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Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Laura King Experience Psychology
54
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
01/18/2013

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Term
psychology
Definition
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Term
science
Definition
the use of systematic methods to observe the natural world, including human behavior, and to draw conclusions
Term
behavior
Definition
everything we do that can be directly observed
Term
mental processes
Definition
the thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly
Term
critical thinking
Definition
the process of thinking deeply and actively, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence; asking ourselves how we know something
Term
empirical method
Definition
gaining knowledge through observation of events and logical reasoning
Term
clinical psychologist
Definition
psychologist who specialize in studying and treating psychological disorders
Term
philosophy
Definition
the rational investigation of the underlying principles of being and knowledge
Term
structuralism
Definition
Wundt’s approach to discovering the basic elements, or structures, of mental processes

method used was introspection
Term
functionalism
Definition
James’s approach to mental processes, emphasizing the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual’s adaptation to the environment

why is human thought adaptive?
Term
natural selection
Definition
an evolutionary process in which organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and produce offspring
Term
biological approach
Definition
a focus on the body, especially the brain and nervous system
Term
neuroscience
Definition
the scientific study of the structure, function, development, genetics, and biochemistry of the nervous system

largest contribution to physiological psychology
Term
behavioral approach
Definition
emphasizes the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants
Term
cognition
Definition
thought processes
Term
psychodynamic approach
Definition
emphasizes unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives (e.g. sex drive) and society’s demands, and early childhood family experiences
Term
psychoanalysis
Definition
involves an analyst’s unlocking a person’s unconscious conflicts by talking with the individual about his or her childhood memories, dreams, thoughts, and feelings
Term
humanistic approach
Definition
emphasizes a person’s positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose one’s destiny
Term
cognitive approach
Definition
emphasizes the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems
Term
evolutionary approach
Definition
adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection are the basis for explaining specific human behaviors
Term
sociocultural approach
Definition
examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior
Term
variable
Definition
anything that can change
Term
theory
Definition
a broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain observations and why certain things have happened
Term
hypothesis
Definition
an educated guess that derives logically from a theory and can be tested
Term
empirical research
Definition
collecting and analyzing data
Term
data
Definition
all the information researchers collect in a study
Term
analyzing
Definition
number crunching
Term
operational definition
Definition
provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a particular study; must be very specific
Term
case study
Definition
case history; an in-depth look at a single individual
Term
correlational research
Definition
tells about the relationships between variables; its purpose is to examine whether and how two variables change together
Term
experience sampling method (ESM)
Definition
using daily diary methodologies to study people in their natural settings
Term
third variable problem
Definition
sometimes another variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two others
Term
confounds
Definition
third variables
Term
longitudinal design
Definition
obtaining measures of the variables of interest in multiple waves over time
Term
experiment
Definition
a carefully regulated procedure in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables that are believed to influence some other variable
Term
random assignment
Definition
researchers assign participants to groups by chance
Term
independent variable
Definition
a manipulated experimental factor
Term
confederate
Definition
a person who is given a role to play in a study so that the social context can be manipulated
Term
dependent variable
Definition
the outcome
Term
experimental group
Definition
participants who receive the drug or other treatment under study
Term
control group
Definition
not exposed to the drug or treatment provides a comparison against which the researcher can test the effects of the independent variable
Term
validity
Definition
soundness of the conclusions
Term
external validity
Definition
the degree to which an experimental design reflects real-world issues
Term
internal validity
Definition
the degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable; whether the experimental methods are free from biases and logical errors
Term
experimenter bias
Definition
occurs when the experimenter’s expectations influence the outcome of the research
Term
demand characteristics
Definition
any aspects of a study that communicate to the participants how the experimenter wants them to behave
Term
confounds
Definition
factors that “ride along” with the experimental manipulation, systematically and undesirably influencing the dependent variable
Term
research participant bias
Definition
occurs when the behavior of research participants during the experiment is influenced by how they think they are supposed to behave or their expectations about what is happening to them
Term
placebo effect
Definition
a harmless substance that has no physiological effect
Term
double-blind experiment
Definition
neither the experimenter administering the treatment nor the participants are aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group until the results are calculated
Term
population
Definition
entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions
Term
sample
Definition
subset of the population chosen by the investigator for study
Term
random sample
Definition
gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected
Term
naturalistic observation
Definition
observing behavior in a real-world setting
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