AP PSYCH - History & Perspective + Research Methods (Unit 1)

Nature vs. Nurture

name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

Wundt, Wilhelm

Father of Psychology, established the first psychology lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig, Germany

Wundt's First Experiment

He tried to assess the speed of thought by measuring how long it took test subjects to make a judgment. This experiment is considered by many to be the first formal experiment in psychology.

Psychophysics

Branch of psychology that deals with the relationships between physical stimuli and mental phenomena. Coined after Wundt's first experiment.

Structuralism

early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

Introspection

A method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings (essentially, it's the act of looking inward to examine one's thoughts and emotions.)

Functionalism

early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

Psychodynamic

how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

Cognitive

deals with how we know the world around us through our senses (mental). has to do with an organism's thinking and understanding

Humanism (Psychology)

perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Functionalism vs. Structuralism

One focused on how mental and behavioral processes function (how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish). The other used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind.

independent variable

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied (often denoted by x).

dependent variable

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable (often denoted by x).

independent vs dependent variable

one is the variable that is being changed or controlled in a scientific experiment to test the effects on the other variable. the other variable is the one being tested and measured in a scientific experiment.

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

random sample

a method that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

random assignment vs random sampling

one means that you choose your ENTIRE GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS randomly from a given population of potential participants.

the other means that you randomly assign those participants to either control or experimental groups.

case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles; researcher can (at times) manipulate and control the situation

correlation

a measure of the relationship between two variables

survey

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

positive correlation

a correlation where as one variable increases, the other also increases, or as one decreases so does the other. Both variables move in the same direction.

negative correlation

the relationship between two variables in which one variable increases as the other variable decreases. The variables move in a different direction.

no correlation/a non-correlational relationship

when there isnt a consistent, distinct, and/or visible relationship between two variables.

factors that make a study "scientific"

• properly employs the scientific method

• states a question

• forms a hypothesis/offers a theory

• constructs rigorous laboratory and/or field experiments to test the hypothesis

statistical significance

how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

pros + cons of case studies

pros: can inspire further research/investigation of a topic to prove and or disprove a theory

cons: if an individual is atypical (not representative of a type, group, or class), it might mislead scientists/researchers.

pros + cons of surveys

pros: allows for a larger audience/population of participants to be studied, lots of stuff can be learned

cons: asking/making up questions for a a survey is hard. can also be subject to sampling bias (when the surveyer only asks the people whom they know is going to give them the answer that they support) and targeting those who have strong feelings/opinions.

range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution (subtracting the lowest + highest scores to get the answer)

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

mean

(the) average # of a distribution

naturalistic observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation