Studied by 2 people
this is for the unit one psychological science team taught course at Baylor University
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
