ap psych unit 1 vocab

Question 1

structuralism

Answer 1

a theory of consciousness that seeks to analyze the elements of mental experiences like sensations, mental images and feelings and how these elements combine to form more complex experiences.

Question 2

functionalism

Answer 2

a psychological philosophy that describes the mind as a functional tool that allows us to adapt to our environments.

Question 3

Basic research

Answer 3

theory-driven, hypothesis-testing science driven by a quest for fundamental understanding.

Question 4

applied research

Answer 4

a scientific study within the field of psychology the focuses on solving problems, curing illnesses, and innovating new technologies

Question 5

clinical psychology

Answer 5

asses and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders

Question 6

psychiatry

Answer 6

branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional + behavioral disorders.

Question 7

behavioral psychology

Answer 7

theory that suggests environment shapes human behavior

Question 8

evolutionary psychology

Answer 8

the study of behavior, thought and feeling as viewed through the lens of evolutionary biology.

Question 9

gestalt psychology

Answer 9

type of psychology that studies whole, intact segments of behavior and cognitive experience

Question 10

developmental psychology

Answer 10

the study of human growth and change across a lifespan.

Question 11

cognitive psychology

Answer 11

the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate and solve problems.

Question 12

humanistic psychology

Answer 12

a historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential

Question 13

psychodynamic psychology

Answer 13

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders.

Question 14

sociocultural psychology

Answer 14

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.

Question 15

biological psychology

Answer 15

the scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes.

Question 16

theory

Answer 16

an explanation using an integrated set of principals that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.

Question 17

hypothesis

Answer 17

a testable predictions, often implied by a theory

Question 18

operational definition

Answer 18

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study, for example human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

Question 19

replication

Answer 19

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic findings can be reproduced.

Question 20

case study

Answer 20

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Question 21

survey

Answer 21

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative random sample of the group.

Question 22

longitudinal

Answer 22

research that follows and retests the same people overtime.

Question 23

cross sectional

Answer 23

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Question 24

population

Answer 24

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.

Question 25

random sample

Answer 25

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Question 26

naturalistic observation

Answer 26

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation.

Question 27

correlation coefficient

Answer 27

a statistical index of the relationship between two things

Question 28

scatterplot

Answer 28

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the value 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

Question 29

illusory correlation

Answer 29

perceiving a relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger-than-actual relationship

Question 30

experiment

Answer 30

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process. by random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors.

Question 31

double blind procedure

Answer 31

both research participants and research staff don't know about what the placebo or treatment is.

Question 32

placebo affect

Answer 32

results caused by expectations alone.

Question 33

random assignment

Answer 33

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups.

Question 34

independent variable

Answer 34

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose affect is being studied

Question 35

dependent variable

Answer 35

the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.

Question 36

mode

Answer 36

the most frequently occurring scores in a distribution

Question 37

mean

Answer 37

add all answers and divided basically average

Question 38

median

Answer 38

the middle score in a distribution

Question 39

range

Answer 39

difference between highest and lowest scores

Question 40

standard deviation

Answer 40

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Question 41

statistical significance

Answer 41

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

Question 42

p-value

Answer 42

the probability under the assumption of no effect or no difference, of obtaining a result equal to or more extreme than what was actually observed

Question 43

control group

Answer 43

in an experiment , the group not exposed to the treatment contrast w experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Question 44

experimental group

Answer 44

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment that is to one version of the independent variable

Question 45

correlation research

Answer 45

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

Question 46

normal distribution

Answer 46

a symmetrical, bell shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean and fewer and fewer near extremes

Question 47

skewed distribution

Answer 47

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around the average value

Question 48

representative sample

Answer 48

estimating the likelihood of events in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes, may lead us to ignore other relevant info

Question 49

sampling bias

Answer 49

flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

Question 50

inferential statistics

Answer 50

numerical data that allows one to generalize or to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population

Question 51

descriptive statistics

Answer 51

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measure of central tendency and measure of variation

Question 52

reliability

Answer 52

the extend to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternative forms of the test, or on retesting

Question 53

validity

Answer 53

the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Question 54

confounding variables

Answer 54

a factor other than the factor being studied that might influence the studies results

Question 55

experimenter bias

Answer 55

a process where the scientists performing the research influence the results, in order to portray a certain outcome

Question 56

Mary w calkins

Answer 56

established the first psychology laboratory at a American women's college and first APA

Question 57

Charles Darwin

Answer 57

known for the architect