Exam I Flashcards
Define Psychology
science of behavior & mental processes
What are the four major research perspectives?
biological, cognitive, behavioral, sociocultural
Explain the cognitive research perspective.
how mental processes (perception, memory, problem solving) work & impact behavior
Explain the behavioral perspective.
emphasizes conditioning of our behavior by environmental events; more emphasis on explaining observable behavior than understanding mental processes
Explain the biological perspective.
physiological hardware, esp. brain & nervous system, viewed as major determiner of behavior & mental processes
Explain the sociocultural perspective.
how other people & the cultural context impact our behavior & mental processes
What is hindsight bias?
I knew-it-along phenomenon. The tendency, after learning about an outcome, to be overconfident in the ability to have predicted it.
What are the research method types?
descriptive, correlational, experimental
What is descriptive research?
observational techniques, case studies, surveys. Provides objective, detailed descriptions of behavior & mental processes
What is naturalistic observation?
a descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest in observed in its natural setting & the researcher does not intervene
What is participant observation?
descriptive research method, observer becomes part of group being observed.
What is a case study?
researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time
What is survey research?
descriptive research method in which the researcher uses questionnaires & interviews to collect information about behavior, beliefs & attitudes of particular groups of people
What is the population?
the entire group of people a researcher is studying.
What is the sample?
the subset of a population that actually participates in a research study
What is random sampling?
sample technique, obtains representative sample in a population by ensuring that each individual in a populations has an equal opportunity to be in the sample
What is a correlational study?
a research study in which two variables are measured to determine is they are related (how well either one predicts the other)
What is the variable?
any factor that can take on more than one value
What is a correlation coefficient?
a statistic that tells the type & strength of a relationship between two variables. absolute value= 0.0-1.0 (-,+) represents strength
What does a positive correlation mean?
direct relationship between two variables (0.0-1.0)
What does a negative correlation mean?
an inverse relationship b/t two variables. -0.9-(-0.1)
What is the mean, median and mode?
mean=average, median=middle score, mode=most frequent score
What is the percentile rank?
the percentage of scores below a specific score in a distribution of scores.
What is the axon of the neuron?
the long, singular fiber projecting out of the cell body whose function is to conduct the neural impulse from the cell body to the axon terminals triggering chemical communications w/ other neurons. covered in myelin sheath=insulating layer covering that allows for faster neural impulses.