AP Psychology Unit 0: Science Practices

Psychology studies thoughts, feelings, and actions through research and data.
Four essential practices for AP Psychology: - Concept Application: Apply psychological theories to scenarios; understand cultural influences and cognitive biases. - Research Methods & Design: Evaluate research methods, including experimental and non-experimental designs, and ensure ethical standards are met. - Data Interpretation: Analyze psychological data in various formats and calculate measures of central tendency and variation. - Argumentation: Formulate justified psychological arguments using evidence to support or challenge claims.

Understand psychology as a science with key elements: curiosity, skepticism, and humility.
Critical thinking enhances scientific inquiry and everyday reasoning.

Cognitive biases (e.g., hindsight bias, overconfidence) highlight the importance of science over intuition.

Theories advance psychological science; various methods (case studies, surveys) observe behavior.
Importance of random sampling and concepts - theory, hypothesis, falsifiability, operational definitions.

Correlation explains relationships—positive or negative.
Illusory correlations and regression toward the mean; isolation of cause and effect through experimentation.

Choosing appropriate research designs; importance of laboratory conditions for clarity.
Ethical considerations in studying humans and animals; impact of psychologists’ values on research outcomes.

Descriptive statistics define data (mean, median, mode), while inferential statistics assess generalizability of findings.