AP psych vocab

Psychology definition: The Scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Critical Thinking

Examining, assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden bias, evaluates evidence and assesses conclusions

Empiricism

The idea that knowledge comes from experience.

Structuralism

A school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener: used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Introspection

The process of looking in an attempt to directly observe ones own psychological processes

Functionalism

Explored how mental and behavioral processes function

Behaviorism

The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

Culture

Behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. 

Positive psychology

Study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promotes strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive. 

Testing effect

Enhanced memory after retrieving rather than simply rereading information

Developmental psych

Studies cognitive, social, and physical change throughout the life span

Educational psych

Psychology processes affect and can enhance reaching and learning

Personality psych

Study of individuals characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

Social psych

Study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Applies research

Study that aims to solve practical problems

industrial organizational

Application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

Human factors psych

Explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use 

Counseling psych

Assists people with problems in living and achieving greater well-being

Clinical psych

Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological problems

Psychiatry

Studies how people interact with social environments

Psychological perspectives

Method of classifying a collection of ideas, to view behavior through a specific lens

Cognitive perspective

Behavior is explained by mental processes (store, think, processes, and retrieve information. 

biological perspective

behavior is explained by brain chemistry, genetics, glands, hormones. 

Social cultural perspective

Behavior is explained by influence of other people.

Behavioral perspective

behavior is explained by previous learning (such as punishment)

Psychodynamic perspective

Behavior is explained through unconscious motivation and unresolved inner conflict from ones childhood

Humanistic perspective

behavior is explained by being motivated by satisfying needs with the goal of reaching ones full potential once basic needs are met.

Common sense

conclusion based solely on personal experience and sensible logic

Critical thinking

Does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions

Case study

In depth investigation of an individual or small group

naturalistic observation

Watching behavior in authentic environments

Correlation

Linear relationship between two variables

Correlation coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two things

Descriptive statistics

Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups

Meta Analysis

summarizes pervious studies on a topic

Longitudinal study

development study where researchers study the same group of individuals for many years

cross sectional study

Developmental study where researchers simultaneously study a number of subjects from different age groups and then compare the results.

Independent variable

Experimental variable which causes something to happen. Variable being manipulated by the experiment.

Dependent variable

Variable that is changed by the independent variable. Outcome of experiment. (variable being measured) 

Experimental groups

Subjects in an experiment who are exposed to the treatment

Control group

Are not exposed to the independent variable

Behavior genetics

Study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior 

Heredity

The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Enviroments

Every nongenetic influence from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

Crhomosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

Genes

Biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes.

Geonome

Complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organisms chromosomes. 

Identical twins

Develops from a single fertilized egg that splits in two. Creating two genetically identical organisms.

Feternal twins

Develops from sperate fertilized eggs, shared prenatal enviroment.

heritability

The proportion of variations among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. (likely of a trait)

Molecular genetics

Subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.

Molecular behavior genetics 

Study of how the structure and function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior. 

Evolutionary psych

Study of the evolution of behavior and the mind. (using natural selection)

Mutation

A random error in gene replication that leads to change.

natural selection

The principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.