UNIT 0

Ap Psychology

psychodynamic perspective

focuses on unconscious mind and early childhood experiences

Behaviorism Perspective

The science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only, without referencing mental processes

socio-cultural perspective

Focuses on the roles of social and cultural influences on human behaviour and mental processes.

Humanistic Perspective

the psychological view that emphasizes our potential to grow as individuals

cognitive perspective

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

Biological Perspective

the psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior

biopsychosocial perspective

A perspective on psychopathology that emphasizes the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to mental processes

evolutionary perspective

the theory that seeks to identify behavior that is a result of our genetic inheritance from our ancestors

cultural norms

Shared expectations guiding behavior in society.

confirmation bias

The tendency to seek out information that aligns with our point of view, while at the same time dismissing the information that challenges our beliefs.

hindsight bias

I knew it all along phenomenon

The tendency to think that one could have anticipated the outcome of the event after it has already occured

Overconfidence

the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments.

case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

correlational studies

a research method that describes and predicts how variables are naturally related in the real world, WITHOUT any attempt by the researcher to alter them or assign causation between them

meta-analysis

• a procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies

• A statistical technique that combines the results of multiple studies on the same topic to reach a conclusion.

naturalistic observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

falsifiable

able to be disproven by experimental results

operational definitions

a statement of the procedures used to define research variables

specifies how a concept is measured or manipulated in a study

• Allows people to replicate the study under the exact same conditions.

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

cofounding variable

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment

Population

entire group research is studying

Sample

a subset of the population selected to represent the study

random sampling

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

representative sample

a sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole

convenience sampling

Choosing a sample based on those who are easiest to access and readily available; a biased sampling technique.

generalizability

Extent to which research results apply to a larger population

experimental group

the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested

control group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

placebo

something which has a positive mental effect, but no physical effect

placebo effect

the phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior

random assignment

When participants are randomly assigned to be part of the control or experimental group

single blind study

study in which the subjects do not know if they are in the experimental or the control group

double blind study

An experiment in which neither the participant nor the researcher knows whether the participant has received the treatment or the placebo

experimenter bias

a phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained.

(does this unknowingly)

social desirability bias

A tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself.

qualitative measurements

a measurement that gives descriptive, nonnumeric results

structured interviews

asking open-ended questions, allowing participants to provide in-depth answers about their perspective and experiences

quantitative measurements

give results in a definite form, usually as numbers and units

likert scale

a numerical scale used to assess attitudes; includes a set of possible answers with labeled anchors on each extreme

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee at each institution where research is conducted to review every experiment for ethics and methodology.

informed consent

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

informed assent

Participant's agreement to participate in the absence of full understanding

Commonly applies to individuals who have not attained legal majority and/or capacity

debreifing

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

protection from harm

the right of research participants to be protected from physical or psychological harm

deception

A trick; an attempt to make someone believe something that is not true

confidentiality

the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals

Replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances

peer review

A process by which the procedures and results of an experiment are evaluated by other scientists who are in the same field or who are conducting similar research.

Positive Correlation

As one variable increases the other also increases

[0-1]

Negative Correlation

As one variable increases the other decreases

[-1,0]

Central tendency

Mean, median, and mode

Single-blind study

When the participants in the study do not know wheter they are in the experimental or control group.

Double-blind study

When both the participants and researched do not know who was in the experimental group and control group.

Likert scale

Has participants rate their agreement with statements on a scale, to provide the reasercher with quantifiable data on the participants attitudes or opinions.