Intro to Psychology Definitions

Hypothesis Operationalize Measure Evaluate Report findings

H.O.M.E.R.

or influences behavior

Psychology controls

how people behave

Psychology describes

Philosophy

Psychology has its roots in...

behavior and mental processes

Psychology is defined as the study of?

how people will behave under certain circumstances

Psychology predicts

causes of behaviors

Psychology understands (explains)

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes

case study

an intensive examination of behavior/mental processing in a particular individual, group, or situation; in depth focus on all aspects of a single subject; subject may possess unusual or unique characteristics. no random assignment, no experimental treatments/conditions, cannot make cause and effect conclusions

Biological Psychologists

analyze biological factors involved in behavior and mental processes

evaluate

analyze data and draw conclusions

Behavior

any activity that can be observed, recorded, and measured (school psychologists are making use of PDAs to record observations of students in classrooms)

mean

average

Evolutionary Approach

behavior and mental processes of animals and humans is largely the result of natural selection (ex: mate selection-male and female)

measure

design study and collect data; determine who are the "subjects"; determine procedures to be used in collecting the data

inferential statistics

determining whether results of research are due to luck or chance/represent truly significant findings

inferential statistics

draw conclusions about data (saying "this causes that")

Experimental Group

experiencing treatment condition (variable is present in this group)

Personality Psychologists

interested in what makes people unique/how behavior is affected by "personality traits"

low variability

low S.D.

validity

measuring what you are intending to measure

median

middle most

mode

most often

Humanistic Approach

people strive to grow, develop, and reach their full potentials as humans

Scientific Method

procedures used to develop questions, accumulate evidence, and draw conclusions

1) naturalistic observation 2) survey method 3) case study 4) correlational method 5) experimental method

research methods in psychology

report findings

scientific journals, newspapers, targeted groups (ex: National Education Association, Chamber of Commerce)

variable

something that can occur with different values (ex: height, weight, ratings on a questionnaire)

School Psychologists

specialize in testing and diagnosing learning disabilities

measures of variation

spread or distribution of scores around the mean

correlation coefficient

tells us direction and degree of relationship between two variables

Philosophy

the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct

Independent Variable

the variable that the experimenter manipulates or changes ("if" part of a hypothesis)

variables

things that can "vary" or change in ways that are measurable

Cognitive Psychologists

thinking, learning, memory, problem-solving

Mental Processes

thoughts, feelings, memories, perceptions, beliefs

Community Psychologists

try to help stressful conditions (counseling) that lead to disorders

statistical analysis

used to compare two groups to see if they are truly different

survey method

using questionnaires/interviews to obtain info about attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and personality characteristics, give us descriptive info, no random assignment, no experimental treatments/conditions, cannot make cause and effect conclusions

developmental psychology

Andrea is interested in the kinds of mental changes that take place in people between the ages of 45 and 65. Into which area of specialization in psychology does the research fall?

statistics

an analysis of data

Critical Thinking

the process of assessing claims and making judgments based on well-supported evidence

operationalize

define in measurable terms the variables in the hypothesis

"psyche" and "logos" logos = "the study of" psyche = "soul"

literal meaning of psychology

Developmental Psychologists

study changes in behavior and mental processes that occur over a lifetime

Confounding Variable

variables that will interfere with data and affect the dependent variable if not controlled

naturalistic obersvation

watching, used to study how people or animals behave in their natural environments, no random assignment, no experimental treatments/conditions, cannot make cause and effect conclusions

the processes themselves

we observe the manifestation of mental processes, but NOT.....

ensures groups are the same from the start

what does random assignment to experimental or control groups do?

Eclectic

when you use more than 1 perspective to explain behavior and mental processing

Counseling Psychologists

work as mental health counselors and study causes and how to treat disorders

hypothesis

a statement that describes relationship between two or more things

Behavioral Approach

behavior is determined by learned habits that are a by-product of rewards and punishments

Empiricism

believe we were born as a blank slate; believe knowledge is ONLY gained through observance and EXPERIENCE

watson

believed learning is the most important cause of behavior

ethics

cannot be forced on participants, can't be forced to finish after you start, can be deception, cannot risk harmful things

measures of central tendency

central or middle point in data set

stronger the relationship

closer r gets to -1.0 or +1.0

Educational Psychologists

conduct research and develop theories about teaching and learning

descriptive statistics

frequency distribution, measures of central tendency, measures of variation

Biological Approach

genetics, electrical and chemical activity, and hormones are most important

reliability

getting similar results every time during experiments

frequency distribution

groups data into intervals

correlational method

helps us to predict, shows a relationship, used to determine whether two variables or measures are related (ex: ACT scores and college GPA; winter and depression) no random assignment, no experimental treatments/conditions, cannot make cause and effect conclusions, looks ONLY at TWO variables

high variability

high S.D.

Cognitive Approach

humans are info. processors and problem-solvers; actions are governed by thought and planning

eliminate it

if the # is not between -1 and +1 then...

Introspection

inward look; describing in detail the experience of feeling and seeing something

Control Group

matched to be similar to experimental group except they don't receive experimental treatment

Experimental Method

researcher makes a change in one variable and then observes the effect of that change on another variable while holding other variables constant; random assignment; if differences between groups are found, variables other than independent variables cannot account for those differences; ONLY method that can identify cause and effect relationships; results cannot be generalized too broadly

increases in one variable accompanied by increases in another variable

scores nearing +1.0

increases in one variable accompanied by decreases in another variable

scores nearing -1.0

hypothesis

statement about what you expect to happen if certain conditions are true (if/then format)

theory

statements that are designed to explain a phenomenon

inferential statistics

statistical analysis, correlation coefficient

skinner

studied operant conditioning, a learning process through which rewards and punishments shape, maintain, and change behavior

Clinical Psychologists

study and correct abnormal behavior and mental processes ***(MOST psychologists are this)***

I/O (Industrial/Organizational Psychologists)

study factors that affect workers and the organizations that employ them

Social Psychologists

study the ways people influence one another

descriptive statistics

summarizing and describing data

Culture

the sum of all the values, rules of behavior, forms of expression, religious beliefs, occupational choices, and the like among a group of people who share a common language and environment

Dependent Variable

the variable that concerns the responses the participants make ("then" part of hypothesis)

standard deviation

"average difference" between each score and the mean of the data set (score-mean=standard deviation)

James

"functionalism" - how and why the mind "functions" the way it does to allow us to live and adapt

Wundt and Titchener

"structuralism" - study the mind by breaking it down into its basic components or "structures"

Psychodynamic Approach

(Freud) unconscious processes and unresolved conflicts from past influence behavior and mental processes (ALWAYS deals with unconscious)

Collectivist Culture

(Japan and other parts of Asia) people tend to think of themselves as part of family or work groups; cooperative efforts aimed at advancing welfare of these groups is highly valued; fear of rejection by the group is common

Individualistic Culture

(North America and Western Europe) people tend to focus on and value personal rather than group goals and achievement; competitiveness, isolation

1) Individualistic 2) Collectivist

2 types of cultures

1. Descriptive Statistics 2. Inferential Statistics

2 types of statistics

1. Describe 2. Explain 3. Predict 4. Control

4 Goals of Psychology

5% level of probability

5 chances out of 100 that results occurred by luck/chance