psychology unit 1 and 2

Applied research

Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

industrial/organizational psychologists

The application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

mean

The arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores

statistics

The branch of mathematics involving the tabulation, analysis ,and interpretation of a numerical data

range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

independent variables

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variables whose effect is being studied

median

The middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

dependent variable's

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

cognitive perspective

The scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking ,knowing, remembering, and communicating

social psychologists

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

behavioral perspective

The scientific study of observable behavior, and it's explanation by principles of learning

developmental psychologists

The scientific study of physical ,cognitive ,and social change throughout the lifespan

Mode

The score most often we seen

experimental psychologist

The study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method

sociocultural perspective

The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

evolutionary psychology

The study of the roots of behavior and mental processes using the principles of natural selection

social desirability bias

The tendency to respond to question in a socially desirable manner

volunteer bias

The type of bias that arises when people volunteer to participate in a survey or research study have characteristics that make them unrepresentative of the population from which they were drawn

empirical approach

The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should therefore rely on observation and experimentation

psychoanlytic perspective

a branch of phschology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders

functionalism

a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavior processes function- how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.

informed consent

agrrement to participate in a study following disclosure of information about the purposes and nature of the study and its potential risks and benefits

population

all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

structuralism

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structurL element of the human mind

placebo

an inert substance of experimental condition that resembles the active treatment

case study method

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in hope of revealing universal principles

double-blind studies

and drug research, studies in which both subjects and experimenters are capped uninformed about which subjects are receiving the active drug and which are receiving the placebo

Random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, false minimizing pre-existing differences between those assigned to the different groups

ethics review committees

committees that evaluate whether proposed studies meet ethical guidelines

theories

explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

variables

factors or measures that change

humanistic perspective

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individuals potential for personal growth

Control groups

in an experiment the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group that serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Central tendency

is central point on a scale of measurement around which scores are distributed

introspection

looking inward

naturalistic observation method method

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

placebo effects

positive outcomes of an experiment resulting from the subjects positive expectations rather than from experimental treatment

inferential statistics

procedures for making generalizations about a population by studying the characteristics of samples drawn from the population

descriptive statistics

procedures used for classifying summarizing information numerical form - in short, for describing data

Basic research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situation, to see whether the basic finding extends to the participants and circumstances

variability

spread of scores throughout the distribution of scores

samples

subsets of a population

psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

psychiatrist

A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practice by physicians who often provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy

counseling psychologist

A branch of psychology that assist people with problems in living and in achieving greater well-being

clinical psychologist

A branch of psychology that assist people with psychological disorders

physiological perspective

A branch of psychology that studies the links between biological and psychological processes

Standard deviation

A computed measure of how much scores very around the mean score

experimental method

A method of scientific investigation involving the manipulation of independent variables and observation of measurement of their effects on the dependant variables under controlled conditions

correlation method

A research method that examines relationships between variables

Random sample

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

Scientific method

A self-correcting process for asking questions and observing nature's answers

correlation coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two things

Survey method

A technique for ascertaining The self-reported attitudes or behaviors or a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by theory