Chapter 1 Flashcards
Deductive Approach
An approach to psychology in which the conclusions follow logically from the premises or assumptions
Inductive Approach
An approach to psychology in which observations are systematically collected and concepts are developed based on what the data reveal
Personality Psychology
The scientific study of the psychological forces that make people uniquely themselves
Scientific Inference
The use of systematically gathered evidence to test theories
Correlation Coefficient
A mathematical index of the degree of agreement or association between two measures
Psychoanalytic Perspective
Attention to unconscious influences; importance of sexual drives even in nonsexual spheres
Neo-Analytic/ Ego perspective
Emphasis on the self as it struggles to cope with emotions and drives on the inside and the demands of others on the outside
Biological perspective
Focus on tendencies and limits imposed by biological inheritance; easily combined with most other approaches
Behaviorist perspective
Emphasis on a more scientific analysis of the learning experiences that shape personality
Cognitive perspective
Emphasis on active nature of human thought; uses modern knowledge from cognitive psychology
Trait perspective
Focus on good individual assessment techniques
Humanistic/Existential perspective
Appreciation of the spiritual nature of a person; emphasizes struggles for self-fulfillment and dignity
Interactionist perspective
Understanding that we are different selves in different situations
Relative Self
The philosophical idea that there is no underlying self but that the true self is composed merely of masks
Nomothetic
Seeking to formulate laws
Idiographic
Involved in the study of individual cases
Authoritarian
Personality
A person with antidemo-cratic tendencies; such a person tends to be narrow-minded, rigid, defensive, and tends to show prejudice against minority groups
Barnum Effect
The tendency to believe in the accuracy of vague generalities about one’s personality
