Psychology, Chapter 1, Introduction & Research Methods

What is the testing effect?

The finding that practicing retrieval of information from memory produces better retention than restudying the same information for an equivalent amount of time.

What are the goals and scope of contemporary psychology?

The four basic goals of psychology are to describe, predict, explain, and control or influence behavior and mental processes.

Why do psychologists sometimes conduct research with nonhuman animal subjects.

Simetumes they are interested in the study of animal behavior just because. While other times animals are used in situations you couldn't conduct with human subjects.

What is a survey, and why is random selection important in survey research?

A survey is a questionnaire or interview designed to investigate the opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of a particular group. Random selection is important to help a sample group represent a larger group.

How do the perspectives in contemporary psychology differ in emphasis and approach?

Biological- relationship between psychology and bodies physical systems Psychodynamic- Looks at unconscious experiences such as early life and how it affects behavior Behavioral- How behavior is acquired or modified by environmental causes Humanistic- motivation of people to grow psychologically Positive- positive emotions and the social institutions that foster positive emotions in individuals or communities Cognitive- the mental process behind how people think and process information Cross cultural- look at how cultural factors influence behavior Evolutionary- uses evolution to explain psychological processes

Why can correlational studies be used to demonstrate cause and effect relationship

Even if two factors are very strongly correlated correlation does not necessarily indicate causality. Can't conclude one causes the other

What characterizes each step of the scientific method?

Formulate a specific question that can be tested. Design a study to collect relevant data. Analyze the data to arrive at conclusions . Report the results.

What are 5 key provisions of the APA ethics code for research involving humans?

Informed consent and voluntary participation Students as research participants The use of deception Confidentiality of Information Information about the study and debriefing

What assumptions and attitudes are held by psychologists?

Psychologists are guided by the assumption that events are explainable. And are open minded.

What roles do the independent variable and dependent variable play in an experiment?

The independent variable is purposely manipulated to produce change in an experiment. While the dependent variable is observed and measured for the change thought to happen.

What roles did James and Wundt play in establishing psychology?

Wundt focused on establishing psychology as an experimental science where as James focused more on studying purpose and function of behavior and mental experience.

How does a hypothesis differ from a theory?

A hypothesis is a specific question or prediction to be tested. A theory integrates and summarizes numerous research finings and observations on a particular topic.

What is a correlation coefficient

A numerical indication of the magnitude and direction of the relationship or correlation between two variables.

What is the difference between a positive correlation and a negative correlation?

A positive correlation is a finding that two factors vary systematically in the same direction increasing or decreasing together while a negative correlation finds that two factors vary in the opposite direction one increasing while on decreases.

What are naturalistic observation and case study research, and why and how are they conducted?

Naturalistic observation is the systematic observation and recording of behaviors as they occur in their natural setting usually researches avoid being detected by their subjects. Goal is observe behavior patterns as they occur naturally. A case study is an intensive study of a single individual or small group of individuals, they compile a lot of info from numerous sources. Used to develop a complete profile of a client.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each descriptive method?

Naturalistic observation- allows researchers to study human behavior that cannot be ethically manipulated in an experiment Case studies- helpful in investigating rare or extreme conditions but sometimes this doesn't apply to broader population Survey- information can be gathered from a larger group

How do psychiatry and psychology differ, and what are psychology's major specialty areas?

Psychology focuses on the diagnosis and treatments of disorders while psychiatry is a medical specialty. Major specialties in psychology include clinical, counseling, social and personality, biological and experimental, and general.

How can experimental controls help minimize the effects of confounding variables?

Random assignment helps ensure that any potential differences among the participants are spread out evenly across all experimental conditions.

What were the early schools of thought and approaches in psychology, and how did their views differ?

Structuralism- the basic components of conscious experiences Functionalism- emphasized studying the purpose or function of behavior and mental experience Psychoanalysis- Emphasizes the unconscious factors of personality and behavior Behaviorism- Emphasizes the study of observable behaviors Humanistic- emphasizes each persons unique potential for psychological growth and self direction