Experimental Lec Flashcards
(97 cards)
What is Experimental Psychology?
The study of behavior through controlled experiments, seeking causality among variables.
Define Psychology.
The scientific study of behaviors and mental processes.
What does Science entail?
The systematic study of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and analysis.
What is Methodology in the context of psychology?
The scientific techniques we use to collect and evaluate data.
What is Data?
The facts and figures we gather using scientific methods.
Define Commonsense Psychology.
A nonscientific data gathering.
What does Nonscientific Inference refer to?
The nonscientific use of information to explain or predict behavior.
What is Gambler’s Fallacy?
Where people misuse data to estimate the probability of an event.
Define Stereotyping.
Falsely assuming that specific behaviors cluster together in certain kinds of people.
What is Overconfidence Bias?
Feeling more confident about conclusions than is warranted by available data.
What does Scientific Mentality assume?
That behavior follows a natural order and can be predicted.
What is a Law in scientific terms?
Statements created from exhaustive empirical support; it is absolute.
Define Theory.
A scientific explanation of an observed phenomenon and a way we attempt to explain behavior.
What is Good Thinking critical for?
The scientific method.
What is the Principle of Parsimony?
The simplest useful explanation.
What does the Principle of Modus Tollens allow us to do?
Disprove statements using a single, contrary observation.
What is Replication?
An exact or systematic repetition of a study.
What are the Goals of Psychology?
- Description
- Prediction
- Explanation
- Control
What does Description in psychology involve?
A systematic and unbiased account of observed characteristics of behaviors.
What is Prediction in psychology?
The capability of knowing in advance when certain behaviors would be expected to occur.
Define Explanation in the context of psychology.
Knowledge of the conditions that reliably produce the occurrence of a behavior.
What is Control in psychological research?
The use of scientific knowledge to influence behavior.
What is Applied Research?
Research that addresses real-world problems.
What is Basic Research?
Research that tests theories and explains psychological phenomena.