Unit 1 AP Psychology

Cognitive psychologists are most likely to study

the acquisition of knowledge, planning, and problem solving

Range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

The debate about the relative contributions of biology and experience to human development is most often referred to as what?

the nature-nuture issue

Which of the following demonstrates the need for psychological science?

Our commonsense thinking about human thoughts and behaviors is not always accurate

Self-relfective introspective about the element of experience best describes a technique used by which school of thought in psychology?

Structualism

In a perfectly normal distribution of scores, which of the following statements is true?

The mean, the median and mode are all the same number

skewed distribution

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value

Random Sample

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

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Statistical Significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

Population

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

human factors psychology

an I/O psychology subfield that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use

frequency distribution

an arrangement of data that indicates how often a particular score or observation occurs

A testable prediction that drives research is known as a(n)

hypothesis

Which psychology subfield works with returning veterans that have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Clinical

Confounding Variable

in an experiment, a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect

The science of behavior and mental processes is the definition of which field of study?

psychology

The purpose of random assignment is to

reduce potential confounding variables

cross-sectional study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

Longitudinal Study

research that follows and retests the same people over time

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.

Which school of thought in psychology focused on the adaptive nature of thinking and how our consciousness evolves to meet our needs?

Functionalist

Which subfield of psychology studies worker productivity and implements a program at Motorola that helps increase worker motivation

Industrial and Organizational (IO) Psychology

Which measure of central tendency is most influenced by outliers (data that is extremely different from other data in the set?)

Mean

Which of the following is NOT an ethical principle regarding experimental research on humans?

Participants should always be informed of the hypothesis of the study before they agree to participate

Of the following topics, which would a cognitive psychologist be most likely to study?

Problem-solving strategies in chess

Descriptive Statistics

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation.

Which psychological perspective studies the brain, nervous system, and body chemistry in order to explain behavior?

Biological

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables?

-0.85

Which of the following groups of scores would have the smallest standard deviation>

2, 4, 6, 8, 10

What is the range of the following: 12, 25, 33, 40, 80?

68

In a normal distribution, what percentage of the scores in the distribution falls within one standard deviation on either side of the mean?

68 percent

Scientific Method

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

Which psychological perspective studies how biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors affect behavior?

Biopsychosocial

A psychologist investigates the methods teaches use to enhance student learning. In which of the following subfield is the psychologist most likely working?

Educational Psychology

Which subfield of psychology studies how a label of ADD and ADHD affects the functioning of children in all levels of school

Educational Psychology

"Monday morning quarterbacks" rarely act surprised about the outcome of weekend football games. This tendency to believe they knew how the game would turn out is best explained by which psychological principle?

Hindsight Bias

The study of our human potential for personal growth has been a focus of which psychological perspective?

Humanistic

Which of the following perspectives argues that every person has the potential to become self-actualized?

Humanistic

Which psychological perspective focuses on the future rather than the past and encourages a positive outlook in order to fulfill potential?

Humanistic

IRB

Institutional Review Board, review research in advance to ensure ethical considerations are met

Which of the following represents naturalistic observation?

Researcher observe students's seating patterns in the cafeteria.

A journalism student is writing an article about her school's new cell-phone policy, and she's like to interview a random sample of students. Which of the following is the best example of a random sample?

The writer pulls the names of five students from a hat that contains all students' names. She inteviews the five selected students.

There is a negative correlation between TV watching and grades. What can we conclude from this research finding?

We can conclude that a student who watches a lot of TV is likely to have lower grades

By seeking to measure "atoms of the mind," who established the first psychology laboratory?

Wilhelm Wundt

Counseling Psychology

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being

Developmental Psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

Random Assignment

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

Which of the following kinds of psychologists would most likely explore how we process and remember information?

cognitive

Structuralism

early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

What must a researcher do to fulfill the ethical principle of informed consent?

provide participants with enough information about a study to enable a rational decision about whether to participate

Empirical Evidence

scientific evidence obtained by careful observation and experimentation

Biological Perspective

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes

Psychometrics

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Anonymity

the state of being unknown

experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

Which of the following questions is best investigated by means of a survey?

Are people more likely to vote Republican or Democrat in the next election?

Which subfield of psychology designs a program that helps people stop smoking and focus on healthy choices

Health Psychology

Why is random assignment of participants to groups an important aspect of a properly designed experiment?

If the participants are randomly assigned, the researcher can assume that the people in each group are similar.

Experimental Group

In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Control Group

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

While taking a standardized test with randomly scrambled answers, you noitce that your last four answers have been "c". Which of the following is true concerning the probability of the next answer being "C"?

It is unaffected by previous answers. It is as likely to be "c" as any other answer.

A researcher looking for gender differences in 3-year-olds observes a preschool and compares how many minutes children of each gender play with dolls. What type of descriptive research is she conducting?

Naturalistic observation

Which of the following is a major issue in modern-day psychology?

Nature-Nuture

Which of the following describes the placebo effect?

Participants in a drug study are given an inert pill instead of the drug and behave as though they were given the drug.

Which of the following is an example of negative correlation?

People who spend more time exercising tend to weigh less

Which of the following perspectives suggests that depression is due to the unconscious conflicts and hostile feelings that originate in early childhood?

Psychoanalytic (Psychodynamic)

The belief that human behavior is the result of unconscious drives and conflicts represents which of the following theoretical perspectives?

Psychoanalytic (psychodynamic)

The notion that human behavior is greatly influenced by unconscious thoughts and desires is most consistent with which of the following psychological approaches?

Psychodynamic

Which of the following perspectives would by most likely to examine the unconscious motives of a person who is overly aggressive on the basketball court?

Psychodynamic

Which psychological perspective focuses on how society and culture influences behavior?

Sociocultural

Which subfield of psychology is often hired by professional athletes who have anxiety and fear of failure during performances.

Sports

Psychoanalytic Perspective

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

Clinical Psychology

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Survey Method

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

Case Study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

Naturalistic Observation

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

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.

Why is an operational definition necessary when reporting research findings?

an operational definition allows others to replicate the study.

Gestalt

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

Researchers have discovered that individuals with lower income levels report having fewer hours of total sleep. Therefore,

income and sleep levels are positively correlated

inferential statistics

numerical data that allow one to generalize- to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population

industrial-organizational psychology

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

Experimental Psychology

the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific investigation of basic psychological processes such as learning, memory, and cognition in humans and animals.

Median

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

Debriefing

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

Educational Psychology

the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning

Social-Cultural Perspective

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

Critical Thinking

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

Correlation Study

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

Normal Distribution

A symmetric, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in which many characteristics are dispersed in the population.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Control Variable

A variable that is kept constant during a controlled experiment.

Which psychology perspective suggests that people are more likely to do things with positive outcomes?

Behavioral

Which of the following approaches to psychology emphasizes observable responses over inner experiences when accounting for behavior?

Behaviorist

Which of the following perspective is most likely to address how the encoding, storing, and retrieval of information might alter our thoughts?

Cognitive

Which psychological perspective examines memory, intelligence, perception, problem solving, language, and learning (the internal processes of the mind)?

Cognitive

Which theoretical perspective in psychology attempts to characterize the way in which humans store and process sensory information?

Cognitive

A psychologist works with children whose parents are divorcing. She helps them develop skills they need to cope with the situation. Which of the following psychologists is most likely to be helping with children?

Counseling

Which ethical principle requires that at the end of the study participants be told about the true purpose of the research?

Debriefing

Which subfield of psychology studies the emotional changes that occur as a child matures?

Developmental

Which psychological perspective suggests people behavior in a manner that aids them in survival and reproduction?

Evolutionary

What method should a psychology researcher use if she is interested in testing whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better?

Experiment

Which psychological perspective suggests that people's behavior is influenced by past experiences that influenced the unconscious mind?

Psychodynamic

What subfield of psychology is employed by a testing company to generate a revised form of a intelligence test

Psychometrics

Which subfield of psychology tests students for learning disabilities?

School

Psychodynamic therapy has its roots in the theories of

Sigmund Freud

Which of the following is potential problem with case studies?

The information learned may not apply to the wider population

Which of the following is the best example of applied research?

Using psychological concepts to boost worker productivity

Variance

a difference between what is expected and what actually occurs

Functionalism

an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Psychiatrists differ from psychologists in that they

are medical doctors licensed to prescribe medications

Which psychological perspective is most likely to focus on how our interpretation of a situation affects how we react to it?

cognitive

In a drug study, neither the participants nor the person distributing the pills knows who receiving the new drug and who is receiving the placebo. This type of research design is said to be a(n) ______ study.

double-blind

Placebo

experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent.

Informed Consent

giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

After the student council election, a friend tells you he could have guessed who would be elected president. What psychological phenomenon might this illustrate?

hindsight bias

Humanistic Perspective

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

Independent Variable

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

Dependent Variable

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated

The tendency to exaggerate the correctness or accuracy of our beliefs and predictions are called

overconfidence

replicate

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

Descriptive statistics ______, while inferential statistics _______.

summarizes data; assess if data can be generalized

An evolutionary psychologist would explain that humans desire social interaction, social acceptance, and social affiliation due to a need for

survival

Cognitive Perspective

the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems.

In an experiment to test the effects of room temperature on test performance the independent variable is

the temperature of the room

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).