the actual application of discovered techniques to solve specific practical problems
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applied psychology
the use of psychological principals to solve practical problems, typically by influencing behaviour or changing the environment to match existing behaviour
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applied research
research done on an effort to discover a new or more effective way to solve a specific practical problem
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basic research
work done by psychologists to understand the fundamental principals of behaviour and mind
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behaviour
any observable action, including words, gestures, responses, and more that can be repeated, measured, and affected by a situation to produce or remove some outcome. can also refer to biological activity, including actions on the cellular level
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behaviourism
an approach to psychology that suggests observable behaviour should be the only topic of study, ignoring conscious experience
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biological determinism
the view that all human behaviour is controlled by genetic and biological influences
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clinical psychology
a form of applied psychology that focuses on identifying, preventing, and reliving distress or dysfunction that is psychological in origin
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counseling psychologist
psychologists who focus on helping people deal with ongoing situations, or on the adjustment from one situation to another
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culture
a shared set of beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and customs belonging to a specific group or community
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dualism
the philosophical position that the mind and body are entirely separate from one another
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eclectic approach
an approach to clinical psychology that uses different therapeutic techniques based on their effectiveness for the current situation
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empiricism
the view that knowledge arises directly from experience
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evolutionary psychology
the study of psychology from an evolutionary perspective, it proposes that many mental processes have developed in response to natural selection to solve adaptive problems
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feminist psychology
an approach to psychology that is critical of cultural influences on gender and fender differences in behaviour
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functional explanations
a kind of proximate explanation that seeks to identify a specific problem as the cause of a trait, behaviour, or mental process
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functionalism
an early movement in psychology whose proponents believed that an understanding of behaviour or process' functions was critical to understanding its operation
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humanistic psychology
an approach to psychology that emphasizes the ability of humans to make their own choices and realize their own potential
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intersectional approach
an approach to studying cultural influences that emphasizes examining how multiple social identities intersect at the level of the individual person to alter their experience
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levels of explanation
the acknowledgment that different explanations for a phenomenon can complement one another
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mind
the contents of conscious experience, including sensations, perceptions, thoughts, and emotions
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nativism
the view that some forms of knowledge are inborn, or innate
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natural selection
the principle that traits which contribute to improvements in survival and reproduction are more likely to be passed down to later generations
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phrenology
the pseudoscientific study of the shape of the human skull in an attempt to associate brain areas with specific characteristics, thoughts, or abilities
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positive psychology
an outgrowth of humanistic psychology, positive psychology studies specific virtues of the human experience, including topics of happiness, trust, charity, and gratitude
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process-oriented explanations
a kind of proximate explanation that focuses on how a specific mental or physical process directly explains a trait or behavior
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proximate explanations
explanations that seek to describe an immediate cause of a trait, behaviour, or mental process
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a medical doctor who is trained to assess and treat psychological disorders. can often prescribe and manage psychiatric medications
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psychoanalysis
a form of psychotherapy coined by Sigmund Freud that seeks to help clients gain more insight into their conscious thoughts, behaviours, and motivations
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psychology
the scientific study of both behaviour and mind
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structuralism
the first movement in the history of psychology, which focused on breaking down immediate conscious experience (such as sensations and feelings) into their constituent parts
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systematic introspection
one of the first strategies to make inferences about the contents of the mind, it was an effort to standardize the way people reported their own experiences
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translational research
research that attempts to take basic findings and turn them into solutions for practical problems
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ultimate explanations
explanations that seek to describe the reasons why a trait, behavior, or mental process exists by appealing to its role in the process of evolution
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ablation
a medical procedure to remove or otherwise destroy tissue
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acquiescent response bias
the tendency for participants to agree or respond "yes" to all questions regardless of their actual opinions
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assent
a persons affirmative permission to take part in a research study. in cases of decisional impairment, assent must be obtained in addition to informed consent
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beneficence
a concept of research ethics whereby researchers strive to do 'good' in a research study
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bias
an unfair or unequal representation of a person or thing
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case study
an in-depth analysis of an unique circumstance or individual
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confederate
a person who is acting as a participant, but in reality, is another researcher
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confounding variable
other variables that may influence one or both variables that we are measuring, thereby influencing the correlation coefficient
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correlation
a measure (denoted as are) that captures the direction and strength of a relationship between variables
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correlation coefficient
a numerical representation of the strength of the relationship between variable (denoted as r)
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data
facts or information collected, examined, and considered for decision-making processes
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debriefing
information provided to participants about what the researcher was investigating and how their participation will contribute to the research question
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deception
the act of withholding information about the purpose and procedures of the study during the informed consent process
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decisional impairment
instances that diminish a potential participants capacity to provide informed consent
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descriptive methods
any means to capture, record, or otherwise, describe a group. these methods are concerned with identifying 'what is rather than 'why it is
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ecological validity
the extent to which research findings in the lab can be generalized to the real world
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eligibility criteria
the combination of inclusion and exclusion criteria to create a set of characteristics shared by all participants to ensure that those participating will meaningfully help to address the research question
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entorhinal cortex
a part of the cerebral cortex found on the ventral part of the temporal lobes and known to play a role in heavier and memory
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episodic memory
memories whose contents pertain to specific events ("episodes"
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exclusion criteria
an attribute of a person that would prevent them from participating in a research study
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fidelity
the ethical principle of developing trusting relationships between researches and participants
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field experiments
an experiment that takes place in 'real-world' settings in which a researcher manipulates and controls the conditions of the behaviour under observation
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hippocampus
a part of the cerebral cortex known to play a role in the transference of certain types of memories into longterm memory stores
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hypothesis
an educated prediction about the outcome of an experience
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illusory superiority
the tendency to describe our own behaviour as better than average
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inclusion criterion
an attribute of participants that is necessary to be a part of a research study
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informed consent
the process by which research participants learn about and understand the purpose, benefits, and potential risks of participating in a research study
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institutional review board (IRB)
a committee of independent people who review and asses whether a research project will be carried out in a way that is consistent with general ethical principles
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integrity
an ethical principle that psychologists should engage in accurate, honest, and non-biased practices in the science, teaching, and practice of psychology
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justice
an ethical principle in research whereby those people who participate in the research process should also be the same people who stand to benefit from the research outcomes
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line of best fit
a straight line on a scatterplot showing the general relationship of data points
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maleficence
the act of doing harm
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naturalistic observation
observation of behaviour as it happens, without an attempt to manipulate or control the subjects' natural environment
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negative correlation
variables that change in the opposite direction. an increase in one variable leads to a decrease in the other
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participant observation
a research method in which a researcher becomes part of the group under investigation
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population
all members of a group
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positive correlation
when variables change in the same direction; as one variable increases, the other variable increases, or as one decreases so does the other
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procedural memories
memories who contents pertain to how something is done, such as the motor skills involved in walking and riding a bicycle
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rationalism
the belief or theory that reason is the key source of knowledge
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replication
a term referring to a 'do-over' of a study using the same methods, but different subjects and investigators
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research ethics
a set of principals or standards of behaviour for psychologists to follow in research
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response bias
the tendency for people to answer the question the way they feel they are expected to answer or in systemic ways that are otherwise inaccurate
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sample
a subset (or portion) of a population
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sampling error
a sample that deviates from a true representation of a population
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scatter plot
a type of graph that has variables on either axis and provides a visual representation of relationships between variables
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scientific method
a six-step method of querying knowledge and methodologically answering questions
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scientific theories
rational explanations to describe and predict future behaviour
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semantic memories
memories whose contents relate to specific facts and pieces of meaningful information not based on personal experience
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situational vulnerability
when the freedom of 'choice' to participate in research is compromised as a result of undue influence from another source
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socially desirable bias
participants respond to questions in ways that would be seen as acceptable by others
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survey
a method using questions to collect information on how people think or act
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vulnerable populations
any group of individuals who may not be able to provide free and informed consent to participate in research
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volunteer bias
a bias whereby only a motivated fraction of a population respond to a survey or participate in research
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wording effects
the influence of language, or wording, on people's responses to survey questions
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zero correlation
two variables that exhibit no apparent relationship
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action potential
the electrical impulse, or activation energy, that sends a message through a neuron
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afferents
axons that carry signals to the central nervous system
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agonists
chemicals that come from outside the body, and mimic or enhance in some way the actions of neurotransmitters. they can either be more effective, the same, or less effective than the normal neurotransmitter produced in the nervous system
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amygdala
a network of neurons and gila (nuclei) that becomes more active when we learn to be more fearful and activate our fear response
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antagonist
a chemical that comes from outside of the body to shut off a receptor
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association cortex
parts of the neocortex that merge information from primary areas like the visual and auditory cortex. these circuits help us make sense of what we take in
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astrocytes
gilal (helper) cells that help get nutrition to neurons and maintain the balance of charged particles (ions) inside and outside of the neuron
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autonomic
the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the more autonomic functions of the body
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axon
a part of the neuron's cell membrane that delivers messages to other neurons and body parts
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axon hillock
the intersection between the soma and the axon. this is where the axon begins
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axon terminal
this is the part of the axon that releases the neurotransmitter. once the action potential gets to the axon terminal, it triggers the releaser of the neurotransmitter