Psychology Ch. 1

Archival Research

Existing data, such as census documents, college records, and newspaper clippings, are examined to test a hypothesis. For example, college records may be used to determine if there are gender differences in academic performances.

Structuralism -

Focused on uncovering the fundamental mental components of perception, consciousness, thinking, emotions and other kinds of mental states and activities.

Hypothesis

- A prediction stated in a way that allows it to be tested. Helps test underlying soundness of theories.

Introspection

- A procedure in which they presented people with a stimulus - such as a bright green object or a sentence printed on a card - and asked them to describe, in their own words and in as much detail as they could, what they were experiencing.

Confederate

- A trained employee of the experimenter. Since emergencies rarely happen, the confederate creates the circumstances that would rarely happen so that experimenters can watch the reaction of the group that is being studied.

Cell phone use and Driving

- Although many people feel that they are perfectly able to talk and drive at the same time, psychological research on attention tells a different story: merely talking on a cell phone (whether hands-free or not) impairs people's driving about as much as if they were legally drunk because the driver's attention is taken away from the road and focused instead on the conversation.

Debriefing

- An explanation of the study and the procedures that were involved that is given to the participants after the participation of the study.

Case Study

- An in-depth, intensive investigation of a single individual or a small group. Often includes a psychological testing, a procedure in which a carefully designed set of questions is used to gain some insight into the personality of the individual or group.

Variables

- Behaviors, events, or other characteristics that can change, or vary, in some way.

Theories

- Broad explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest, provides framework for understanding the relationships among a set of otherwise unorganized facts or principles.

Control vs. Experimental

- By employing both experimental and control groups in an experiment, researchers are able to rule out the possibility that something other than the experimental manipulation produced the results observed in the experiment.

Where Psychologist work

- Colleges/Universities, government, businesses

Functionalism

- Concentrated on what the mind does and how behavior functions. Asks what role behavior plays in allowing people to adapt to their environments. Examines how behavior allows people to satisfy their needs and how our "stream of consciousness" permits us to adopt to our environment.

Neuroscience Perspective

- Considers how people and non-humans function biologically: how individual nerve cells are joined together, how the inheritance of certain characteristics from parents and other ancestors influences behavior, how the functioning of the body affects hopes and fears, which behaviors are instinctual, and so forth.

4 Goals of Psychology

- DEPI 1. Describe Behavior 2. Explain Behavior 3. Predict Behavior 4. Improve and change lives

Gestalt Psychology

- Emphasizes how perception is organized. Studies how people consider individual elements together as units or wholes. Proposes that our perception or understanding of objects is greater and more meaningful that the individual elements that make up or perceptions.

Cognitive Perspective

- Focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world. Emphasis on learning how people comprehend and represent the outside world within themselves and how our ways of thinking about the world influence our behavior.

Behavioral Perspective

- Grew out of a rejection of psychology's early emphasis on the inner workings of the mind. Behaviorist suggested that the field should focus on observable behavior that can be measured objectively.

Nature vs. Nurture

- How much of people's behavior is due to the genetically determined nature and how much is due to nurture (the influences of the physical and social environment in which a child is raised.

Population vs. Sample

- If the sample of the individuals or group being surveyed is not representative of the broader general population, the margin of error increases and the accuracy of the survey decreases.

Positive Correlation

- Indicates that as a value of one variable increases, we can predict that the value of the other variable will also increase.

Founding of Psychology

- Psychology formally began during the late 19th century (1879) in Leipzig, Germany by Wilhelm Wundt when he established the first experimental laboratory devoted to psychological phenomena.

Diffusion of Responsibility

- The greater the number of bystanders in an emergency situation, the smaller the share of responsibility each person feels and the less likely it is that any single person will come forward to help.

Role of Ethical Guidelines

- The role of ethical guidelines is to safeguard the protection of participants from physical and mental harm, the right of participants to privacy regarding the behavior, the assurance that participation in research is completely voluntary, and the necessity of informing participants about the nature of procedures before their participation in the experiment.

Definition of Psychology

- The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Operational Definition

- The translation of a hypothesis into specific, testable procedures that can be measured and observed.

Survey Research

- Where a sample of people chosen to represent a larger group of interest (a population) is asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes.

Correlational Study

- Where two sets of variables are examined to determine whether they are associated, or "correlated."

Locke and Tabula Rasa

A 17th century British philosopher by the name of John Locke believed that children were born into the world with minds like "blind slates" (tabula rasa in Latin) and that their experiences determined what kind of adults they would become.

Informed Consent

A document signed by participants affirming that they have been told the basic outlines of study and are aware of what their participation will involve, what risks the experiment may hold, and the fact that their participation is purely voluntary and they may terminate it at any time.

Placebo & Its Purpose

A false treatment, such as a pill, drug, or other substance, without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient. Any differences in the outcome can be attributed to the quality of the drug and not to the possible psychological effects of being administered a pill or other substance.

Replication

Research that is repeated, sometimes using other procedures, settings, and groups of participants, to increase confidence in prior findings.

Humanistic Perspective

Suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior. Also maintains that each of us has the capacity to seek and reach fulfillment.

Negative Correlation

Tells us that as a value of one variable increases, the value of the other decreases.

Double Blind

The practice of keeping both the experimenter and the participant "blind" to the nature of the drug that is being administered so that researchers can more accurately assess the effects of the drug.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated by an experimenter.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured and is expected to change as a result of changes caused by the experimenter's manipulation of the independent variable.

Statistical Significance

Using statistical analysis, researchers can determine whether a numeric difference is a real difference or is due merely to chance. Only when differences between groups are large enough that statistical tests show them to be significant is it possible for researchers to confirm a hypothesis.

Naturalistic Observation

Where the investigator observes some naturally occurring behavior and does not make a change in the situation.

What kind of work they do

do - Teach, provide therapy, conduct research, work in special programs such as head start and D.A.R.E.

Control Group

A group participating in an experiment that receives no treatment.

Experimental Group

Any group participating in an experiment that receives a treatment.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Proponents of the Psychodynamic perspective argue that behavior is motivated by inner forces and conflicts about which we have little awareness or control. Views dreams and slips of the tongue as indications of what a person is truly feeling within a seething cauldron of unconscious psychic activity. Developed by Sigmund Freud.