Week 1: Intro to Psych Flashcards
Why Science, Thinking Like a Psychological Scientist, History of Psych
Empirical Methods
approaches to inquiry that are tied to actual measurement and observation
Systematic observation
careful observation of the natural world with the aim of better understanding it; observations provide the basic data that allow scientist to track, tally, organize info about the natural world
Hypotheses
logical idea that can be tested
Theories
group of closely related phenomena/observation
Ethics
professional guidelines that offer researchers a template for making decisions that protect research participants from potential harm and that help steer scientists away from conflicts of interest/other situations that might compromise the integrity of their research
Data
In research, info systematically collected for analysis and interpretation
Induction
to draw general conclusions from specific observations
Sample
in research, a number of people selected from a population to serve as an example of that population
Pseudoscience
beliefs or practices that are presented as being scientific, or which are mistaken for being scientific, but which are not scientific (ex. astrology - making predictions about human behaviours using celestial bodies; unable to be falsified)
Falsified
In science, the ability of a claim to be tested and possibly refuted; a defining feature of science
Probabilities
A measure of the degree of certainty of the occurrence of an event
Inductive Reasoning
form of reasoning in which a general conclusion is inferred from a set of observations (ex. noting that “driver in car was texting; he just cut me off than ran a red! - a specific observation, which leads to general conclusion that texting while driving is dangerous)
Deductive Reasoning
A form of reasoning in which a given premise determines the interpretation of specific observations (ex. all birds have feather, since a duck is a bird, it has feathers)
kinda like using a rule/law to make a conclusion
Representative
the degree to which a sample is a typical example of the population from which it is drawn
Anecdotal evidence
a piece of biased evidence, usually drawn from personal experience, used to support a conclusion that may or may not be correct
Population
all the people belonging to a particular group - in research
Correlation
the measure of relatedness of two or more variables - in statistics
null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST)
NHST helps you decide if outcome of study is likely due to chance or if it’s probably a real effect; if results are unlikely to happen by chance, then you reject the null hypothesis and conclude that something meaningful is happening (the alt hypothesis)
The null hypothesis is saying, “Whatever I’m testing (like a new treatment or method) has no impact, and any results are just due to chance.”
alternative hypothesis is what you’re actually trying to prove
calculate p value; if it’s low enough, it means study didn’t happen by chance - rejuct null hyp
distribution
the relative frequency (how often) that a particular occurs for each possible value of a given variable
the spread of the data
type I error
the error of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true - in stats
when you think something happened, but it acc didn’t
type ii error
the error of failing to reject the null hypothesis when it is false
when. you think nothing is happening, but something acc is
probability values
the established threshold for determining whether a given value occurs by chance - in stats
p-value tells you how likely it is that the results of your exiperment happened just by chance
Scientific Theory
an explanation for observed phenomena that is empirically well-supported, consistent, and fruitful (predictive)
Empirically
concerned w observation and/or the ability to verify a claim
Objective
being free of personal bias
Facts
objective info about the world
Values
Belief about the way things should be
Levels of analysis
there are complementary understandings and explanations of phenomena
Causality
the determination that one variable causes an effect (responsible for)
Generalize
the degree to which one can extend conclusions drawn from the findings of a study to other groups or situations not included in the study
Empiricism
the belief that knowledge comes from experience
Neural Impulse
an electro-chemical signal that enables neurons to communicate
Psychophysics
study of the relationships between physical stimuli and the human perception of those stimuli
Introspection
Method of focusing on internal process
Consciousness
Awareness of ourselves and our environment
Structuralism
a school of American psychology that sought to describe the elements of conscious experience
trying to understand the mind by breaking it down into pieces/structures
Functionalism
school of American psychology that focused on the usefulness
of consciousness
why we think, feel, act the way we do in order to adapt/survive
Individual Differences
ways in which people differ in terms of their behaviour, emotion, cognition, and development
Eugenics
the practice of selective breeding to promote desired traits; promotion of selective breeding
Gestalt psychology
an attempt to study the unity of experience
Cognitive Psychology
The study of mental processes
Behaviourism
The study of behaviour
Flashbulb Memory
A highly detailed and vivid memory of an emotionally significant event
Tip-of-Tongue Phenomenon
inability to pull a word from memory even though there is the sensation that that word is available
Scientist-practitioner model
model of training of professional psychologists that emphasize the development of both research and clinical skills
emphasizes combo of research and practical applciation
Scholar practitioner model
a model of training of professional psychologists that emphasizes clinical practice
