The Scientific Method Flashcards
Classical Conditioning
A type of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired with a response (conditioned stimulus) until it elicits that response.
Conditioned Stimulus
The stimulus that can trigger a conditioned response.
After repeated pairings with a behaviour, the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus
Extinction Learning
Repeated exposures to the CS without the response will eventually eliminate the CR.
Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
A type of learning in which voluntary behaviour changes as a function of an addition of a reward or aversive stimuli
reinforcement in Operant Conditioning
consequences for behavior that increase its frequency.
Positive reinforcement involves the possible delivery of a desired consequence.
Negative reinforcement is the possible escape from an aversive consequence.
Unwanted behaviors may result from reinforcement of aversive behaviors or the failure to reinforce desired behaviors
shaping in Operant Conditioning
developing a new response by reinforcing similar versions of that response.
- shows how behaviour can be learned, whether desirable or undesirable
Dependent Variable
some aspect of the phenomenon that is measured and is expected to be changed or influenced by the independent variable
Independent Variable
aspect manipulating or thought to influence the change in the dependent variable
Confounding Variable
mitigating factors in determining the effects of the dependent variable, not part of the intended design and may change the dependent variable
Validity
Internal and External
Internal validity - the extent to which the results of the study can be attributed to the independent variable
External validity - the extent to which the results of the study can be generalised or applied outside the immediate study
Clinical Assessment
the systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological and social factors in an individual presenting signs of a psychological disorder.
Reliability
the extent to which a measurement is consistent
Validity
whether something measures what it is designed to measure
Standardisation
the process by which a certain set of standards for therapeutic techniques are consistent across different measures
Clinical Interview
gathers information on current and past behaviour, attitudes, emotions and detailed history of the individuals life in general and of the presenting problem.
Semi-Structured Clinical Interview
carefully phrased and tested to elicit useful information
Behavioural Assessment
direct observation to formally assess an individual’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour in specific context
Self-Monitoring
observing their own behaviour to find patterns
- how one presents themselves in social situations
Personality Inventories
self-report questionnaire that assesses personal traits by asking respondents to identify descriptions that apply to themselves
Pavlovian Conditioning Example
Paired the sound of a bell with food (the unconditioned stimulus)
- Dogs don’t need to learn to salivate when they witness food, it is a biological reaction
The dogs began to salivate when they heard the bell without witnessing food
- The bell is now the conditioned stimulus because the dogs have to learn (or be conditioned) to understand that food is coming
- The dogs salivation is the conditioned response
Extinction is the removal of this conditioning if food is never coming and the dogs stop salivating, a learned fear response
Double-Blind Study
When an experiment is run so neither the participant nor the experimenter knows who the experiment or control group is
- reduces the risk of biases
predictive validity
how well your assessment tells you what will happen in the future
concurrent or descriptive validity
comparing the results of an assessment measure to the results of others that are better known
interrater reliability
conducting research on the devices used to assess to ensure that two or more raters (observers) will get the same answers on a phenomenon
test re-test reliability
determining the assessment techniques stability over time by testing two or more times with the same person
Neuropsychological Test
assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by testing an individual’s performance on behavioural tasks
Comorbidity
the co-occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual
Case Study Method
In-depth study of one or more individuals
True Experiment
- determines that something causes something else
- randomly assigns people to different treatments and then looking at the outcome
Quasi Experiment
- investigators make use of control and experimental groups that already exist in the world
- also called mixed design
Randomised Control Trial
comparative clinical trial in which there is random allocation of patients to treatments (control or experiment groups)
Correlational Study
correlation - degree to which two variables are associated
negative correlation - one variable decreases as other increases
positive correlation - two variables increase or decrease together
correlation coefficient - statistic reflecting strength and direction of associations
correlation does not imply causation - if two things occur together it doesn’t mean that one caused the other
- lack of understanding of where the correlation actually comes from
Hypothesis
educated guess or statement to be supported by data
