Introduction to Psychology: Research Methods, Perspectives, and History

What is psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Why study psychology?

To increase personal, academic, and professional success, deepen understanding of oneself and others, broaden general education, and improve critical thinking.

Define critical thinking.

The process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing information.

What are pseudopsychologies?

Practices that give the appearance of science but are false, such as psychic readings and astrology.

Who is considered the founding father of psychology?

Wilhelm Wundt.

What significant contributions did Wilhelm Wundt make?

He established the first psychology research lab in 1879 and wrote the first psychology textbook in 1874.

What is the biopsychosocial model?

An integrative theme that sees biological, psychological, and social processes as interrelated and interacting influences.

Who was Mary Calkins?

The first female president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a researcher in memory.

Who was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in psychology?

Margaret Floy Washburn.

Who was the first Black person to earn a Ph.D. in psychology?

Francis Cecil Sumner.

What is the purpose of basic research?

To advance scientific knowledge.

What is applied research designed to do?

Solve practical, real-world problems.

What is a hypothesis?

A tentative and testable explanation about the relationship between two or more variables.

What is an operational definition?

A precise description of how variables in a study will be observed and measured.

What does statistical significance indicate?

How likely it is that a study's result occurred merely by chance.

What is replication in research?

The process of repeating a previous study to see if the same or similar results can be obtained.

What is meta-analysis?

A statistical technique for combining and analyzing data from many studies to determine overall trends.

What are the four main goals of psychology?

To describe, explain, predict, and change behavior.

What is informed consent in research?

Participants must be fully informed about the study and agree to participate voluntarily.

What is naturalistic observation?

Observing and recording behavior in the participant's natural environment.

What is a survey in research?

A technique that questions a large sample of people to assess their behaviors and attitudes.

What is a case study?

An in-depth study of a single research participant or a small group.

What is correlational research?

Research that examines whether and how two or more variables change together, with the goal of prediction.

What does a positive correlation indicate?

Two variables move in the same direction; both increase or decrease together.

What is an independent variable?

The factor that is being manipulated in an experiment.

What is a dependent variable?

The factor that is measured in an experiment.

What is ethnocentrism?

Believing one's culture is typical of all cultures and judging others by this standard.

What is quasi-experimental research?

Research that contains some, but not all, components of an experimental study.