Unit 1 Psych with Dr. M

Psychological Science

Psychological Science

the scientific study of mental processes and behavior

Empirical Method

method for acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities

Structuralism

understanding the conscious experience through introspection

Who is associated with structuralism

Wundt and Tichener

Introspection

the process of examining ones own thoughts and feelings

Functionalism

focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment

Who was associated with functionalism

James and Darwin

Psychoanalytic theory

approach to understanding human behavior that emphasizes the importance of unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings, thoughts, and behaviors

Who is associated with psychoanalytic theory

Freud

Gestalt psychology

a psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of its parts

Behavioral psychology

describing behavior in response to stimuli

Who is associated with behavioral psychology

Watson, Skinner, and Pavlov

Humanism

investigate how people become happier and more fulfilled; focus on the basic goodness of people

Who is associated with humanism

Maslow and Rodgers

Cognitivism

How attention, perception, memory, problem solving, and language, often based on brain processes

Who is associated with cognitive psychology

Chompsky

What does APA stand for

American Psychological Association

Biopsychology/Neuroscience

how biological systems give rise to brain activity

Social Psychology

How people are affected by others

Developmental Psychology

How people change from infancy to old age

Clinical Psychology

Study of the factors that cause psychological disorders and the best methods to treat them

Personality Psychology

Study enduring characteristics that people display over time and across circumstances

Biopsychosocial model

perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors interact to determine an individual’s health

What is the difference between a PsyD and a PhD

PsyD is the degree of a typical therapist while a PhD is that of a researcher

Dissertation

defending your research in a formal review

Critical Thinking

systematically questioning and evaluating info using well supported evidence

Theory

well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

Hypothesis

testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables

Verifiability

an experiment must be replicable by another researcher

Predictability

implies that a theory should enable us to make predictions about future events

Falsifiability

able to be disproven by experimental results

Fairness

implies that all data must be considered when evaluating a hypothesis

What does IRB stand for

Institutional Review board

What is the purpose of the IRB

to review research involving humans to make sure it is ethical and not harmful

Informed consent

process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate

Deception

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment

Debriefing

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion

If you ------ you must -------

deceive, debrief

IACUC

committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human subjects

What does IACUC stand for

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Descriptive Studies

research studies that do not test specific relationships between variables

Correlational Research

research investigating the relationship between two or more variables

Experimental Research

research method that uses hypothesis testing to make inferences about how one variable impacts and causes another

Naturalistic observation

observation of behavior in its natural setting

Generalizability

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

Observer bias

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

Inter-rater reliability

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event

Case study

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

Surveys

list of questions to be answered by research participants allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people

Archival Research

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

Longitudinal Research

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

Cross-sectional research

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

Attrition

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

Correlation Coefficient

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r

Positive correlation

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

Negative correlation

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller

Confounding variable

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

Illusory correlations

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

Conformation bias

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

Experimental group

the group that experiences experimental manipulation

Control group

the group that does not experience the manipulation

Experimenter bias

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

single-blind study

experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group

double-blind study

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

Random sample

a subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Reliability

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

Validity

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure

P-value

statistical probability that represents the likelihood that experimental results happened by chance

Statistical Significance

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

Memory

set of processes used to encode, store, and retrieve information over different periods of time

Encoding

the act of getting information into our memory system through automatic or effortful processing

Storage

retention of the information

retrieval

the act of getting information out of storage and into conscious awareness through recall, recognition, and relearning

short-term/working memory

holds about seven bits of information before it is forgotten or stored, as well as information that has been retrieved and is being used

episodic memory

type of declarative memory that contains information about events we have personally experienced, also known as autobiographical memory

semantic memory

type of declarative memory about words, concepts, and language-based knowledge and facts

episodic

what type of memory is associated with alzheimer’s disease?

autobiographical memory

remembering specific events that happened over the course of your life

encoding

input of information into the memory system

storage

creation of a permanent record of information

retrieval

act of getting information out of long-term memory storage and back into conscious awareness

Two types of memory failure

forgetting and misremembering

semantic encoding

input of words and their meaning

visual encoding

the encoding of images

acoustic encoding

encoding of sounds, particularly words

recoding

taking the information from the form it is delivered to us and then converting it in a way that we can make sense of it

effortful processing

encoding of information that takes effort and attention

automatic processing

encoding of informational details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words

Sensory memory

storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes

rehersal

repetition of information to be remembered

consolidation

the neural processes that occur between an experience and the stabilization of the memory

Long term memory

continuous storage of information

explicit memories

memories we consciously try to remember and recall

implicit memories

memories that are not part of our consciousness (like opening a present)

procedural memory

type of long-term memory for making skilled actions, such as how to brush your teeth, how to drive a car, and how to swim

retrieval

act of getting information out of long-term memory storage and back into conscious awareness

encoding specificity principle

The hypothesis that a retrieval cue will be effective to the extent that information encoded from the cue overlaps or matches information in the engram or memory trace.

cue overload principle

The principle stating that the more memories that are associated to a particular retrieval cue, the less effective the cue will be in prompting retrieval of any one memory.

recall

accessing information without cues

recognition

identifying previously learned information after encountering it again, usually in response to a cue