Psych CP Terms 1 Flashcards
Critical Thinking
thinking that does not accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, assesses the source, uncovers hidden values, weighs evidence, and assesses conclusions.
Structualism
an early school of thought promoted by Wundt that focused on the structure of the human mind.
Functionalism
an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin that focused on how the mind functions.
Behaviorism
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to metal processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
Humanistic Psychology
a historically important perspective that emphasized human growth potential.
Cognitive Psychology
the story of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems.
Cognitive Neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with mental activity (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).
Psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes.
Biopsychosocial Approach
an approach that integrates different but complementary views from biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints.
Culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and handed down from one generation to the next.
Nature-nurture Issue
the age-old controversy that the relative influence of genes and experience in the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s psychological views sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.
Dual Processing
the principle that our mind processes information at the same time on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.
Counseling Psychology
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or relationships) and in achieving greater well-being.
Clinical Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.
Psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.
Community Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions (such as schools and neighborhoods) affect individuals and groups.
Positive Psychology
the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive.
Hindsight Bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that we could have predicted it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.)
Theory
an explanation using principles that organize observations and predict behaviors or events.
Hypothesis
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.
Operational Definition
a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.
Replication
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.
Preregistration
publicly communicating planned study design, hypothesis, data collection, analyses.
Case Study
a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Naturalistic Observation
a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to change or control the situation.
Survey
a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of that group.
Population
all those in a group being studied, from which random samples may be drawn. (Note: Except for national studies, this does not refer to a country’s whole population.)
Random Sample
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either one predicts the other. The correlation coefficient is the mathematical expression of the relationship, ranging from -1 to +1, with 0 indicating no relationship.
Experiment
a method in which researchers vary one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, researchers aim to control other factors.
Random Assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing any preexisting differences between the groups.
Experimental Group
in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment that is, to one version of the independent variable.
Control Group
in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; the control group serves as a comparison with the experimental group for judging the effect of the treatment.
Placebo [pluh-SEE-bo]
an inactive substance or condition that is sometimes given to those in a control group in place of the treatment given to the experimental group.
Double-blind Procedure
in an experiment, a procedure in which both of the participants and research staff are ignorant (blind) about who has received the treatment or a placebo.
Placebo Effect
results caused by expectations alone.
Independent Variable
in an experiment =, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.
Dependent Variable
in an experiment, the factor that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.
Informed Consent
giving people enough information about a study to enable them to decide whether they wish to participate.
Debriefing
after an experiment ends, explaining to participants the study’s purpose and any deceptions researchers used.
Testing Effect
enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information, Also sometimes called the retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.
SQ3R
a study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review.
