Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Question 1

Structuralism

Answer 1

Emphasizes units of consciousness and identification of thoughts through introspection.

Question 2

Functionalism

Answer 2

How an organism uses its perceptual abilities to adapt to its environment.

Question 3

Behavioral approach

Answer 3

Learning as a result of experience.

Question 4

Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approach

Answer 4

How unconscious instincts, conflicts, motives, and defenses influence behavior.

Question 5

Humanistic approach

Answer 5

Individual potential for growth and the role of unique perceptions in growth toward one’s potential.

Question 6

Biological approach

Answer 6

Physiological and biochemical factors that determine behavior and mental processes.

Question 7

Evolutionary approach

Answer 7

How natural selection favors behaviors that contribute to survival and reproduction.

Question 8

Cognitive approach

Answer 8

How we receive, store, and process information, think, and speak.

Question 9

Sociocultural approach

Answer 9

How cultural differences affect behavior.

Question 10

Biopsychosocial model

Answer 10

Uses biological processes, psychological factors, and social forces to provide a complete picture of behavior and mental processes.

Question 11

Clinical psychologists

Answer 11

Evaluate and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Question 12

Counseling psychologists

Answer 12

Help people adapt to change or make changes in their lifestyle.

Question 13

Developmental psychologists

Answer 13

Study the physical, intellectual, social, and moral changes over the entire life span.

Question 14

Educational psychologists

Answer 14

Focus on how effective teaching and learning happen.

Question 15

Forensic psychologists

Answer 15

Apply psychological principles to legal issues.

Question 16

Health/positive psychologists

Answer 16

Study how health and illness are influenced by emotions, stress, personality, and lifestyle.

Question 17

Industrial/organizational psychologists

Answer 17

Improve productivity and work-life quality by applying psychological principles/methods.

Question 18

Controlled experiment

Answer 18

The experimenter manipulates the independent variable to see the effect on the dependent variable, establishing a cause-and-effect relationship.

Question 19

Quasi-experimental research

Answer 19

Similar to controlled experiments where random assignment isn’t possible.

Question 20

Experimenter bias

Answer 20

A researcher’s expectations about the outcome of a study affect the results.

Question 21

Demand characteristics

Answer 21

Clues participants discover about the purpose of a study that suggest how they should act.

Question 22

Single-blind procedure

Answer 22

Participants don’t know whether they’re in the experimental or control group.

Question 23

Double-blind procedure

Answer 23

Neither the experimenter nor the participant know who’s in the experimental or control group.

Question 24

Placebo

Answer 24

Physical/psychological treatment given to the control group that resembles the treatment given to the experimental group that contains nothing.

Question 25

Placebo effect

Answer 25

Response to the belief that the independent variable will have an effect rather than to the actual effect.

Question 26

Within-subjects design

Answer 26

All participants are exposed to every treatment/condition.

Question 27

Counterbalancing

Answer 27

Technique used to deal with order effects when using a repeated measures design.

Question 28

Naturalistic observation

Answer 28

Records behaviors in real-life situations without intervention.

Question 29

Survey

Answer 29

Obtains large samples of abilities, beliefs, or behaviors through questionnaires and interviews.

Question 30

Test

Answer 30

Validated procedure for sampling, preparing, and analyzing.

Question 31

Case study

Answer 31

Intensive investigation of the behavior and mental processes of a specific person or situation.

Question 32

Elementary statistics

Answer 32

Collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data.

Question 33

Descriptive statistics

Answer 33

Summary of research data obtained from a sample.

Question 34

Mode

Answer 34

Most frequently occurring score in a set of research data.

Question 35

Mean

Answer 35

Arithmetic average of a set of scores.

Question 36

Median

Answer 36

Middle score of a set of data organized by size.

Question 37

Variability

Answer 37

Spread or dispersion of a set of research data or distribution.

Question 38

Range

Answer 38

Difference between the largest score and smallest score.

Question 39

Variance

Answer 39

How far each score in a data set is from the mean.

Question 40

Standard deviation

Answer 40

Measure of the average difference between each score and the mean.

Question 41

Correlation

Answer 41

Mutual relationship between two variables.

Question 42

Inferential statistics

Answer 42

Used to interpret data and draw conclusions.