AP Psych - Unit 1

Psychoanalysis Perspective

Freud; focus on the id-ego-superego interactions and childhood experiences on the unconscious

Cognitive Perspective

Focus on the mind and thinking processes; emphasizes memory, perception, and problem-solving.

Behavior Perspective

Focus on the relationships between reward/punishments on behavior

Humanist Perspective

Emphasizes individual potential, self-actualization, and personal growth. Assumes that all individuals have an inherent tendency to be good

Biopsychological Perspective

Focuses on the interactions of biology and the mind; emphasis on brain functions, genetics, neurotransmitters, and the nervous system

Evolutionary Perspective

Explains behavior through the lens of evolution, suggesting that human thoughts and actions are influenced by adaptations that have evolved over time for survival and reproduction

Sociocultural Perspective

Explains behavior by examining the influences of social and cultural environments, including norms, values, and interactions with others; individualism v. collectivism

Biopsychosocial Perspective

Integrates biological, psychological, and social factors to explain mental health and behavior; emphasizes the interaction of these domains in understanding individuals.

Falsifiable

An idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproven; allows for testing and validation of the theory

Operational Definition

Specific statement of procedure; defines how the variable is measured

Case Study

Studies one person in depth to reveal a truth about everyone or unique behavior/phenomena

Naturalistic Observation

Observation of subjects in natural environments

Meta-Analysis

Combination of several studies to form an overall conclusion

Survey

Participants self-report data through questionnaires or interviews.

Wording Effect

The influence the phrasing of a question might have on respondents answers, lead to false interpretations

Self-Report Bias

Inaccurate memories or reports; correlates with tendency to only remember extremes

Social Desirability Bias

Respondents change answers in order for answers to appear normal to others

Random Sampling

All populations have a fair chance of inclusion

Generalizbility

The extent to which the results apply to the rest of the population

Placebo Effect

Results caused by the expectancy that the treatment will cause results

Placebo

Substance of treatment designed to have no effect

Single Blind Procedure

Participants don’t know what they are receiving, but experimenters do

Double Blind Procedure

Neither participants nor experiments know what participants are receiving

Confounding Variable

A factor other than the one being studied influencing results

Quantitative Research

Uses numerical data

Qualitative Reseach

Uses narrative data

Mean

Average; sum of values divided by the number of values

Median

Middle point of data distribution

Mode

Most frequent value

Range

Distance between the lowest and highest value

Standard Deviation

How much scores vary around the mean

Normal/Bell Curve

Empirical Rule

2.35%, 13.5%, 34%, 34%, 13.5%, 2.35%

Bimodal Distribution

Positively Skewed Curve

Negatively Skewed Curve

Correlational Coefficients

Statistical index of the relationship between two things on the scale -1.00 to +1.00

Illusory Correlation

Perceiving a relationship where none exists

Regression Toward The Mean

Extreme observation tend to turn back toward the mean

Statistically Significant

Result was likely not due to chance; p-value less than 5%

p-value

probability that the null-hypothesis is true

Effect Size

Indicates the strength of the variable

Informed Consent

Potential participants have enough information to decide whether they want to participate

Deception

Cause someone to believe something that isn’t true; often uses confederates