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Unit 0 Psych Vocab

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Term
Definition
Applied Research   Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.  
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Behaviorism   view that psychology (1) should be an objective science and that (2) it studies the behavior without reference to mental processes. Most researchers agree with one and not two.  
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Bimodal Distribution   When there are two clearly separate groups in a distribution.  
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Biopsychosocial Approach   Integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.  
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Case Study   an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.  
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Central Tendency   Summary measure that attempts to describe a set of data with a single value representing the middle.  
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Clinical Psychology   branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.  
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Cognitivism   theoretical framework where humans learn from thinking and processes of the mind.  
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Confidentiality   the state of keeping secret/private  
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Confirmation Bias   tendency to search for information that supports preconceptions and ignores contradictory evidence.  
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Confounding Variable   factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.  
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Control Group   in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment and serves as a baseline  
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Convenience Sampling   non-probability sampling where subjects are chosen due to ease of access.  
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Correlation Coefficient   statistical index of the relationship between two things (-1 to +1)  
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Correlational Study   type of research design that looks at relationships between two or more variables  
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Counseling Psychology   Focuses on assisting people in living (school, work, marriage, etc.) and in greater well-being.  
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Critical Thinking   Does not blindly accept but examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.  
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Culture   the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted through generations.  
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Debriefing   post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions to its participants.  
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Deception   when researchers lie or intentionally mislead subjects about a key aspect of research.  
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Dependent Variable   outcome factor; may change in response to manipulation of the independent variable.  
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Descriptive Statistics   organize/summarize a dataset; mean, median, mode, variance, etc.  
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Determinism   free will is an illusion; behavior determined by pre-existing conditions/causes  
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Developmental Psychology   branch that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout lifespan.  
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Double Blind   neither the researchers nor the subjects know whether a participant is getting the treatment or a placebo.  
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Eclectic   Approach to psychotherapy which uses techniques from various forms of therapy  
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Educational Psychology   study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.  
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Effect Size   tells you how meaningful the relationship between variables or the difference between groups is, how large an impact a trait has on outcome  
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Empiricism   view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation  
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Ethics   moral rules that must be followed  
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Evolutionary Psychology   study of roots of behavior and mental processes using principles of natural selection.  
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Experimental Group   group exposed to the treatment, to one version of the independent variable.  
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Experimental Psychology   study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method  
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Experimentation   series of observations under controlled conditions to study a relationship to draw causal inferences.  
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Experimenter Bias   unintentional influence of researcher's expectations, beliefs, or ideas on the outcome of a study or research experiment.  
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Falsifiable   logical possibility that an assertion, hypothesis, or theory can be shown to be false by an observation or experiment.  
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Functionalism   school of psychology focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function.  
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Hindsight Bias   tendency to believe, after the fact, that an outcome could be predicted  
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Histogram   graph of continuous data using bars of different heights.  
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Human Factors   branch of psychology that explores how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use (their relationship with humans)  
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Humanistic   humans are unique beings and should be treated as such; stress free will. self efficacy; and self-actualization.  
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Hypothesis   a testable prediction, often implied by a theory  
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Illusory Correlation   perception of a relationship where none exists.  
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Independent Variable   experimental factor that's manipulated; variable whose effect is being studied.  
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Industrial-Organizational Psychology   the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimize human behavior in workplaces.  
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Inferential Statistics   ways of analyzing data that allow the researcher to make conclusions about whether a hypothesis was supported by the result.  
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Informed Consent   ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate.  
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Institutional Review   federally-mandated, locally administered groups that evaluate risks and benefits of human participant research.  
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Introspection   the examination of one's conscious thoughts and feelings.  
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Likert Scales   rating scale that quantitatively assesses opinions, attitudes, or behaviors (questionnaire).  
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Mean   arithmetic average of a distribution  
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Median   meddle score of a distribution  
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Meta Analysis   procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies  
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Mode   Most frequently occurring score in a distribution  
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Naturalistic Observation   observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate/control the situation  
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Negative Skewed Distribution   data with long left tail  
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Neuroscientific (Biological)   branch of psychology that deals with how biological and chemical processes make the brain and nervous system function and how brain structures and neural circuits impact a patient  
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Nondeterminism   other things that are not outside factors affect human behavior; free will exists.  
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Normal Curve   Normal distribution with symmetry at the measure of center  
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Null Hypothesis   hypothesis where no relationship exists  
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Operational Definition   specifies concrete, replicable procedures designed to represent a construct.  
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Overconfidence   type of cognitive bias where people think they are better at something than they actually are.  
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Percentile Rank   percent of scores that are less than or equal to a specific score.  
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Peer Review   evaluation of work by others in the same field.  
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Personality Psychology   examines personality and its variation; aims to show why we're different due to psychological forces.  
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Placebo   substance/treatment with no effect to test efficacy of a treatment  
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Population   the items being studied; what does your sample represent?  
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Positive Skewed Distribution   a data with a long right tail  
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Psychiatry   medicine devoted to diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental illness.  
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Psychoanalytic   theories and treatments/techniques for treating mental disorders that deal with the UNCONCIOUS MIND based on the theory that our present is shaped by our past.  
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Psychology   The study of the human mind and its functions with a focus on behavior.  
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Psychometrics   study within psychology; theory and techniques of measurement for mental capacities and processes.  
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Qualitative Research   gather non-numerical data (attitudes/beliefs/motivations)  
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Quantitative Research   gather numerical data and analyze it with statistical methods.  
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Random Assignment   every participant has an equal chance of being experimental or control group  
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Random Sample   Every subject of a population has an equal chance of being selected (helps ensure data is representative of the population)  
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Range   area of variation between upper and lower data points  
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Regression Towards the Mean   following a random extreme event, the following is likely to be less extreme, outliers in data become more moderate upon retesting  
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Replicate   repetition of an experiment or trial for better results  
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Research Confederates   person who acts as a participant in an experiment but is actually working for the researchers  
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Sampling Bias   Samples selected do not accurately represent the population for non random reasons  
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Self-Report Bias   when subjects lie on a questionnaire (to make good impression or because they are unsure)  
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Scatter Plot   graph that plots data as points on x and y axis  
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Single Blind   Test/experiment where info that might lead to bias/treatment is concealed from either the researcher or the subject  
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Social-Cultural Psychology   studies how culture and society influence how people think, behave, and interact with each other  
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Social Desirability Bias   Form of response bias where respondents answer in a way that will make them look better to others  
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Social Psychology   study of your mind and behavior in social situations; look at personality, relationships, and group behavior.  
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Standard Deviation   measure of amount of deviation from the mean  
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Statistical Significance   expression of how rare your results are based on an assumption of the null; smaller=more rare  
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Structuralism   first school of psychology; focused on breaking down the structure of the brain/breaking down processes into simple components  
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Structured Interviews   quantitative research method where interviewer has a set of predetermined close-ended questions  
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Survey   asking participants questions to collect info on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors  
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Theory   research-based set of ideas to summarize and explain mental and behavioral patterns in context of culture and society  
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Validity   test measures exactly what it aims to, with accurate data that represents some generalizable truth  
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Variation   existence of qualitative differences in form, structure, behavior, and physiology among a population  
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