chapter 1: what is psychology?

Experimental psychologis

Conduct experiments and specialize in basic processes such as the nervous system, sensation and perception,learning and memory, thought, motivation and emotion.

Organizational psychologist

Focus on the relationship

Industrial psychologist

Focus on the relationship between people and work.

environmental psychologist

Study the ways in which people and the environment influence one another

case study

a carefully drawn biography that may be obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and psychological tests

correlational method

a mathematical method of determining whether one variable increases or decreases as another variable increases or decreases

dependent variable

a measure of an assumed effect of an independent variable

correlation coefficient

a number between 11.00 and 21.00 that expresses the strength and direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between two variables

experiment

a scientific method that seeks to confirm cause-and effect relationships by introducing independent variables and observing their effects on

theory

a set of hypothesized statements about the relationships among events

reinforcment

a stimulus that follows a response and increase the frequency of the response

double-blind study

a study in which neither the subjects nor the observers know who has received the treatment

critical thinking

a way of evaluating the claims and comments of other people that involves skepticism and examination of evidence

correlation

an association or relationship among variables, as we might find between height and weight or between study habits and school grades

forensic psychologist

apply principles of psychology to the criminal justice system.

humanistic-existential perspective

cognitive in flavor, yet emphasizes more the role of subjective (personal) experience .

experimental psychologist

conduct experiments and specialize in basic processes such as the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, thought motivation and emotion.

school psychologist

employed by school systems to assist students with problems that interfere with learning. one focus is that of placement of students in special classes

health psychologist

examine the ways in which behavior and mental processes are related to health.

personality psychologist

focus on identifying and measuring human traits , determining influences on human though processes, feelings, and behavior and explaining psychological disorders

organizational psychologist

focus on the relationship between people and organizations such as buisness

industrial psychologist

focus on the relationship between people and work.

cognitive perspective

having to do with mental processes such as sensation ad perception memory, intelligence, language, though and problem solving.

sport psychologist

help people improve their performance in various sports.

clinical psychology

help people with psychological disorders adjust to the demands of life ( largest subgroup of psychologist)

psychodynamic perspective

help with liberating expression of their unconscious ideas

blind

in experimental terminology, unaware of whether or not one has received a treatment

control groups

in experiments, groups whose members do not obtain the treatment, while other conditions are held constant

experimental groups

in experiments, groups whose members obtain the treatment

educational psychologist

like school psychologist, attempt to facilitate learning but focus on course planning , instructional methods. they focus on motivation, intelligence , testing and student and teacher behavior.

social psychologist

primarily concerned with an individual's thoughts, feelings and behavior and explaining psychological disorders.

human factors psychologist

provide suggestion and create technical systems such as dashboards, computer keyboards ,etc., to be more user friendly

applied research

research conducted in an effort to find solutions to particular problems

pure research

research conducted without concern without for immediate application

the biological perspective

seeks the relationships between the brain, hormones heredity and evolution.

counseling psychologist

similar to clinical , but clients typically have adjustments problems and not serious psychological disorders. more than half of all doctoral students are in programs of clinical and counseling .

existentialism

stresses free choice and personal responsibility

humanism

stresses human capacity, self awareness decision making

consumer psychologist

study the behavior of shoppers in an effort to predict and influence their behavior.

developmental psychologist

study the changes that occur throughout the life span

behaviorism

the school of psychology that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior and studies relationship between stimuli and response.

psychoanalysis

the school of psychology that emphasizes the importance of unconscious motive and conflict as determinants of human behavior .

gestalt psychology

the school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into wholes & to integrate separate stimuli into meaningful patterns.

funtionalism

the school of psychology that emphasizes the uses or functions of the mind rather than the element of experience

structuralism

the school pf psychology that argues that the mind consist of 3 basic elements - sensation , feelings and images. that combine to form experience.

Psychology

the science that studies behavior and mental processes

debrief

to explain the purposes and methods of a completed procedure to a participant