AP Psych Unit 1

    1. Ethics in Psychological Research

      • Protects participants' rights, welfare, and dignity.

    2. Nature vs. Nurture

      • Debate on the influence of heredity (nature) vs. environment (nurture) on individuals.

    3. Generalizability of Experimental Results

      • Results may not apply to all humans due to individual and cultural differences.

    4. Scientific Method in Psychology

      • Systematic approach to studying human behavior and mental processes, with limitations.

    5. Biopsychosocial Approach

      • Integrates biological, psychological, and social factors to explain human behavior.

    6. Impact of Nature and Nurture

      • Both significantly influence development and shape personality and behavior.

    7. Ethical Principle in Experimentation

      • "Do no harm" emphasizes that ends do not justify the means; consent and welfare are paramount.

Psychology Fields

  1. Counseling Psychologist: Focuses on helping clients with emotional, social, and physical stressors.

  2. Clinical Psychologist: Diagnoses and treats mental disorders.

  3. Psychiatrist: Medical doctor specializing in mental health, can prescribe medication.

Research Methods

  1. Applied Research: Using research to solve problems

  2. Observation: Watching subjects in their natural environment.

  3. Hypothesis: Testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

  4. Replication: Repeating a study to confirm results.

Variables

  1. Independent Variables: Manipulated factors in an experiment.

  2. Dependent Variables: Measured outcomes affected by independent variables.

  3. Extraneous Variables: Uncontrolled variables that may affect results.

Study Designs

  1. Case Study: In-depth analysis of an individual or group.

  2. Cross-Sectional Studies: Observing different subjects at one point in time.

  3. Longitudinal Studies: Observing the same subjects over a long period.

Statistics

  1. Mean: Average of a data set.

  2. Median: Middle value in a data set.

  3. Mode: Most frequently occurring value.

  4. Standard Deviation: Measure of data variability.

Ethics

  1. Informed Consent: Participants must be informed about the study.

  2. Confidentiality: Keeping participant information private.

  3. Deception: Misleading participants about the study's purpose.

Experimental Design

  1. Placebo Effect: Improvement due to belief in treatment.

  2. Double Blind Study: Neither participants nor researchers know who receives treatment.

  3. Random Assignment: Randomly placing participants into groups.

Correlation

  1. Correlations (+, -, 0): Relationship strength and direction between variables.

Statistical Significance

  1. p value: Probability that results are due to chance; typically <0.05 is significant.

Distributions

  1. Normal Distribution: Symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution.

  2. Skewed Distribution: Asymmetrical distribution (positive or negative).

Miscellaneous

  1. Gambler’s Fallacy: Belief that past events affect future probabilities.

  2. Histograms: Graphical representation of frequency distribution.

  3. Scatterplot: Graph showing relationship between