Unit 1 Flashcards
Psychology
is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes of individuals, and how those are affected by an
organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment
Psychologists
study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and to their environments. They use their findings to help improve processes and behaviors.
Cognitive process
referred as “thought processes” explains how the mind works. Includes memory, perception, attention decision making, thinking & reasoning.
Physiology
refers to our biological systems.
Psychologists are interested in the role of our brain and nervous system, hormones, and genetics in behavior
Anecdotal Data
evidence collected in a casual manner relying on personal experience
Empirical Data
information collected using the scientific method based on observation & experiments.
Laboratory Study
controlled enviomment. make sure that the variable being studied isn’t influenced by outside factors.
Field Study
naturalistic setting, advantage of observing behavior in real life
Retrospective study
research is asking the participant about past behavior
Prospective study
researcher measures a variable at the beginning of a study, and then watches the effect of this variable overtime
Longitudinal research
observing the change in individuals overtime
Cross-sectional research
researcher, analyzes data collected from a specific point in time
Theory
an explanation for a psychological phenomenon. It’s summarizes, organizes and explains observations.
TEACUP: Testable
A good theory has to be proven, falsifiable, (able to be proven false). we must be able to test it, and it should generate hypotheses.
TEACUP: Empirical support
supported by empirical (observation/experience) evidence, not anecdotal, (theoretical).
TEACUP: Application
can be applied to many different situation, or it improves very specific behavior
TEACUP: Construct Validity
its variables are clearly defined so that they can be reliably measured 
TEACUP: Unbiased
does not show by us to a gender, race or culture
TEACUP: predicts behavior
does not just describe what’s happening, it predicts the behavior
Participants
The people who take part in a psychological study
findings/implications
how the researcher interpreted the data that was collected, and opens it for discussion and debate based on biases
Target Population
A specific group of people whom they are interested in for the study
Sample
The group of participants taken from the target population, to represent them as a whole.
Representative Sample
represents a population. Example. A smaller sample is more open to distortions, confounding variables, compared to a larger one.
Aim
The purpose of the study, indicates which behavior is being used
Procedure
The process being used by researchers to carry out a study
