psychology v2 Flashcards
personal distress
If a behaviour makes a person suffer it is atypical.
maladaptive behaviours
behaviours that do not help us survive or work towards our goals are considered atypical.
DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual) diagnosis, inattention and hyperactivity must:
- be excessive for that age
- be present before age 12
- persist longer than 6 months
- contribute to impairment
symptoms of ADHD
-executive function (planning etc.) affected
-working memory (short-term memory
-alertness (often underalert)
-impaired time estimation
between-subject design
-different participants are placed in each group and their differences are measured
within-subjects design
each participants completes both experimental and control conditions, and differences between trials are measured
mixed design
-both designs are used to cancel out the limitations of each
Biological (hereditary):
Genetics, sex, hormones, immune function, physical health, nutrition, sleep.
Psychological (mental factors)
Ways of thinking, learning/memory style, beliefs/attitudes, personality
Social (environment)
Education, income level, family dynamics, abuse/neglect, social/cultural norms, attachment style
example of a maladaptive behaviour
picking a fight with a friend when you are stressed is atypical.
ethical guidelines in research
- confidentially- participant’s information must be kept private
- voluntary participation -participants must be willingly involved
- informed consent procedures- participants must know what the study is about and sign a consent form.
- withdrawal rights- participants can leave at any time
- deception- participants must be told the time nature of study, unless it is absolutely vital to lie( if you use deception, you must debrief participants afterwards)
6.debriefing- participants must be told all details of the experiment after it finishes, as well as their results.
independent variable
the variable that the experimenter manipulates
dependent variable
the way the experimenter measures the results
population/sample
population: the entire group of people that you want your study to be about (you can’t test on all of them)
sample: the small group that represents the population (the group you test)
allocation
how participants are divided into experimental and control groups
random allocation
each participant has an equal chance of being in either group
matched participants
each participant has a partner with similar characteristics who is placed in the other group
hypothesis
-if …. then….
-prediction of result
-control /experimental conditions (both iv’s compared)
-direction
cultural perspectives strengths and limitations
strength: we know what to expect in our culture.
limitation: no universal agreement
social norm strengths and limitations
strength: society has order/control
limitation: social norms change over time
statistical rarity strengths and limitations
strength: normal is what is common
limitation: many common things should be atypical
personal distress strengths and limitations
strength: focuses on wellbeing
limitation: many common things should be atypical
maladaptive behaviours strengths and limitations
strength: focus on personal goals/ survival
limitation: subjective and clashes with statistical rarity
