Psychology 1101 – Exam #1 – Flashcards
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psychology
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The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
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science
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The use of systematic methods to observe the natural world, including human behavior, and to draw conclusions.
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behavior
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Everything we do that can be directly observed.
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mental processes
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The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly.
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critical thinking
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The process of reflecting deeply and actively, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence.
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empirical method
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Gaining knowledge through the observation of events, the collection of data, and logical reasoning.
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positive psychology
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A branch of psychology that emphasizes human strengths.
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William Wundt
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Founded the first psychology laboratory in 1879 at the University of Leipzig.
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structuralism
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Wundt's approach to discovering the basic elements, or structures, of mental processes; so called because of its focus on identifying the structures of the human mind.
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functionalism
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James's approach to mental processes, emphasizing the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual's adaptation to the environment.
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natural selection
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Darwin's principle of an evolutionary process in which organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and produce offspring.
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biological approach
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An approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system.
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neuroscience
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The scientific study of the structure, function, development, genetics, and bio-chemistry of the nervous system, emphasizing that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion.
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behavioral approach
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An approach to psychology emphasizing the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants.
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psychodynamic approach
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An approach to psychology emphasizing unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives and society's demands, and early childhood family experiences.
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humanistic approach
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An approach to psychology emphasizing a person's positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny.
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cognitive approach
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An approach to psychology emphasizing the mental processes involved in knowing; how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.
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evolutionary approach
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An approach to psychology centered on evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors.
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sociocultural approach
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An approach to psychology that examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.
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psychopathology
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The scientific study of psychological disorders and the development of diagnostic categories and treatments for those disorders.
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physiological psychology
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The study of physical processes that underlie mental operations such as vision and memory.
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sensation and perception
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The study of physical systems and psychological processes that allow us to experience the world.
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learning
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The intricate process by which behavior changes to adapt to changing circumstances.
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cognitive psychology
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The broad name given to the field of psychology that examines attention, consciousness, information processing, and memory.
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developmental psychology
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Concerned with how people become who they are, from conception to death.
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motivation and emotion
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Two important aspects of experience.
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psychology of women and gender
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Studies psychological, social, and cultural influences on women's development and behavior.
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personality psychology
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Studies personality, consisting of the relatively enduring characteristics of individuals.
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social psychology
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Deals with people's interactions with one another, relationships, social perceptions, social cognition, and attitudes.
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industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology
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Centers on the workplace - both the workers and the organizations that employ them.
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clinical and counseling psychology
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The most widely practiced specialization in psychology.
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health psychology
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A multidimensional approach to human health that emphasizes psychological factors, lifestyle, and the nature of the healthcare delivery system.
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community psychology
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Concentrates on improving the quality of relationships among individuals, their community, and society at large.
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school and educational psychology
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Centrally concerns children's learning and adjustment in school.
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environmental psychology
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The study of the interactions between people and their physical environment.
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forensic psychology
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The field of psychology that applies psychological concepts to the legal system.
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sport psychology
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Applies psychology's principles to improving sport performance and enjoying sport participation.
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cross-cultural psychology
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The study of culture's role in understanding behavior, thought, and emotion.
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variable
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Anything that can change.
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theory
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A broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain observations and to make predictions about future observations.
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hypothesis
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An educated guess that derives logically from a theory; a prediction that can be tested.
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operational definition
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A definition that provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a particular study.
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meta-analysis
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A method that allows researchers to combine the results of several different studies on a similar topic in order to establish the strength of an effect.
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descriptive research
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Research that determines the basic dimensions of a phenomenon, defining what it is, how often it occurs, and so on.
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case study or case history
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An in-depth look at a single individual.
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correlational research
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Research that examines the relationships between variables, whose purpose is to examine whether and how two variables change together.
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third variable problem
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The circumstance where a variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two other variables. Third variables are also known as confounds.
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longitudinal design
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A special kind of systematic observation, used by correlational researchers, that involves obtaining measures of the variables of interest in multiple waves over time.
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experiment
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A carefully regulated procedure in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables that are believed to influence some other variable.
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random assignment
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Researchers' assignment of participants to groups by chance, to reduce the likelihood that an experiment's results will be due to preexisting differences between groups.
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independent variable
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A manipulated experimental factor; the variable that the experimenter changes to see what its effects are.
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confederate
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A person who is given a role to play in a study so that the social context can be manipulated.
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dependent variable
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The outcome; the factor that can change in an experiment in response to changes in the independent variable.
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experimental group
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The participants in an experiment who receive the drug or other treatment under study - that is, those who are exposed to the change that the independent variable represents.
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control group
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The participants in an experiment who are as much like the experimental group as possible and who are treated in every way like the experimental group except for a manipulated factor, the independent variable.
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external validity
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The degree to which an experimental design actually reflects the real-world issues it is supposed to address.
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internal validity
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The degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable.
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experimenter bias
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Occurs when the experimenter's expectations influence the outcome of the research.
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demand characteristics
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Any aspects of a study that communicate to the participants how the experimenter wants them to behave.
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research participant bias
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Occurs when the behavior of research participants during the experiment is influenced by how they think they are supposed to behave or their expectations about what is happening to them.
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placebo effect
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Occurs when participants' expectations, rather than the experimental treatment, produce an outcome.
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placebo
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In a drug study, a harmless substance that has no physiological effect, given to participants in a control group so that they are treated identically to the experimental group except for the active agent.
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double-blind experiment
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An experimental design in which neither the experimenter nor the participants are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until the results are calculated.
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population
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The entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions.
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sample
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The subset of the population chosen by the investigator for study.
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random sample
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A sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected.
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naturalistic observation
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The observation of behavior in a real-world setting.
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descriptive statistics
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Mathematical procedures that are used to describe and summarize sets of data in a meaningful way.
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mean
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A measure of central tendency that is the average for a sample.
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median
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A measure of central tendency that is the middle score in a sample.
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mode
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A measure of central tendency that is the most common score in a sample.
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range
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A measure of dispersion that is the difference between the highest and lowest scores.
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standard deviation
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A measure of dispersion that tells us how much scores in a sample differ from the mean of the sample.
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inferential statistics
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Mathematical methods that are used to indicate whether results for a sample are likely to generalize to a population.
