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Unit 1: Foundations

Terms in this set (65)

Mary Whiton Calkins
First woman president of the APA (American Psychological Association) - earned a degree from Harvard under William James, was refused the degree by Harvard.
Charles Darwin
Creator of the idea of "natural selection" - inspiring the field of Evolutionary psychology
Dorothea Dix
Reformer and pioneer in the movement to treat the "insane" as mentally ill, beginning in the 1820's.
Sigmund Freud
Founder of Psychoanalysis (aka "Psychodynamic" theory) - Emphasized the role of the "unconscious"
G. Stanley Hall
American psychologist who established the first psychology research laboratory in the United States and founded the American Psychological Association
William James
Founder of "functionalism" - first to offer a psychology course
Ivan Pavlov
Behavioral psychologist - created "Classical Conditioning" - by training a dog to salivate in response to the sound of a bell
Jean Piaget
developmental psychologist who formulated a 4 stage theory of development for children
Carl Rogers
Humanist Psychologist who created such ideas as "self-concept" "person-centered therapy" and "unconditional positive regard"
B. F. Skinner
Behavioral Psychologist who created "Operant Conditioning" - trained pigeons by giving them positive reinforcement (food) in response to behaviors
Margaret Floy Washburn
First female to be awarded a PhD in psychology; 2nd female president of the APA
John B. Watson
Behavioral psychologist - famous for "Little Albert" infant conditioning experiment, emphasized the role of the environment over the role of genetics.
Wilhelm Wundt
German physiologist who founded psychology as a formal science; opened first psychology research laboratory in 1879
Structuralism
Early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind
Functionalism
A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.
Behaviorism
A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior
Gestalt Psychology
early perspective in psychology focusing on perception and sensation, particularly the perception of patterns and whole figures
Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic Theory
Started by Sigmund Freud - emphasized the role of the unconscious in mental processes and behavior.
Humanistic Psychology
Emphasized the positive potential of human beings
Evolutionary Psychology
the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection
Biological Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
Cognitive Psychology
the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Biopsychosocial Approach
an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Sociocultural Psychology
perspective concerned with how cultural differences affect behavior
Measures of Central Tendency
Ways of calculating "averages" of a set of numbers (mean, median, mode, range)
Mean
"average" - add the numbers, divide by the number of numbers
Median
The middle number in a set of numbers that are listed in order
Mode
the most frequently occurring number(s) in a distribution
Range
the difference between the highest and lowest number in a distribution
Standard Deviation
A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
Positive vs Negative skew
Unimodal vs Bimodal distribution
When should you use median vs mean
Use median if there are (1) extreme outliers, or (2) a skewed distribution. In a normal distribution, mean is usually good to use.
Correlation scores
measured in "r" - numbers range from +1 (perfect positive correlation) to -1 (perfect negative correlation).
Correlation values and "strength" of correlation
Independent Variable
in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied
Dependent Variable
In your experiment, how you measure your group's result
Control Group
In your experiment, the group that does not have the manipulation of the independent variable applied. There is not always a control condition or group.
Experimental Group
In your experiment, the group(s) that do have the manipulation of the independent variable applied
Single Blind
A study where the subjects do not know which condition they are in or the purpose of the experiment, but the experimenter does
Confound
A second variable, in addition to the independent variable, that systematically varies with your groups and can influence the results of the study. Can be fixed with random assignment to groups.
Double Blind
When the subject AND the experimenter don't know what condition they are in (or the purpose of the experiment)
Statistical Significance
The mathematical measure of the likelihood that the results of your experiment were found due to your experimental manipulation than due to chance. Cutoff is generally p<.05 - meaning 5% (or less) probability that the results are due to chance
"alpha"
The given cutoff for "statistical significance" - usually 0.05
Correlation
A measure of the relationship between two sets of variables (e.g. the relationship between alcohol consumption and reaction time)
CORRELATION DOES NOT IMPLY CAUSATION
Just because two variables are CORRELATED, that does not mean one causes the other. It simply means that they are associated in some way.
The relationship between alcohol consumption and driving ability would be an example of a ________ correlation
negative correlation
The relationship between hair length and intelligence would be an example of a ________ correlation
zero correlation
The relationship between time spent studying and score on a test would be an example of a ________ correlation
positive correlation
Theory
A tested set of ideas designed to explain a phenomenon
Hypothesis
An "educated guess" typically stated before an experiment is conducted.
Operational Definition
The process of making what you plan to study measurable and quantifiable for the purpose of experimentation
Replication
The process of repeating an experiment in order to ensure that the results of an experiment were not due to chance or experimenter bias/error.
Case Study
A type of study in which only one individual (or a small number) are studied
Naturalistic Observation
A type of study in which groups of people are watched in their natural environment, rather than in a formal experimental setting
Survey
A method of study that asks self-report questions to each participant
Population
The entire set of people that you intend to study (not just the ones that you actually end up studying)
Sample
The group of people that you actually recruit for your study (not the entire group of people of interest)
Scatterplot
A visual representation of a correlation
Experiment
A method of study involving assigning individuals to at least two different groups (conditions) where only one variable is changed between the conditions.
Random Assignment
A method of assigning individuals to conditions in experiments in which each person has an equal chance of being in any of the conditions (you could do this by drawing names out of a hat, or by flipping coins, etc...)
Placebo Effect
If you BELIEVE that something (i.e. a fake drug, or a "magical bracelet") will work, your mind unconsciously will influence your perceptions and actions to make it... work...
Outlier
A number included in your data set that falls far outside the range, and can skew your results
Meta Analysis
A study that combines the findings of many other studies done on a particular subject.
What is the only type of study that finds causality (cause and effect)?
An experiment
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