Unit one Vocab Flashcards
critical thinking
Thinking that does not blindly except arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discern hidden biases, evaluate evidence, and assesses conclusions.
empiricism
The idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge
structuralism
An early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind
introspection
The process of looking inward and attempt to directly observe one’s own psychological processes
functionalism
An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin, explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how to enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish
behaviorism
The view that psychology should be (1) an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to the mental processes. Most psychologists agree to today with (1) but not with (2)
humanistic psychology
Historically significant perspective that emphasizes human growth potential
cognitive psychology
The study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems
Cognitive neuroscience
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition
psychology
The science of behavior and mental processes
nature-nurture issue
The long-standing controversy over the relative contributions that jeans and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today science says traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of it it
Natural selection
The principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Evolutionary psychology
The study of the evolution of behavior in the mind, using principles of natural selection
Behavior genetics
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Positive psychology
The scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities thrive
Biopsychosocial approach
An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social- cultural viewpoints
Behavioral psychology
The scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning
Biological psychology
The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes
Psychodynamic psychology
A branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior and use that information to treat people with psychological disorders
Social-cultural psychology
The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking
Testing effect
Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply re-reading, information
SQ3R
I study method incorporating five steps: survey, question, read, retrieve, review
Psychometrics
The scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits
Basic research
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Developmental psychology
A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change through the lifespan
Educational Psychology
The study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning
Personality psychology
The study of individuals characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting
Social psychology
The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
applied research
Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology
The application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in work places
Human factors psychology
A field of psychology allied with I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use
Counseling psychology
A branch of psychology that assist people with problems and living and achieving greater well-being
Clinical psychology
A branch of psychology that studies, assassins, and treat people with psychological disorders
Psychiatry
A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders, practice by physicians who are licensed to provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy
Community psychology
A branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups
Wilhelm Wundt
Set up the first psychological laboratory in an apartment near the University at Leipzig, Germany. Change subject and introspection and establish the theory of structuralism. Considered the father of scientific psychology
G Stanley Hall
Conducted an experiment to measure how long it took for people to press a telegraph key after hearing a ball hit a platform. He wanted to measure the fastest in simplest mental processes
Edward Bradford Titchener
Wanted to classify and understand elements of the mind structure. He used introspection, training people to report elements of their experience as they looked at a rose, listened to a metronome, smelled a scent, or tasted a substance
William James
Proposed considering that evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings: smelling is what the nose does and thinking is what the brain does. Established the theory of functionalism and brought psychology to the United States
Charles Darwin
Created the theory of evolution, which assumed that thinking like smelling developed because it was adaptive.
Mary Whiton Calkins
Hey student of William James who became the president of the American psychological association. Although she completed her doctoral studies at Harvard, they refused to award her PhD because at the time they did not grant doctoral degrees to women.
Margaret Floy Washburn
First woman to earn a PhD in psychology. Known for her experimental work involving animal behavior and sensation/perception processes
John B Watson
Declared that psychology must limit itself to observable phenomena, not an observable concepts like the unconscious mind, if it is to be considered a science. Wanted to establish behaviorism as a dominant paradigm of psychology
B F Skinner
Expand of the basic ideas of behaviorism to include the idea of reinforcement and punishment Dash environmental stimuli that either encourage or discourage certain responses. Helped establish and popularized the operant conditioning model of learning.
Sigmund Freud
Believed he discovered the unconscious mind - a part of the mind over which we do not have conscious control and which determines, in part, how we think and behave. Propose that we must examine the unconscious mind through dream analysis, word association, and other psychoanalytic therapy techniques if we are to truly understand human thought and behavior. Has been criticized for being unscientific and creating unverifiable theories
Carl Rogers
An American psychologist who is one of the founders of humanistic psychology and was well known for his person – centered psychotherapy
Abraham Maslow
On American psychologist who created a hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicted on for filling in a human needs in priority, culminating in self actualization.
Ivan Pavlov
Performed pioneering conditioning experiments on dogs. Experiments led to the development of the classical conditioning model of learning.
Jean Piaget
Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development.
Dorothea Dix
A reformer and pioneer in the movement to treat the insane as mentally ill, beginning in the 1820s, she was responsible for approving conditions and jails, poor houses, and insane asylums through the US and Canada. She succeeded in persuading many states to assume responsibility for the care of the mentally ill. She served as the superintendent of nurses for the union army during the Civil War
Hindsight bias
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
Theory
An expression using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by theory
Operational definition
Hey carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study
Replication
Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced
case study
A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Naturalistic observation
I descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior and naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation
Survey
How descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group
Sampling bias
A floor sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample
Population
All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn
Random sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
Correlation
A measure of the extent to which two factors very together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
Correlation coefficient
A statistical index of the relationship between two things
Variable
Anything that can very end is feasible and ethical to measure
Scatterplot
A graft cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggest the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation.
Illusory correlation
Proceeding a relationship were none exists, or perceiving a stronger than actual relationship
regression toward the mean
The tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back towards the average
Experiment
Research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental processes. By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors
Experimental group
In an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable
Control group
In an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment, contrast with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
Random assignment
Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing pre-existing differences between different groups
Double-blind procedure
An experimental procedure in which both research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or placebo.
Placebo effect
Experimental results caused by expectations alone, any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent
Independent variable
In an experiment, the factor that is manipulated, the variable whose effect is being studied
Confounding variable
A factor other than the fact or being studied that might influence of studies results
Dependent variable
In an experiment, the outcome that is measured, the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated
Validity
The extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to
informed consent
Giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate
Debriefing
The post experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to his participants
Descriptive statistics
Miracle data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation
Histogram
A bar graph depicting a frequency distribution
Mode
The most frequently occurring scores in a distribution
Mean
The arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores
Median
The middle score in a distribution, half the scores are above it and half or below it
Skewed distribution
A representation of scores that lacks symmetry around their average value
Range
The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
Standard deviation
A computer and measure of how much scores very around the mean score
Normal curve
A symmetrical, bell shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data, most scores fall near the mean and fewer and fewer around the extremes
Inferential statistics
Numerical data that allow one to generalize – to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population
Statistical significance
A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
