Research Methods Flashcards
Hypothesis
A statement predicting the outcome of a scientific study
An educated guess
Psychology
A systematic and scientific study of behaviors and mental processes
(Describes why organisms behave the way they do, predicts how they will behave in the future)
Functionalism
Focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function and how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish
Psychodynamic theory
Sigmund Freud
A theory that behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
(Emphasis on childhood experiences, unconscious sexual desires, and aggressiveness)
Behavoralism
John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner
Argues that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior w/o mental processes
(“Show me the evidence!”)
Structuralism
Devoted to uncovering the basic structural elements of the human mind using INTROSPECTION.
(Looking inward at conscious experiences)
Experimental group
The group that is exposed to treatment, to one version of the independent variable
Independent variable
The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable being studied and controlled
Control group
Not exposed to the independent variable
Dependent variable
The variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
(The outcome factor)
Correlation coeffecient
The statistical index between two things
Experimental psychologists
They conduct the experiments or research that the applied psychologists use
Applied psychologists
They use the theories learned from experimental psychologists in practice
Theory
A tentative explanation of facts and relationships in science
(Not fixed or certain)
Formal experiment
A controlled research situation that a researcher has intentionally and thoughtfully designed using the scientific method
