Psych 201 NVCC - Exam 1

Wilhelm Wundt established the 1st psychology laboratory and conducted the first psychology experiment in December 1879. He was seeking to measure "atoms of the mind" - the fastest and simplest mental processes.

an early school of psychology that used introspection (self-reflection/looking inward) to explore the structural elements of the human mind introduced by Edward Bradford TITCHENER in 1892.

_____ is a self-reflective (looking inward) method introduced by Titchener that aimed to discover the structural elements of the mind by training people to report elements of their experiences.

It proved to be unreliable; results varied from person to person and experience to experience; required smart verbal people; recollection's frequently erred.

a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish introduced by William JAMES. pg 3

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).

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

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems; one of the 3 main subfields of psychology; is sometimes conducted by industrial/organizational psychologist.

-pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base;

-one of the 3 main subfields of psychology;

-reasearch is performed by biological, developmental, cognitive, personality and social psychologists

perspective in psychology that examines how much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences

perspective in psychology whose focus in on how we learn observable responses

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).

an integrated approach (viewpoint) that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis and offers a more complete picture of any given behavior or mental process

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

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).

perspective in psychology that focuses on how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

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

perspective in psychology whose focus is on how natural selection of traits promoted the survival of genes

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

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

the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon.

the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture

perspective in psychology that focuses on how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.

perspective in psychology that emphasizes how behavior springs from unconscious desires

the science of behavior and mental processes.

a study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse, Review

perspective in psychology that focuses on how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind.

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

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

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

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

helps us figure how closely two things vary together, and thus how well either one predicts the other.

research method used to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another

-Conducted by computing statistical association, sometimes among survey responses;
-nothing is manipulated;
-it does not specify cause and effect.

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

1. the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions, shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable. (AKA: control group)

research method used to observe and record behavior.

- conducted by using case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observation

-nothing is manipulated

-has no control of variables; single cases may be misleading

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.

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors

in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment; ...(uses the independent variable)

a research method used to determine cause and effect

-conducted by manipulating (the independent variables) one or more factors; and uses random assignment

- Weaknesses: sometimes not feasible; results may generalize to other contexts; not ethical to manipulate certain variables.

1. the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.)

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

the perception of a relationship where none exists

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied (uses the experimental group)

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

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

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

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

a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes

a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures

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

all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn. (Note: Except for national studies, this does not refer to a country's whole population.

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

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

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

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

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation).

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

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

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

1. EXPLAINS- through a set of principles that
2. ORGANIZES OBSERVATIONS and
3. PREDICTS behaviors or events