Basic definitions

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of human behavior

Question 2

Psychology vs Psychiatry

Answer 2

Psychology-cognitive way of dealing with problems

Psychiatry-medical school, the problem in chemistry, logic

Question 3

Two basic components of psychology( why are we who we are)

Answer 3

Genetics( biologically inherited characteristics, indirectly through reaction)
Environment ( pre-natal environment, shaped and reinforced by our world)

Question 4

Three major types of learning

Answer 4

• Classical conditioning (stimulus-response)
• Operant conditioning (rewards and punishment behavior)
• Observational learning (role modeling)

Question 5

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (self-actualization)

Answer 5

Basic needs ( PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS-food, water, rest, warmth; SAFETY NEEDS- security, safety)

Psychological needs ( BELONGINGNESS AND LOVE NEEDS: intimate relationship and love needs : ESTEEM NEEDS: prestige and feeling of accomplishment)

Self-fulfillment needs ( SELF-ACTUALIZATION: achieving one’s full potential, including creative activeness)

Question 6

Operational definition meaning

Answer 6

An exact definition

Question 7

Is correlation the same thing as cause and effect?

Answer 7

No

Question 8

The experimental method. Describe the key features.

Answer 8

• Hypothesis
• All experiment have independent variable(effect being studied)
• Dependent variable (the measure,the score)

Question 9

The effect of….. on …..

Answer 9

The effect of Independent variables on dependent variables

Question 10

What group of people should be present in the study to make the experiment accurate?

Answer 10

The control group

Question 11

Validity defines

Answer 11

How much something is relevant, if it measuring what is supposed to measure

Question 12

Median vs mode

Answer 12

Median ( 1,3,5,34,245,356)- (5+34)/2

Mode( 2,45,67,2,56,49,90,2) 2 is the mode

Question 13

The mean is 77%. SD is 6. If your result is in between 1 SD, is it fine? 2 SD?

Answer 13

77+-6=71-83(68% of the class)

77+-2SD=65-89(95% of the class)

Question 14

Case study

Answer 14

When a single individual or a small group of people is studied in great details usually over a long period of time

Question 15

Id and ego

Answer 15

ID is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories. The life and the death instincts and operates on the pleasure principle.

Ego is the realistic part. Tries to satisfy needs of the id without violating moral values.

Question 16

Applied psychology

Answer 16

Applied psychology is the use of psychological methods and findings of scientific psychology to solve practical problems of human and animal behavior and experience.

Question 17

Population

Answer 17

The entire group of interest to researchers to which they wish to generalize their findings; the group from which a sample is taken

Question 18

Correlation coefficient

Answer 18

A numerical value that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables; ranges from +1 (a perfect positive correlation) to -1 (a perfect negative correlation)

Question 19

Theory is

Answer 19

A general principle or set of principles that explains how a number of separate facts are related to one another.

Question 20

Naturalistic observation

Answer 20

A research method in which researchers observe and record behavior in its natural setting without attempting to influence or control

Question 21

Hypothesis

Answer 21

A prediction about the relationship between two or more variables

Question 22

Independent variables

Answer 22

In an experiment , the factors or conditions that the researcher manipulates( the treatment) on order to determine their effect on another behavior or condition, known as the dependent variable

Question 23

Dependent variable

Answer 23

The variable that is measured at the end of the experiment and that is presumed to vary as a result of manipulations of the independent variable

Question 24

Placebo

Answer 24

Some inert substance , such as sugar pill or an injection of saline solution, given to the control group in an experiment as a control for placebo effect( when the expectations regarding the treatment are the cause of the effect rather than the treatment itself)

Question 25

Double blind experiment and blind experiment

Answer 25

An experimental procedure in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is in the experimental and control groups until the results have been gathered; a control for experimenter bias. When in blinded the experimenter knows who is in control and experimental groups.

Question 26

Control group

Answer 26

In an experiment, a group that is similar to the experimental group and that is exposed to the same experimental environment but it is not exposed to independent variables; used for purposes of comparison

Question 27

Experimental group

Answer 27

In an experiment , the group of participants that is exposed to the independent variable or treatment

Question 28

Reliability

Answer 28

The ability of a test to yield nearly the same scores when the same people are tested and then retested using the same test or an alternative form of the test.

Question 29

Survey research

Answer 29

A method whereby researchers use interviews and/or questionnaires to gather information about the attitudes,beliefs, experiences, or behaviors of a group of people

Question 30

Random sample

Answer 30

Random sampling is a part of the sampling technique in which each sample has an equal probability of being chosen. A sample chosen randomly is meant to be an unbiased representation of the total population.

Question 31

Longitudinal study

Answer 31

A type of developmental study in which the same group of participants is followed and measured at different ages

Question 32

Cross-sectional study

Answer 32

A type of developmental study in which researchers compare groups of individuals of different ages with respect to certain characteristics to determine age-related differences

Question 33

Standard deviation

Answer 33

Standard deviation measures the spread of a data distribution.

Question 34

normal curve

Answer 34

A normal curve is a bell-shaped curve which shows the probability distribution of a continuous random variable. Moreover, the normal curve represents a normal distribution.

Question 35

Behavioral perspective(learning)

Answer 35

The role of environment in shaping and controlling behavior

Question 36

Psychodynamic (psychoanalytical) perspective/Freud

Answer 36

The role of unconscious motivation and early childhood experience in determining behavior and thought

Question 37

Evolutionary perspective

Answer 37

A perspective that focuses on how humans evolved and adopted behaviors required for survival against various environmental pressures over the long courses of evolution

Question 38

Physiological(biological) perspectives

Answer 38

The role of biological processes and structures, as well as heredity , in explaining behavior

Question 39

Sociocultural perspective

Answer 39

The effect of society and culture on behavior

Question 40

Humanistic perspective

Answer 40

The importance of individual's subjective experience as a key to understanding behavior