AP Psych Summer Vocab
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70 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 case study | an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in hope of revealing universal principles |
| control condition | condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of treatment |
| correlation coefficient | statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus, of how well either one factor predicts another |
| critical thinking | does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Examines assumptions, discerns, hidden values, evaluates evidence and assessed conclusions |
| culture | the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next |
| dependent variable | the experimental factor that is being measured; the variable that may change in response to the manipulations of the independent variable |
| double-blind procedure | experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received a placebo |
| experiment | a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process |
| experimental condition | condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, to one version of the independent variable |
| false consensus effect | tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors |
| hindsight bias | "I knew it all along" phenomenon |
| hypothesis | a testable prediction, often implied by a theory |
| illusory correlation | a perceived, non-existent correlation |
| independent variable | the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied |
| inferential statistics | statistics that can determine whether or not findings can be applied to the larger population from which the sample was selected |
| mean | average of distribution |
| median | middle score of distribution |
| mode | most frequently occurring score in a distribution |
| naturalistic observation | observing and recording behaviors in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation |
| operational definition | statement of the procedures used to define research variables |
| overconfidence | our tendency to overestimate what we know |
| placebo effect | experimental results caused by expectations alone |
| population | all the cases in a group from which samples may be drawn for a study |
| random assignment | assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups |
| random sample | fairly represents a population |
| range | difference between the highest and lowest scores |
| replication | repeating a research study in different situations to see if the basic findings extend to other circumstances and findings |
| scatter plot | a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. the slope of the points suggests the direction the relationship between the two variables. the amount of scatter suggest the strength of the correlation |
| standard deviation | computed measure of how much scores vary about the mean score |
| statistical significance | statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance |
| stratified sampling | a process that allows a researcher to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria |
| survey | a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them |
| theory | an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations |
| acoustic encoding | the encoding of sound, especially the sound of words |
| amnesia | the loss of memory |
| automatic processing | unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time and frequency, and of well-learned information such as word meanings |
| chunking | organizing items into familiar, manageable units, often occurs automatically |
| deja vu | the eerie sense that "I've experienced this before" cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience |
| echoic memory | a momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds |
| effortful processing | encoding that requires attention and conscious effort |
| encoding | the processing of information in the memory system |
| explicit memory | memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare" |
| flashbulb memory | a clear memory of an emotionally significant moment of event |
| iconic memory | a momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli: a photographic or picture-image memory last no more than a few tenths of a second |
| imagery | mental picture; a powerful aid to effortful processing, especially when combined with semantic encoding |
| implicit (procedural) memory | retention independent of conscious recollection |
| long-term memory | the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system |
| long-term potentiation | an increase in a synapse's firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation. believed to be neural basis for learning and memory |
| memory | the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information |
| misinformation effect | incorporating misleading information into one's memory of ane vent |
| mnemonics | memory aids, especially those techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices |
| mood congruent memory | the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one's current good or bad mood |
| priming | the activation, of unconsciously, of a particular associations in memory |
| proactive interference | the disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information |
| procedural memory | memories of skills and how to perform them |
| recall | a measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test |
| recognition | a measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned, as on a multiple choice test |
| rehearsal | the conscious repetition of information, wither to maintain it in consciousness or to encode it for storage |
| relearning | memory measure that assessed the amount of time saved when learning material for a second time |
| repression | in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings and memories |
| retrieval | the process of getting information out of memory storage |
| retroactive interference | the disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information |
| semantic encoding | the encoding of meaning, including the emaning of words |
| sensory memory | the immediate, initial recording of sensory information in the memory system |
| serial position effect | our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list |
| short-term memory | activated memory that holds a few items briefly, such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before the information is stored or forgotten |
| source amnesia | attributing to the wrong source an event that we have experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined |
| spacing effect | the tendency for distribution study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice |
| storage | the retention of encoded information over time |
| visual encoding | the encoding of picture images |
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