Psychology Modules 1-4

Random Sample

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

double-blind procedure

An experimental procedure in which both the Research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis.

Wilhelm Wundt

Considered the Father of modern psychology; study of mental processes, introspection, and self-exam; established the first psychology laboratory in Germany

Confounding Variables

Factors that cause differences between the experimental group and the control group other than the independent variable

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

Behavior Genetics

How much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences

Behavioral Perspective

Involves how we learn from observable responses

Humanistic Perspective

School of thought that focuses on the study of conscious experience, the individual's freedom to choose, and capacity for personal growth.

Nature

The physical and personality genes passed over through your genes

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Functionalism

The study of the purpose mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment

Structuralism

The theory that the structure of conscious experience could be understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts and sensations

Nurture

The way you are raised in a specific environment

Critical Thinking

Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

Placebo

a fake drug used in the testing of medication

Survey Method

a research method that involves gathering information from people through the use of surveys or questionnaires

Correlational Study

a research project designed to discover the degree to which two variables are related to each other

Scientific Method

a series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions

Participant Bias

a tendency for research participants to respond in a certain way because they know they are being observed or they believe they know what the researcher wants

Researcher Bias

a tendency for researchers to engage in behaviors and selectively notice evidence that supports their hypotheses or expectations

Confirmation Bias

a tendency to search for information that confirms one's preconceptions

Hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Environment

all of the surrounding things, conditions, and influences affecting the growth or development of living things.

Population

all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study

G. Stanley Hall

american psychologist who established the first psychology research laboratory in the United States and founded the American Psychological Association, also was first American to receive a PhD in Psychology

Random Assignment

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

Operational Definitions

clear, precise definitions and instructions about how to observe and measure concepts and variables

Introspection

examination of one's own thoughts and feelings

Biological Perspective

examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behavior

William James

founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment; wrote first psychology textbook - The Principles of Psychology

Humanistic Psychology

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Social-Cultural Perspective

how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

Psychodynamic Perspective

how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

Cognitive Perspective

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

Naturalistic observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Norms

rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members

Experimental Group

subjects in an experiment to whom the independent variable is administered

Experiment

the act of conducting a controlled test or investigation

Independent Variable

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

Control Group

the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Dependent Variable

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

Gestalt Psychology

the school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions of individual parts into meaningful wholes

Positive Psychology

the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Behavior Genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Behaviorism

the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes

Identical Twins

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

Fraternal Twins

twins who develop from separate eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment