Psychology Review Exam #1 Flashcards
What is the definition of psychology?
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Who was Wilhelm Wundt and how did he influence the beginnings of psychology in 1879?
He opened the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.
Who was William James and what did he do to influence psychology?
He founded the first psychology department at Harvard University.
Define experimental psychology.
the study of overt and covert behavior and the many factors in behavior.
Define physiological psychology.
the study of how biological processes affect behavior and influence performance
Define social psychology.
the study of groups of people and how they interact and respond to other people
Define developmental psychology.
the study of systematic changes in an organism from birth to death
Define clinical(counseling) psychology.
represents the greatest number of psychologists with different focuses
Define the scientific method.
a method involving the systematic collection of information according to rules and procedures that preserve objectivity and accuracy
Define hypothesis.
you decide what you want to study and make a testable prediction of what will happen under certain conditions
Define method.
you deign and conduct the experiment while collecting data
Define results.
subject your collected data to statistical analysis and draw conclusions based on the results
Define interpretation.
report the conclusions and explain the results, determine if you supported your hypothesis
Define variable.
anything of interest to the experimenter.
What is the operational definition?
used to measure a variable or to produce some phenomena.
