AP Psychology Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Question 1

Wilhelm Wundt

Answer 1

combined physiology and philosophy to create psychology and established the first psychology lab in Germany (1879). He believed in introspection and structuralism.

Question 2

Structuralism

Answer 2

structure is more important than function. Structuralists believed that the mind must be broken into elements to understand the brain and its functions.

Question 3

introspection

Answer 3

the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes

Question 4

Functionalism

Answer 4

created to understand how the conscious mind is related to behavior. Functionalists, such as William James, wanted to know how the mind affected what people did.

Question 5

Wiliam James

Answer 5

A functionalist who wanted to know hoe the mind affected what people did

Question 6

Early Behaviorism

Answer 6

study of observable events. This theory shifted psychology from a study of the unconscious and conscious mind to a more science-based study based on observable events.

Question 7

John Watson

Answer 7

behaviorist psychologist who studied observable behaviors and led the Little Albert experiment, where he trained an 11-month-old boy to fear a white rat The boy was not initially afraid of the rat, but when the white rat was paired with a loud sound the boy would show signs of distress. Eventually, the boy began to cry when just seeing the white rat without the sound. Watson believed that observable events are the only events that can be proven true, unlike studying the conscious, where results are not verifiable.

Question 8

Gestalt

Answer 8

The whole is different than the sum of its parts. Gestalt psychology looks at the mind and behavior as a whole. It suggests that human minds do not focus on small components. Instead, humans see the greater whole

Question 9

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic (approach)

Answer 9

focuses on the study of the unconscious mind. It states that behavior is determined by past experiences stored in the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud is the key individual that used this approach and he built his theories based on it.

Question 10

Sigmund Freud

Answer 10

The key individual that focused on unconsious mind and built his theories upon Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic

Question 11

Humanistic approach

Answer 11

humans have free will and the ability to grow. All individuals are striving to reach self-actualization with this approach.

Question 12

Evolutionary (approach)

Answer 12

uses evolutionary biology to explain human behavior. Also, it looks at how the natural selection of traits promotes the survival of genes. An evolutionary psychologist may study how anger could be a gene inherited from our ancestors.

Question 13

Biological (perspective)

Answer 13

behavior is based on physical processes such as those relating to the brain, hormones, and other chemicals.

Question 14

cognitive (approach)

Answer 14

thought processes impact the way people behave. A cognitive psychologist may study how an emotion such as fear affects one’s thinking.

Question 15

biopsychosocial (perspective)

Answer 15

acknowledges the person as a whole and tries to look at all of the patient’s circumstances. It looks at biological, psychological, and social factors to understand a person’s behavior.

Question 16

sociocultural (approach)

Answer 16

studies how thinking and behavior vary across cultures and situations. A sociocultural psychologist may study how expressions of fear vary across cultures.

Question 17

Biological psychology

Answer 17

physical processes shape behavior. For example, a biological psychologist might say that anger is due to a certain hormonal balance in the brain.

Question 18

Clinical psychology

Answer 18

section of psychology focused on assessing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Question 19

cognitive psychology

Answer 19

studies the mental processes associated with thinking, knowing, and communicating.

Question 20

counseling psychology

Answer 20

focuses on personal issues that are not classified as mental disorders. These types of therapists help people cope with challenges and crises in life. For example, they can help a student with social or academic struggles. They could even help an individual with marital issues.

Question 21

developmental psychology

Answer 21

studies social, physical, and cognitive changes throughout the lifespan. So, they study from “womb to tomb.”

Question 22

educational psychology

Answer 22

the study of how psychological processes can impact and improve learning and teaching.

Question 23

experimental psychology

Answer 23

uses the experimental method to examine relationships between behavior and the mind.

Question 24

Industrial-organizational psychology

Answer 24

studies the relationships between work and people in order to help companies increase productivity, boost morale, and select and train employees.

Question 25

personality psychology

Answer 25

study of how personality affects the way people think and behave.

Question 26

Psychometric psychology

Answer 26

focuses on psychological measurement and is concerned with the design of psychological examinations.

Question 27

social psychology

Answer 27

studies how humans are influenced by one another and how we relate and think about each other.

Question 28

Positive psychology

Answer 28

focuses on making human existence more fulfilling, rather than focusing on the treatment of mental illness. Promoting strengths and virtues to improve the lives of people and communities.

Question 29

Experiments (research method)

Answer 29

Manipulates one or more independent variables to determine the effects of certain behavior.

Question 30

correlational studies (research method)

Answer 30

Involves looking at the relationships between two or more variables, is used when performing an experiment is not possible.

Question 31

Survey research (research method)

Answer 31

The collection of information reported by people about a particular topic.

Question 32

naturalistic observations (research method)

Answer 32

A researcher observes a subject's behavior without intervention.

Question 33

case studies (research method)

Answer 33

A case study is an in-depth study of an individual or a small group. Usually, case studies are done on people with rare circumstances. For example, a girl named Genie was locked in her room causing a delay in development. Researchers did a case study about her to understand more about language and human development stages.

Question 34

longitudinal studies (research method)

Answer 34

The same individuals are studied over a long period of time can be years up to decades.

Question 35

cross-sectional studies (research method)

Answer 35

A cross-sectional study examines people of different groups at the same time. For example, studying people that are different ages at the same time differences can be attributed to age.

Question 36

Basic research

Answer 36

performed to learn about something. It is curiosity-driven and used to expand upon knowledge. It doesn't have an immediate objective

Question 37

applied research

Answer 37

answers specific questions and is used to solve a problem or do something of practical use

Question 38

operational definition

Answer 38

statements of the exact procedures used in the study, which would eventually allow other researchers to replicate the research.

Question 39

independent variable

Answer 39

variable that changes in an experiment.

Question 40

dependent variable

Answer 40

the effect of the change in the experiment. This is what gets measured

Question 41

confounding variable

Answer 41

an outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable.

Question 42

Hawthorne effect

Answer 42

if a researcher is observing people, those people would behave differently.

Question 43

control variable

Answer 43

variable that's kept the same throughout an experiment.

Question 44

random assignment

Answer 44

when participants are assigned to each experimental group with an equal chance of being chosen

Question 45

random sample

Answer 45

each individual in the population has an equal chance of participating in an experiment

Question 46

sampling bias

Answer 46

result of a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.

Question 47

experimenter bias

Answer 47

when researchers influence the results of an experiment to portray a certain outcome.

Question 48

hindsight bias

Answer 48

tendency to believe that you knew what was going to happen as if you foresaw the event: "I knew it all along."

Question 49

external validity

Answer 49

how generalizable the results of the experiment are. For example, if the study on a drug is done on an Asian, middle-aged, average-weight man with high blood pressure, can the results be generalized to the population?

Question 50

internal validity

Answer 50

when a study shows a truthful cause and effect relationship and the researcher is confident that the changes in the dependent variable were produced only by the independent variable.

Question 51

descriptive (research method)

Answer 51

Purpose: To observe and record behavior | how its conducted: Do case studies, naturalistic observations, or surveys

Question 52

correlational (research method)

Answer 52

purpose: To detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another how it is conducted: Collect data on two or more variables; no manipulations

Question 53

experimental (research method)

Answer 53

purpose: To explore cause and effect | how it is conducted: Manipulate one or more variables; use random assignment

Question 54

descriptive statistics

Answer 54

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups, and this includes measures of variation. Therefore, descriptive statistics describe the data

Question 55

inferential statistics

Answer 55

way to see validity drawn from the results of the experiment. Inferential statistics tell what the data means.

Question 56

median

Answer 56

middle score of distribution

Question 57

mean

Answer 57

average of set of scores

Question 58

mode

Answer 58

most frequently recurring score

Question 59

positive correlation

Answer 59

shows that as one variable increases, the other variable increases. For example, a positively correlated group may show that as height increases, weight increases as well.

Question 60

negative correlation

Answer 60

as one variable increases, the other decreases. An example of a negative correlation could be how as the number of hours of sleep increases, tiredness decreases.

Question 61

no correlation

Answer 61

shows that there is no connection between the two variables. An example of no correlation could be IQ and how many pairs of pants an individual owns.

Question 62

frequency distribution

Answer 62

breakdown of how the scores fall into different categories or ranges. Normal distribution shows how traits are distributed throughout a population usually with the use of a bell curve.

Question 63

statistical significance

Answer 63

likelihood that something occurs by chance. If something is statistically significance, it did not occur by chance (some outside factor influenced the data). If something isn't statistically significant, it occurred completely by chance. To determine this, you would compare the mean of the control group and the mean of the experimental group.

Question 64

informed constent

Answer 64

participants must agree to participate

Question 65

(deception) depriefing

Answer 65

If deception was used, the research must explain the true purpose of the experiment after it has occurred

Question 66

milgram experiment

Answer 66

demonstration showing how people will obey authority figures even when they disagree. Subjects were instructed to sit in a chair and ask a learner, who was actually working with Milgram, to list pairs of words. If the learner got it wrong, a scientist would instruct the subject to deliver an electric shock to the learner.