Studied by 7 people
Variable
Anything that can vary.
Falsifiable
Capable of being disproved.
Replicability
When a study's findings are able to be duplicated, ideally by independent investigators.
Decline Effect
Fact that the size of certain psychological findings appears to be shrinking over time.
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Introspection
Method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences.
Psychology
The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior.
Levels of Analysis
Rungs on a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological influences and higher levels tied most closely to social influences.
Multiply Determined
Caused by many factors.
Individual Differences
Variations among people in their thinking, emotion, personality, and behavior.
Naive Realism
belief that we see the world precisely as it is.
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Scientific Theory
Explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world.
Hypothesis
Testable prediction derived from a scientific theory
Confirmation Bias
Tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypothesis and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them.
Belief Perseverance
Tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them.
Metaphysical Claim
Assertion about the world that is not testable.
Pseudoscience
Set of claims that seems scientific but isn't.
Ad Hoc Immunizing Hypothesis
Escape hatch or loophole that defenders of a theory use to protect their theory from falsification.
Patternicity
The tendency to detect meaningful patterns in random stimuli.
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Terror Management Theory
Theory proposing that our awareness of our death leaves us with an underlying sense of terror with which we cope by adopting reassuring cultural world views.
Correlation-Causation Fallacy
Error of assuming that because one thing is associated with another, it must cause the other
Structuralism
School of psychology that aimed to identify the basic elements of psychological experience.
Functionalism
School of psychology that aimed to understand the adaptive purpose of psychological characteristics.
Natural Selection
Principle that organisms that possess adaptations survive and reproduce at a higher rate than do other organisms.
Behaviorism
School of psychology that focuses on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behavior.
Cognitive Psychology
School of psychology that proposes that thinking is central to understanding behavior.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Relatively new field of psychology that examines the relation between brain functioning and thinking.
Psychoanalysis
School of psychology, founded by Sigmund Freud, that focuses on internal psychological processes of which we're unaware.
Evolutionary Psychology
Discipline that applies Darwin's theory of natural selection to human and animal behavior.
Basic Research
Research examining how the mind works.
Applied Research
Research examining how we can use basic research to solve real-world problems.
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Flashcard (27)