Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Methods Flashcards
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Structuralism
An early school of psychology that emphasized the study of the basic structures of mental processes, including perceptions, images, and emotions, by introspection.
Functionalism
An early school of psychology that emphasized the systematic studying of how behavior and mental processes function, rather than what they are composed of.
Psychoanalysis
A personality theory and psychotherapy that emphasizes the role of the unconscious.
Behaviorism
A school of psychology that emphasizes the scientific study of observable behaviors rather than mental processes.
Humanistic psychology
A school of psychology that emphasizes the individual’s potential for growth, with a focus on positive psychological traits and free will.
Positive psychology
A perspective derived from humanistic psychology that studies positive emotions and psychological traits.
Evolutionary psychology
A perspective that applies the principles of evolution to psychological processes
Culture
The attitudes, values, and beliefs held by a group of individuals that is passed down by every generation to the next.
Cross-cultural psychology
A branch of psychology that studied the effects of culture on behavior and mental processes.
Ethnocentrism
The belief that one ethnic group or culture is superior to another, and the related tendency to use one’s own culture as a standard to judge others by.
Collectivistic culture
A culture which emphasizes the needs and goals of the group over that of the individual
Individualistic culture
A culture which emphasizes the needs and goals of the individual over that of the group
Social loafing
A phenomenon in individualistic cultures in which participating individuals exert less effort when working in groups
Social striving
A phenomenon in collectivistic cultures in which individuals exert more effort when in groups
Scientific method
A set of assumptions, attitudes, and procedures followed by scientists in order to evaluate the validity of hypotheses
Empirical evidence
Verifiable evidence which is obtained by observation, measurement, or experimentation
Hypothesis
A testable statement relating two or more variables
Variable
A factor in scientific research that can vary, or change, in ways that are measurable
Operational definition
A description of how variables in a study will operate in terms of how they’re manipulated and measured.
Statistics
A branch of mathematics which organizes and summarizes data
Statistically significant
A mathematical indication of correlation
Meta-analysis
A statistical technique which combines and analyzes the results of many research studies on a topic in order to discover trends
Theory
A scientific explanation for the relationships in various findings and observations found by studies
Descriptive research methods
Methods of researching which involve the observation and description of behavior
