AP Psychology Unit 1: Perspectives Research

Psychology

The Science of behavior and mental processes.

Introspection

The process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one's own psychological processes.

Structuralism

An early School of thought promoted by Wundt and Tichener that used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Functionalism

An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin that explored how mental and behavioral processes function.

Psychodynamic perspective

A psychological perspective that shows the influence of unconscious processes on behavior and personality development, believes that the unconscious mind controls much of our though and action. Examine our unconscious mind through dream analysis, word (free) association etc.

Behavioral perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on observable behaviors and responses to stimuli, emphasizing conditioning through rewards and punishments.

Physiological perspective

A psychological perspective of viewing and understanding human behavior and mental processes.

Evolutionary perspective

Study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.

Humanistic perspective

A perspective that emphasized human growth potential, optimistic view, and human nature is naturally positive. Choices we make our guided by physiological, emotional or spiritual needs.

Cognitive perspective

Study of mental processes that occur when we learn, remember, think, solve problems, and how we interpret.

Sociocultural perspective

Study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.

Basic research

Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base and it explores questions that are most of interest to psychologist but are not intended to have immediate real - world applications.

Applied research

Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems, it has clear, practical applications

Experimental psychologists

Scientists who study human and animal behavior through scientific research methods, conducting experiments to understand how people think.

Clinical psychology

Branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

Psychiatry

Branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; provides medical treatments like drugs and psychological therapy.

Counseling psychologists

Scientists that help people with problems in living like work, school, or marriage and want them to achieve a greater well-being.

Developmental psychologists

Scientists who study human growth and development across the lifespan focusing on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes.

Industrial / Organizational psychologists

Scientists who apply psychological principles to a workplace to improve employee performance and well-being.

Social psychologists

Scientists who study how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.

Empirical approach

Way of gaining knowledge by direct observation or experience rather than relying on theory or belief.

Theories

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction often implied by a theory.

Variables

Anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure.

Replication

Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.

Case Study

A non-experimental technique that is qualitative research, in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Survey

A non-experimental technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample.

Samples

A group of people selected from a larger group to participate in a research study.

Random Sampling

A sample that fairly represents a population because each number has an equal chance of inclusion.

Hindsight bias theory

Tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (known as 'I knew it all along' phenomenon).

Volunteer bias

Occurs when people who volunteer for a study differ systematically from those who do not, potentially leading to an unrepresentative sample that affects the study's validity.

Naturalistic observation

A non-experimental technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation. Goal is to get a realistic and rich picture of participants behavior.

Correlational

Examines the relationships between two or more variables to determine if they are associated and how strong that association is, if either factor predicts the other.

Correlational coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1.00 to +1.00).

Experiment

Research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variable) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (dependent variable).

Independent variable

In an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Dependent variable

In an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.

Control group

In an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Random assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, which helps limit the effect of participant relevant confounding variables.

Placebo

A harmless inactive substance or treatment that has no therapeutic effect.

Double-blind Study

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo.

Descriptive statistics

Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups; include measures of central tendency and measures of variation.

Inferential statistics

Numerical data that allow one to generalize - to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population.

Central tendency

Statistical measures that identify a single value as a representative of an entire distribution of data. Common measures include the mean, median, and mode.

Mean

The average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.

Median

The middle (central) score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it.

Mode

The most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.

Variability

Measure of how much a person values in a data set differs from each other or from the central value, the mean.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest score in a distribution.

Standard deviation

A measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.