Chapter 1 Flashcards
Critical thinking
Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, assesses the source, uncovers hidden values, weights evidence, and assesses conclusions.
Structuralism
An early school o thought promoted by Wundt that focused on the structure of the human mind.
Functionalism
An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin that focused on how the mind functions.
Behaviorism
The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (I) but not (2).
Humanistic psychology
A historically important perspective that emphasized human growth potential.
Cognitive psychology
The study quintal processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems.
Cognitive neuroscience.
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with mental activity (including perception, thinking, memory, and language.
Psychology
The science of behavior mental processes.
Seven current perspectives of psychology
Neuroscience. Evolutionary. Behavior genetics. Psychodynamic. Behavioral. Cognitive. Social-Cultural.
Biopsychosocial perspective
An approach that integrates different but complementary views from biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints.
Hindsight bias
The tendency to believe, after learning an out come, that we could have predicted it. Aka the i-knew-lt-all-along phenomenon,
Overconfidence
Thinking we know more than we do
Perceiving order in random events
Finding patterns even in random, unrelated data, because we are eager to make sense of our world. Random sequences often don’t appear random
Theory
An explanation using principles that organize observatives and predict bchanoss or events
Hypothesis
A testable prediction often implied by a theory
Operational definition
A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study
Replication
Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced
Case study
A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Naturalistic observation
A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to change or control the situation
Survey
A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of that group.
Population
All those in a group being studied, from which a random sample may be drawn
Random sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each number has an equal chance of inclusion
Correlation
A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either one predicts the other
Positive/negative correlation
Direct/inverse relationship
Experiment
A method in which researchers vary one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable)
Random assignment
Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing any preexisting differences between the groups.
Experimental group
In an experiment, the group exposed to the, treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable
Control group
In an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; the control group serves as a comparison with the experimental group for judging the effect of the treatment
Placebo _ placebo effect
An inactive substance or condition that is sometimes given to those in a control group in place of the treatment given to the experimental pump.
Double-blind procedure
In an experiment, a procedure in which both the participants and the research staff are ignorant about who has received the treatment or placebo
Independent, dependent variables
Independent; in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. Dependent: the factor that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated
Confounding variable
In an experiment, a factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study’s results
