Psychology Examination Definition

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change its structure and/or functioning in response to experience or injury

ABI 

Brain damage occurring after birth that is not attributable to a congenital disorder or degenerative condition

CTE 

A progressive neurodegenerative brain disease associated with repetitive head impacts

Critical period 

A developmental window during which particular experiences are necessary for typical development of a specific function

Sensitive period 

A developmental window when particular experiences have a stronger influence on development

Attachment 

A strong emotional bond between an infant and a caregiver

Sensation 

The detection of stimuli by sensory receptors and their conversion into neural signals

Perception 

The organisation and interpretation of sensory information

Perceptual set 

A predisposition to interpret sensory information in a particular way based on expectations and experiences

Visual illusion 

A misinterpretation of visual information in which perception differs from the physical properties of the stimulus or visual scene

Agnosia 

Difficulty recognising or identifying sensory information despite adequate basic sensory functioning

Attribution 

An explanation for the cause of behaviour or an event

Stereotype 

A generalised belief about members of a group

Prejudice 

A preconceived attitude or evaluation based on group membership

Discrimination 

Unfair or unequal treatment based on group membership or characteristics

Cognitive dissonance 

Psychological discomfort caused by conflicting beliefs, attitudes or behaviours

Halo effect 

A bias in which an impression of one characteristic influences judgements about other characteristics

Self-serving bias 

The tendency to attribute success to internal factors and failure to external factors

Conformity 

Changing behaviour or expressed beliefs to align with group expectations

Aim 

A statement describing the overall purpose of a study

Hypothesis 

A testable prediction about the expected relationship between variables or the difference between conditions

IV 

The variable manipulated by the researcher in an experiment

DV 

The variable measured by the researcher in an experiment

Operationalisation 

Defining a variable in precise, measurable terms

Population 

The entire group the researcher wants to investigate

Sample 

The participants selected from the population

Extraneous variable 

A variable other than the IV that could influence the DV

Confounding variable 

An extraneous variable that systematically varies with the IV and provides an alternative explanation for results

Between-subjects design 

Different participants take part in each condition

Within-subjects design 

The same participants take part in every condition

Mixed design 

A design combining between-subjects and within-subjects elements

Mean 

The sum of all scores divided by the number of scores

Median 

The middle score in an ordered dataset

Mode 

The most frequently occurring score

Range 

The highest score minus the lowest score

Informed consent 

Agreement to participate after receiving sufficient information about the study

Generalisability 

The extent to which findings can be applied beyond the study's participants and conditions

Reliability 

The consistency of a measurement or procedure

Validity 

The extent to which a method measures what it intends to measure or supports the conclusions drawn