 | Term | Definition |
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naturalistic observation |
observing and recording behavior naturally without trying to manipulate and control the situation |
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scientific method tab |
an approach or technique employed by scientists which relies on a series of steps to gather knowledge |
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feminist theory |
views on the social roles of men and women in society |
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gestalt psychology |
viewpoint that states people perceive and experience objects as whole patterns |
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placebo |
typically a pill that is used as a control in the experiment; a sugar pill |
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existential psychology |
thought that focuses on meaninglessness and alienation and how it leads to psychological problems |
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survey research |
the measurement of public opinion through the use of sampling and questioning |
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independent variable |
the item controlled by the experimenter and applied to the subject in order to determine its effect on the subjects reaction; variable that is manipulated |
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gender |
the characteristics, either biologically or socially influenced, which people use to define male or female |
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evolutionary psychology |
the application of principles of development including natural selection, to explain the psychological phenomenon |
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correlational research |
technique that studies the natural relationship between two variables |
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double-blind procedure |
technique in which neither the persons involved for those conducting the experiment know in what group to participate is involved |
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control group |
subjects and not exposed to a changing variable in an experiment |
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experimental group |
subjects exposed to a changing variable in experiment |
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psychology |
study of human and animal behavior and mental processes; a science |
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random sample |
selection of a part of the population without reason; participation is by chance |
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representative sample |
selection of a part of the population which mirrors the current demographics |
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sample |
selected part of the population to participate in collecting data |
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humanistic psychology |
Rogers; school of thought that stresses that people are inherently good and must be allowed to reach its highest capability |
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functional list theory |
William James; school of thought that focuses on mental/behavioral processes as functions |
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cognitive psychology |
school of thought that studies mental processes in its broadest sense |
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behaviorism |
Watson; Skinner; school of thought that emphasizes scientific study of observable behaviors |
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psychodynamic theories |
Freud, Adler, Jung, Horney, Erikson; school of thought arguing that behavior results from factors within the individual which are often outside of the conscious awareness |
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response bias |
preconceived notions of a person answering [a survey] which may alter the experiments purpose |
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participants or subjects |
individuals who are involved in the research |
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dependent variable |
in an experiment the item that is measured to see the changes in the other variable; variable not manipulated |
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experimenter bias |
expectation of the person conducting an experiment which may be affect the outcome |
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observer bias |
expectations of an observer which may distort an authentic observation |
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culture |
enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and tradition shared by a large group of people and transmitted from generation to generation |
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sexual orientation |
correction of a person's emotional and erotic attraction towards sex, same-sex, or both sexes |
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structuralism |
developed by Wundt and Titchener; this school of thought emphasizes the most basic components of mental processes |
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gender stereotype |
beliefs or expectations they will hold about the typical characteristics and behavior of men and women |
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gender roles |
behaviors, attitudes, and personality traits that are expected as either masculine or feminine in the given culture |
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pseudoscience |
an unscientific system which pretends to discover psychological information that his means are unscientific or deliberately fraudulent |
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hypothesis |
an assumption that can be tested |
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theory |
a tentative explanation that tries to integrate an account for data |
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experimental method |
a technique used to demonstrate cause and effect by purposely manipulating circumstances and measuring the final effect |
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race |
physical characteristics; a subpopulation of a species defined by an identifiable characteristic such as geographic location, hair texture, genes, etc. experiment |
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experiment |
a series of observations carried out under controlled conditions for the purpose of testing assumptions |
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ethnic identity |
cultural; a person's awareness of being a member of a subpopulation of a species |
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case study |
a highly detailed description of a single individual or a vent |
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ethnicity |
cultural characteristics; a common cultural heritage, including religion, language, and/or ancestry, that is shared by a group of individuals |
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positive psychology |
in emerging Theo psychology that focuses on positive experiences; includes subjective well-being, self-determination, the relationship between positive emotions and physical health, and the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to boorish |
