Week 1- Intro to Psych

Question 1

Applied Research

Answer 1

Research conducted in an effort to find solutions to particular problems

Question 2

behaviorism

Answer 2

the school of psychology that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior and studies relationships between stimuli and responses

Question 3

biological perspective

Answer 3

the approach of psychology that seeks to understand the nature of the link between biological processes and structures such as the functioning of the brain, the endocrine system, the heredity, on the one hand, behavior and mental processes, on the other

Question 4

blind

Answer 4

in experimental terminology, unaware of whether or not one has received a treatment

Question 5

case study

Answer 5

a carefully drawn biography that may be obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and psychological tests

Question 6

cognitive

Answer 6

having to do with mental processes such as sensation and perception, memory, intelligence, language, thought, and problem solving

Question 7

control groups

Answer 7

in experiments, groups whose members do not obtain the treatment, while other conditions are held constant

Question 8

correlation

Answer 8

an association or relationship among variables, as we might find between height and weight or between study habits and school grades

Question 9

correlation coefficient

Answer 9

a number between 11.00 and 21.00 that expresses the strength and direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between two variables

Question 10

correlational method

Answer 10

a mathematical method of determining whether one variable increases or decreases as another variable increases or decreases

Question 11

critical thinking

Answer 11

a way of evaluating the claims and comments of other people that involves skepticism and examination of evidence

Question 12

debrief

Answer 12

to explain the purposes and methods of a completed procedure to a participant

Question 13

dependent variable

Answer 13

a measure of an assumed effect of an independent variable

Question 14

double-blind study

Answer 14

a study in which neither the subjects nor the observers know who has received the treatment

Question 15

experiment

Answer 15

a scientific method that seeks to confirm cause-and effect relationships by introducing independent variables and observing their effects on dependent variables

Question 16

experimental groups

Answer 16

in experiments, groups whose members obtain the treatment

Question 17

functionalism

Answer 17

the school of psychology that emphasizes the uses or functions of the mind rather than the elements of experience

Question 18

gender

Answer 18

the culturally defined concepts of masculinity and femininity

Question 19

Gestalt psychology

Answer 19

the school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into wholes and to integrate separate stimuli into meaningful patterns

Question 20

hypothesis

Answer 20

in psychology, a specific statement about behavior or mental processes that is tested through research

Question 21

independent variable

Answer 21

a condition in a scientific study that is manipulated so that its effects may be observed

Question 22

informed consent

Answer 22

a participant’s agreement to participate in research after receiving information about the purposes of the study and the nature of the treatments

Question 23

introspection

Answer 23

deliberate looking into one’s own cognitive processes to examine one’s thoughts and feelings

Question 24

naturalistic observation

Answer 24

a scientific method in which organisms are observed in their natural environments

Question 25

placebo

Answer 25

a bogus treatment that has the appearance of being genuine

Question 26

population

Answer 26

a complete group of interest to researchers, from which a sample is drawn

Question 27

psychoanalysis

Answer 27

the school of psychology that emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as determinants of human behavior

Question 28

psychology

Answer 28

the science that studies behavior and mental processes

Question 29

Pure research

Answer 29

research conducted without concern for immediate applications

Question 30

random sample

Answer 30

a sample drawn so that each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected to participate

Question 31

reinforcement

Answer 31

a stimulus that follows a response and increases the frequency of the response

Question 32

sample

Answer 32

part of a population

Question 33

scientific method

Answer 33

an organized way of using experience and testing ideas to expand and refine knowledge

Question 34

selection factor

Answer 34

a source of bias that may occur in research findings when participants are allowed to choose for themselves a certain treatment in a scientific study

Question 35

social-cognitive theory

Answer 35

a school of psychology in the behaviorist tradition that includes cognitive factors in the explanation and prediction of behavior; formerly termed social learning theory

Question 36

sociocultural perspective

Answer 36

the view that focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in behavior and mental processes

Question 37

stratified sample

Answer 37

a sample drawn so that identified subgroups in the population are represented proportionately in the sample

Question 38

structuralism

Answer 38

the school of psychology that argues that the mind consists of three basic elements? sensations, feelings, and images?that combine to form experience

Question 39

survey

Answer 39

a method of scientific investigation in which a large sample of people answer questions about their attitudes or behavior

Question 40

theory

Answer 40

A set of hypothesized statements about the relationships among events

Question 41

volunteer bias

Answer 41

a source of bias or error in research reflecting the prospect that people who offer to participate in research studies differ systematically from people who do not