Unit 0 Flashcards
Perspectives in psychology
Different ways of understanding and explaining human behavior and mental process
Psychodynamic
Explorers how unconscious drives, conflicts and childhood experiences shape behavior
Behaviorism
Focuses on how observable behaviors are learned through interaction of environment
Humanistic
Emphasizes personal growth, free will, and the concept of self actualization
Cognitive
Examines internal mental processes, such as thinking, memory and problem-solving
Biological
Studies behavior of humans and animals
Evolutionary
How behavior and mental processes serve as adaptions for survival and reproduction
Sociocultural
Analyzes how culture, social norms, and social environment influence behavior
Biopsychosocial
Combined, biological, psychological, and social factors to provide an understanding of human behavior
Objective
Applies a psychological perspective to explain peoples behavior in emotional challenges
Psychology
The study of mental processes and behavior
Mental processes
How we think
Behavior
What we do
Confirmation bias
When people tend to look for information, that confirms what they already believe
Hindsight bias
People believe that they knew something was going to happen before it did. Even if they didn’t
Overconfidence
When people think they know more than actually do
Empirical evidence
Information that is obtained through observation, experimentation, or measurement
Scientific method
How psychologist develop theories and test hypothesis
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, or educated, guess about the relationship between two variables
Falsifiable
A hypothesis that can be tested, and potentially proven as false through an observation or experimentation
Peer review
Articles in studies or a valuated by experts before they were published in academic journals
Replication
Repeating a research study to see if it’s findings can constantly be observed
Reliability
When I measure or test produces consistent results
Validity
Testing, if a study or measurement is measuring what is intended to
The American psychological association (apa)
Advances the field of psychology and promotes application of psychological knowledge
Quantitive data
Number based information gathered from surveys test or experiments
Qualitative data
Information collected through interviews or observations, focusing on peoples experiences and behaviors
Likert scales
Taking a survey that says “I agree, disagree” etc.
Structured interviews
Predetermined questions are asked to all participants in the same order
Wording effect
Subtle changes in the wording of survey questions to influence responses
Social desirability bias
Individuals tend to respond in a way that is favorably viewed by others
Naturalistic observation
Researchers, observe, and record behavior in real world settings without manipulation
Case study
In-depth examination of an individual, a group, or a phenomenon
Correlational research
Examining the relationship between two or more variables. It won’t establish causation between variables.
Third variable problem
And unmeasured third variable may be influencing the relationship between two variables of interest
Scatterplot
A visual representation to display the relationship between two variables
Correlation coefficient
Qualifies the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. The symbol is R and ranges from -1 to +1
The closer it is to -1 or +1 the stronger the relationship between the variables
If no line is made there’s no correlation
Positive correlation
The line starts at the origin of the graph
Negative correlation
The line starts the opposite direction of the origin
Experimental method
Investigate the cause-and-effect relationships between variables
Independent variable
The variable, that the researcher changes or manipulates during an experiment
Manipulated
Dependent variable
The variable that is observed and measured.
Measured
Confounding variables
Variable that wasn’t accounted for or controlled during a study
Operational definitions
Shows how a researcher measures and manipulated variables in a study
Experimental group
The group that’s exposed to the independent variable
Control group
Group not exposed to independent variable
Random assignment
Randomly assigning participants in a group to an experiment
Placebo effect
Seeing improvement in mental health from telling yourself something that is untrue
Experimenter bias
Researchers expectations about the outcome of a study influences the results
Single blind study
Participants of a study don’t know if they’re control group or experimental
Double blind study
Participants and researcher doesn’t know what group is control and which is experimental
Placebo condition
(Control group) doesn’t receive treatment and the other does
Sample
Small group that represents a larger group in a study
Representative sample
Individuals selected from a larger population that reflects demographics, characteristics, and diversity of that population
Random sample
Each person gets same probability of being included in study
Sample bias
When a sample is not representative of the larger population
Generalizability
Research findings from a sample can be obtained from a sample which can be applied to larger population
Statistics
Data collected from research studies
Descriptive statistics
Numerical measures that summarize the characteristics of a dataset
Inferential statistics
Uses data from a sample to make inferences about a larger population
Measures of central
Statistical tools used to describe central/average value of a dataset
Mean
Average value of a data set
Median
Middle value of a data set
Once set of number is in accessing order, find the number in the middle
10.15,20,25,30
Median =20
Mode
Most frequent number in data set
10,12,14,12.15
Mode=12
Range
Difference between highest and lowest value of dataset
Subtract smallest number from largest
10,12,15,20
Range=10
Normal curve or bell curve
Regression to the mean
When scores get closed to average once measured again
Positive skew
Data clusters on left side of graph, tail goes to right
Negative skew
Cluster of data on the right of graph, tail does to left
Standard deviation
A way to measure how close or far numbers are in a group
Percentile rank
Indicates the percentage of scores in distribution that’s equal to or below the value
Bio modal distribution
When there are two peaks on a graph
Statistical significance
The likelihood that observed results in a research study are not due to chance
Effect sizes
Large size indicates indapendent variable impacts the dependent variable
Small effect size shoes there’s limited effect on dependent variable
Meta analysis
Combined data from different studies to increase sample size
Institutional review boards (IRBs)
They’re responsible for approving research proposals and making sure they meets ethical standards
Protect participants from harm
Minimizing risks to ensure well being of the participants
Informed consent
Individuals voluntarily agree to participate in a research study
Informed assent
Applies to research involving children or individuals with cognitive impairments or developmental disabilities
Confidentiality
Deception
Misleading participants about the true purpose of a study
Confederates
People that are a part of a study, but they’re actually working in the collaboration, while being unaware of the true purpose of a study
Debriefing
Providing participants information about the true purpose of the study, immediately after their participation
Article analysis question(AAQ)
Identifying research elements
Evidence based question
Propose claim about topic and provide evidence
Defensible claim
Viewpoint supported by evidence or reasoning
Evidence
The proof behind your claim
