 | Term | Definition |
| |
scientific method |
the orderly, systematic procedures that researchers follow as they identify a research problem, design a study to investigate the problem, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and communicate their findings |
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theory |
a general principle or set of principles proposed to explain a number of separate facts are related |
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replication |
the process of repeating a study with different participants and preferably a different investigator to verify research findings |
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structuralism |
the first formal school of thought in psychology, which endeavored to analyze the basic elements, or structure, of conscious mental experience |
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functionalism |
an early school of psychology that was concerned with how humans and animals use mental processes in adapting to their environment |
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behaviorism |
the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson that views observable, measurable behavior as the appropriate subject matter for psychology and emphasizes the key role of environment as a determinant of behavior |
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psychoanalysis |
the term Freud used for both his theory of personality and his therapy for the treatment of psychological disorders; the unconscious is the primary focus of psychoanalytic theory |
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humanistic psychology |
the school of psychology that focuses on the uniqueness of human beings and their capacity for choice, growth, and psychological health |
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cognitive psychology |
the school of psychology that views humans as active participants in their environment; studies mental processes such as memory, problem solving, decision making, perception, language, and other forms of cognition |
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gestalt psychology |
the school of psychology that emphasizes that individuals perceive objects and patters as whole units and that the perceived whole is more than the sum of its parts |
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information-processing theory |
an approach to the study of mental structures and processes that uses the computer as a model for human thinking |
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critical thinking |
the process of objectively evaluating claims, propositions, and conclusions to determine whether they follow logically from the evidence presented |
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descriptive research methods |
research methods that yield descriptions of behavior |
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naturalistic observation |
a descriptive research method in which researchers observe and record behavior in its natural setting, without attempting to influence or control it |
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laboratory observation |
a descriptive research method in which behavior is studied in a laboratory setting, where researchers can exert more control and use more precise equipment to measure responses |
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case study |
a descriptive research method in which a single person or a number or a small number of individuals are studied in great depth, usually over an extended period of time |
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survey |
a descriptive research method in which researchers use interviews and/or questionnaires to gather information about the attitudes, beliefs, experiences, or behaviors of a group of people |
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population |
the entire group of interest to researchers, to which they wish to generalize their findings; the group from which a sample is selected |
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sample |
a part of a population that is studied in order to reach conclusions about the entire population |
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representative sample |
a sample that mirrors the population of interest; it includes important subgroups in the same proportions as they are found in that population |
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correlational method |
a research method used to establish the degree of relationship (correlation) between two characteristics, events, or behaviors |
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correlation coefficient |
a numerical value that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables; ranges from +1.00 (a perfect positive correlation) to -1.00 (a perfect negative correlation). |
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experimental method |
the only research method that can be used to identify cause-effect relationships between two or more conditions or variable |
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hypothesis |
a prediction about a cause-effect relationship between two or more variables |
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independent variable |
in an experiment, a factor or condition that is deliberately manipulated in order to determine whether it causes any change in another behavior or condition |
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dependent variable |
the factor or condition that is measured at the end of an experiment and is presumed to vary as a result of the manipulations of the independent variables |
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experimental group |
in an experiment, the group that is exposed to an independent variable |
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control group |
in an experiment, a group similar to the experimental group that is exposed to the same experimental environment but is not given the treatment; used for purposes of comparison |
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confounding variables |
factors or conditions other than the independent variables that are not equivalent across groups and could cause differences among the groups with respect to the dependent variable |
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selection bias |
the assignment of participants to experimental or control groups in such a way that systematic differences among the groups are present at the beginning of the experiment |
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random assignment |
the process of selecting participants for experimental and control groups by using a chance procedure to guarantee that each participant has an equal probability of being assigned to any of the groups; a control for selection bias |
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placebo effect |
the phenomenon that occurs in an experiment when a participant's response to a treatment is due to his or her expectations about the treatment itself rather than to the treatment itself |
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placebo |
an inert or harmless substance given to the control group in a experiment as a control for the placebo effect |
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experimenter bias |
a phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's preconceived notions or expectations in some way influence participants' behavior and/or the researcher's interpretation of experimental results |
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double-blind technique |
a procedure in which neither the participant nor the experimenter knows who is in the experimental and control groups until after the data have been gathered; a control for experimental bias |
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psychological perspectives |
general points of view used for explaining people's behavior and thinking, whether normal or abnormal |
