Unit 3: Psychology, Branches, Methods, Attention, and Perception

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the branches of basic and applied psychology, research methods, the scientific method cycle, attention, and perception principles.

Psychology (Psicología)

The overarching scientific study of mind and behavior, divided into foundational research domains and practical field applications.

Basic Psychology (Psicología Básica)

The branch of psychology dedicated to fundamental scientific theory and research, comprising general, experimental, psychobiology, developmental (evolutiva), social, personality, learning, differential, cultural, and gender psychology.

Applied Psychology (Psicología Aplicada)

The branch of psychology focused on the practical application of psychological principles to real-world environments, consisting of educational, clinical, work (laboral/trabajo), legal (jurídica), and sports psychology.

Scientific Method (El Método Científico)

The formal investigation process that moves from observation to hypothesis formulation, follows through deduction of contrastable statements, and proceeds to contrastation, resulting in either refutation or verification as a law.

Descriptive Method (Método Descriptivo)

A research method used to record and describe behavior without intervention, such as observing and counting how many times children spontaneously share toys on a playground over the course of one hour.

Correlational Method (Método Correlacional)

A research method that identifies relationships between two or more variables without proving causation, such as discovering that increased mobile phone use before sleep corresponds to lower exam grades without establishing that phone use causes the drop.

Experimental Method (Método Experimental)

A research method used to understand behavior and identify cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating conditions between groups, such as testing whether a one-month relaxation therapy program reduces anxiety symptoms in a treated group compared to an untreated group.

Attention (Atención)

The cognitive process explored in Unit 3 focused on selectively concentrating on specific discrete aspects of information while ignoring others.

Laws of Perception (Leyes de Percepción)

Principles governing how sensory stimuli are organized, integrated, and meaningfully interpreted by the perceptual system.

Perceptual Elements (Col, L, ARC)

Core structural and sensory components documented in perceptual analysis, referring to color (Col), light (L), and visual/neural pathways or arcs (ARC).