psychological traits and behaviors.

Evolutionary Psychology

The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using natural selection.

Biopsychosocial Approach

An approach that includes biological, psychological, and sociocultural viewpoints.

Behavioral Psychology

The study of observable behavior and its explanation by principles of learning.

Functionalism

A perspective that explains mental life and behavior in terms of adaptation to environmental challenges and opportunities.

Biological Psychology

The study of the links between biological and psychological processes.

Psychoanalytic

An early school of psychology that emphasizes the importance of unconscious causes for behavior.

Sociocultural Psychology

The examination of how social and cultural environments influence behaviors.

Clinical Psychology

A branch that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

Psychiatrist

A physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders who can prescribe medication/therapy.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it, often expressed as "I knew it all along."

Theory

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.

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 main idea of a research study in different situations to see if the original finding can be reproduced.

Case Study

A technique in which one person is studied in great detail to reveal universal principles.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing natural situations without manipulation.

Survey

A method of obtaining attitudes/behaviors of a particular group through questioning a representative sample.

Sampling Bias

A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.

Population

The people who are the focus of research.

Random Sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because all individuals have an equal chance of being included.

Correlation

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, indicating how well one factor predicts the other.

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two variables, ranging from -1 to +1.

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots representing the values of two variables; the slope indicates the relationship, and the scatter indicates strength.

Illusory Correlation

The perception of a relationship where none exists.

Experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on behavior or mental processes.

Experimental Group

The group exposed to the treatment in an experiment.

Control Group

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

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance to minimize differences between groups.

Double-Blind Procedure

A method where both participants and staff are unaware of whether participants have received the treatment or a placebo.

Placebo Effect

Experimental results caused by expectations alone.

Independent Variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; its effect is being studied.

Confounding Variable

A factor other than the independent variable that might influence a study's results.

Dependent Variable

The outcome that is measured; it may change when the independent variable is manipulated.

Informed Consent

Providing participants with enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether to participate.

Debriefing

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

Mean

The average of a distribution.

Median

The middle number in a set of data listed in order.

Mode

The most frequently occurring score in a data set.