Psychology Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
Psychology
The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.
Hindsight Bias
The tendency to believe, after learning the outcome, that you knew it all along.
Overconfidence
The tendency to think we know more than we do.
Barnum Effect
The tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate.
Applied Research
Research with clear, practical applications.
Basic Research
Research which explores questions that you may be curious about, but not intended to be immediately used.
Hypothesis
Expresses a relationship between two variables.
Independent Variable
Whatever is being manipulated in the experiment.
Dependent Variable
Whatever is being measured in the experiment.
Operational Definition
Explain what you mean in your hypothesis.
Sampling
The population you want to study.
Experimental Method
Trying to prove cause & effect.
Confounding Variable
Anything that could cause change in B, that is not A.
Hawthorne Effect
Just the fact that you know you are in an experiment can cause change.
Experimental Bias
An outcome that is a result of the preconceived ideas of the researcher.
Correlational Method
Expresses a relationship between two variables but does not show causation.
Positive Correlation
Variables go in the same direction.
Negative Correlation
Variables go in different directions.
Naturalistic Observation
Study by watching subjects in their natural environment.
Correlation Coefficient
A number that measures the strength of a relationship.
Case Study
A study that provides a detailed picture of one or a few subjects.
Descriptive Statistics
Statistics that describe a set of data.
Central Tendency
Mean, Median, and Mode.
Z Score
A unit that measures the distance of one score from the mean.
Inferential Statistics
The purpose of this type of data is to discover whether the finding can be applied to the larger population from which the sample was collected.
Critical Thinking
Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather. it examines assumptions, uncovers hidden values, weighs evidence, and assesses conclusions.
Culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values and traditions shared by a group of people handed down from one generation to the next.
Double-blind Procedure
A procedure in which participants and research staff are ignorant (blind) about who has received the treatment or placebo.
Nature-Nurture issue
A controversy over the relative influence of genes and experience in the development of psychological traits and behaviors.
Population
All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.
