REVEL Psychology Chapter 1

Mental Processes

Internal cognitive processes such as thoughts, memories, and emotions

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes

Specialty area

a chosen subfield in psychology in which graduate students receive additional training and expertise.

Psychiatrists

mental health professionals with medical degrees (as opposed to PhDs) who can prescribe medications.

applied settings

areas such as education, health, business, or law in which psychological principles are used to overcome problems.

parapsychology

the study of phenomena that appear to violate scientific laws.

cognitive perspective

an approach to human behavior that emphasizes mental states and thinking processes

Sociocultural prospective

an approach to explaining behavior that emphasizes the influence of social and cultural factors

Wilhelm Wundt

The "founder" of psychology, started first psychology laboratory in Germany

neuroscience perspective

an approach to explaining behavior that emphasizes the biological bases of behavior

Dualism

The philosophy that believes the mind is separate from the body and is not physical

Psychoanalytic perspective

an approach to human behavior emphasizing unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts.

Humanistic psychologists

psychologists who adopt a holistic approach to human behavior emphasizing creativity, free will, and human potential.

evolutionary psychology

the study of psychological adaptations of humans to the changing physical and social environment.

empiricism

The idea that knowledge comes through observable evidence

Universal Law

a law that is thought to apply to all humans

structuralism

a school of thought centered on the idea that the mind could be studied by breaking it down into its most basic elements.

Gestalt

a school of thought which explains how people are able to see meaningful organization and patterns when individual parts are seen together as a whole.

introspection

an early method developed to study the workings of the mind by using observation or examination of one's own mental processes.

behaviorism

the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed

cultural specificity

the psychological principle that are thought to only apply to people of a particular culture

functionalism

an early school of thought that emphasized how consciousness is related to behavior, and the purpose of our behavior.

Desirability bias

the tendency to respond in a way you believe is socially acceptable and desirable.

survey method

a method for collecting data in which individuals are asked to answer questions or report on themselves.

naturalistic observation

a method of gathering information that involves observing people or animals in their natural environment.

operational definitions

a very clear and precise explanation of how a concept will be measured in a study or experiment.

variable

in an experiment, any factor or characteristic that can assume multiple values.

correlational methods

research tools that allow scientists to find out whether two variables are related.

hypothesis

a testable prediction

case study

an in-depth study of one person.

theories

general frameworks that explain observable events in a meaningful way

negative correlation

when an increase in one variable is accompanied by a decrease in the other.

observer bias

when the characteristics of the observer influence his or her observations during a study.

positive correlation

when an increase in one variable is accompanied by an increase in the other.

observer effect

a change in a person or animals behavior when it is being observed.

scientific method

a systematic, step-bystep procedure psychologists use when conducting research.

descriptive methods

research techniques that allow a scientist to describe phenomena without determining causality.

random assignment

the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group.

experiment

experiment

a research method in which the investigator manipulates one or more independent variables to determine the effect(s) on some behavior (the dependent variable).

dependent variable (DV)

the variable that's measured in an experiment.

ethnocentrism

the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture, thinking one's own culture is normal or superior and other cultures are strange and inferior.

replication

the repetition of an experiment to confirm findings or to ensure accuracy.

independent variable (IV)

the experimental variable that is manipulated by the researcher.

control group

in an experiment, the group that does not receive the drug or treatment being tested.

institutional review boards (IRBs)

committees that have been designated to approve, monitor, and review research proposals with the aim of protecting the rights and welfare of the study participants.

extraneous variables

any extra factors or variables that cause an effect other than the independent variable of interest in an experiment.

double-blind study

an experimental procedure in which neither the participants in the experiment nor the persons administering the experiment know the critical aspects of the experiment.

experimenter bias

bias introduced by an experimenter when the expectations about the outcome of the experiment can be subtly communicated to the participants in the experiment.

volunteer bias

errors arising from a low response rate or uneven response rate due to the fact that some types of people are more willing to participate in research than others.

generalizability

the extent to which the findings from a study can be extended outside the laboratory to diverse populations in natural settings.

demand characteristics

a subtle cue that makes participants aware of what the experimenter expects to find or how participants are expected to behave.

experimental group

in an experiment, the group that receives the drug or treatment being tested.

deception

the intentional misleading of participants or the withholding of full information about the nature of the experiment.