Empiricism
view that (a) knowledge comes from experience via the senses and (b) science flourishes through observation & experiment
Experiment
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variables) By random assignment of participants the experiment controls other releva
Functionalism
a school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.
Structuralism
an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind.
Psychology
the science and behavior and mental processes
nature-nurture issue
the longstanding controversy over the relative contribution that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits & behaviors
basic research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
clinical psychology
a branch of psychological studies that assess and treats with psychological disorders
psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders, practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (e.g. drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (aka. the I knew it all along phenomenon
critical thinking
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments & conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, and discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, & assesses conclusions
theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes & predicts observations
hypothesis
a testable prediction often implied by a theory
operational definition
a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables.
replication
a repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other participants & circumstances
case study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them
population
all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study
random sample
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has a an equal chance of inclusion
naturalistic observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
correlation coefficient
a statistical measure of the extent to which 2 factors vary together and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
illusory correlation
the perception of a relationship when none exists
placebo
Latin for "I shall please" an inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterize the active agent
double blind procedure
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. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.
placebo effect
any effect on behavior caused by a placebo
experimental condition
the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment that is to one version of the independent variable
control condition
the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
random assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
independent variable
the experimental factor that is manipulated the variable whose effect is being studied
dependent variable
the experimental factor in psychology, the behavior or mental process-- that is being measure the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
SQ3R
a study method incorporating 5 steps: Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse, Review
statistical significance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
regression toward the mean
the tendency for extreme of unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward the average
correlation coefficient
A statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
normal curve
the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.
standard deviation
a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
median
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
mean
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.
mode
the most frequently occurring score in a distribution
Empiricism
view that (a) knowledge comes from experience via the senses and (b) science flourishes through observation & experiment
Experiment
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variables) By random assignment of participants the experiment controls other releva
Functionalism
a school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.
Structuralism
an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind.
Psychology
the science and behavior and mental processes
nature-nurture issue
the longstanding controversy over the relative contribution that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits & behaviors
basic research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
clinical psychology
a branch of psychological studies that assess and treats with psychological disorders
psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders, practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (e.g. drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (aka. the I knew it all along phenomenon
critical thinking
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments & conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, and discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, & assesses conclusions
theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes & predicts observations
hypothesis
a testable prediction often implied by a theory
operational definition
a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables.
replication
a repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other participants & circumstances
case study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them
population
all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study
random sample
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has a an equal chance of inclusion
naturalistic observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
correlation coefficient
a statistical measure of the extent to which 2 factors vary together and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
illusory correlation
the perception of a relationship when none exists
placebo
Latin for "I shall please" an inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterize the active agent
double blind procedure
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. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.
placebo effect
any effect on behavior caused by a placebo
experimental condition
the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment that is to one version of the independent variable
control condition
the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
random assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
independent variable
the experimental factor that is manipulated the variable whose effect is being studied
dependent variable
the experimental factor in psychology, the behavior or mental process-- that is being measure the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
SQ3R
a study method incorporating 5 steps: Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse, Review
statistical significance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
regression toward the mean
the tendency for extreme of unusual scores to fall back (regress) toward the average
correlation coefficient
A statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
normal curve
the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.
standard deviation
a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
median
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
mean
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.
mode
the most frequently occurring score in a distribution