FRQ Terms

Question 1

Confirmation Bias

Answer 1

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence (p. 362)

Question 2

Heuristic

Answer 2

A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently; usually speedier but also more error-prone that algorithms (p. 361)

Question 3

Representativeness Heuristic

Answer 3

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information.

Question 4

Availability Heuristic

Answer 4

estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common

Question 5

Proactive Interference

Answer 5

the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information (p. 345)

Question 6

Retroactive Interference

Answer 6

the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information (p. 345)

Question 7

Habituation

Answer 7

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner. (pp. 264, 468)

Question 8

Social Loafing

Answer 8

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal (p. 773)

Question 9

Groupthink

Answer 9

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives (p. 775)

Question 10

Algorithm

Answer 10

a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem. Contrasts with the usually speedier but also more error-prone use of heruistics

Question 11

Random Assignment

Answer 11

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups (p. 51)

Question 12

Behaviorism

Answer 12

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental process. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). (pp. 6, 266)

Question 13

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Answer 13

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal (p. 662)

Question 14

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Answer 14

Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases - alarm, resistance, exhaustion (p.444)

Question 15

Normative Social Influence

Answer 15

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disproval

Question 16

Random Selection

Answer 16

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion (p. 51)

Question 17

Dependent Variable

Answer 17

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable (p. 52)

Question 18

Independent Variable

Answer 18

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied (p. 52)

Question 19

Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 19

the forward part of the frontal lobes that enables judgement, planning, and processing of new memories (an association area, pg. 109)

Question 20

Sensory Cortex

Answer 20

located in the front of the Parietal Lobe, registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

Question 21

Operational Definitions (1)

Answer 21

specify the procedures that manipulate the independent variable or measure the depended variable - (definitions answer the “What do you mean?” question with a level of precision that enables others to repeat the study)

Question 22

Operational Definitions (2)

Answer 22

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

Question 23

Correlational Studies

Answer 23

to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another (p. 53)

Question 24

Erik Erikson

Answer 24

contended that each stage of life has its own psychosocial task, a crisis that needs resolution