Chapter 1 Key Terms

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

The science that studies behavior and mental processes.

Question 2

Pure research

Answer 2

Research conducted without concern for immediate applications.

Question 3

Applied research

Answer 3

Research conducted in an effort to find solutions to particular problems.

Question 4

Behaviorism

Answer 4

The school of psychology that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior and studies relationships between stimuli and responses.

Question 5

Psychoanalysis

Answer 5

The school of psychology that emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as determinants of human behavior.

Question 6

Sociocultural perspective

Answer 6

The view that focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in behavior and mental processes.

Question 7

Critical thinking

Answer 7

A way of evaluating the claims and comments of other people that involves skepticism and examination of evidence.

Question 8

Scientific method

Answer 8

An organized way of using experience and testing ideas to expand and refine knowledge.

Question 9

Hypothesis

Answer 9

In psychology, a specific statement about behavior or mental processes that is tested through research.

Question 10

Correlation

Answer 10

An association or relationship among variables, as we might find between height and weight, or between study habits and school grades.

Question 11

Sample

Answer 11

Part of a population.

Question 12

Population

Answer 12

A complete group of interest to researchers, from which a sample is drawn.

Question 13

Random sample

Answer 13

A sample drawn so that each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected to participate.

Question 14

Volunteer bias

Answer 14

A source of bias or error in research reflecting the prospect that people who offer to participate in research studies differ systematically from people who do not.

Question 15

Case study

Answer 15

A carefully drawn biography that may be obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and psychological tests.

Question 16

Survey

Answer 16

A method of scientific investigation in which a large sample of people answer questions about their attitudes or behaviors.

Question 17

Naturalistic observation

Answer 17

A scientific method in which organisms are observed in their natural environments.

Question 18

Correlational method

Answer 18

A mathematical method of determining whether one variable increases or decreases as another variable increases or decreases.

Question 19

Correlation coefficient

Answer 19

a number between +1.00 and -1.00 that expresses the strength and direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between two variables

Question 20

Experiment

Answer 20

A scientific method that seeks to confirm cause-and-effect relationships by introducing independent variables and observing their effects on dependent variables.

Question 21

Independent variable

Answer 21

A condition in a scientific study that is manipulated so that its effects may be observed.

Question 22

Dependent variable

Answer 22

A measure of an assumed effect of an independent variable.

Question 23

Experimental groups

Answer 23

In experiments, groups whose members obtain the treatment.

Question 24

Control groups

Answer 24

In experiments, groups whose members do not obtain the treatment, while other conditions are held constant.

Question 25

Placebo

Answer 25

A bogus treatment that has the appearance of being genuine.

Question 26

Blind

Answer 26

In experimental terminology, unaware of whether of not one has received a treatment.

Question 27

Double-blind

Answer 27

A study in which neither the subjects nor the observers know who has received the treatment.

Question 28

Informed consent

Answer 28

A participant’s agreement to participate in research after receiving information about the purposes of the study and the nature of the treatments.