Unit 1 AP psych

• Psychology


  The scientific study of the mind and behavior
• Individuals who contributed to the field of psychology

  • William Wundt
  • Edward Titchener
  • William James
  • Mary Whiton Calkins
  • Stanley Hall
  • Margaret Floy Washburn
  • Charles Darwin
  • Dorothea Dix
  • Sigmund Freud
  • Ivan Pavlov
  • Jean Piaget
  • Carl Rogers
  • B.F. Skinner
  • John B. Watson
• Structuralism


  • Focuses on different structures of conscious through individual parts
  • Uses introspection to observe oneself
• Functionalism


  • Looks to understand mental and behavioral processes
  • Views structures as evolved functions that work together
• Gestalt psychology


  • Looks at the whole consciousness
  • Includes the study of perception, sensation, learning, and problem solving
  • Focuses on the organizational process instead of just the content of behavior
• Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic


  • Looks at behaviors and mental processes influenced by the ego, id, and superego
  • Uses free association
• Modern perspectives in psychology

  • Early behavioralism
  • Humanistic
  • Sociocultural
  • Evolutionary
  • Biological
  • Cognitive
• Domains of psychology


  • Biological
  • Developmental
  • Cognitive
  • Educational
  • Personality
  • Social
  • Positive
  • Psychometric
  • Industrial/Organizational
  • Counseling
  • Clinical
• Operational definition


  A description for an experiment in terms of procedure, actions, or processes by which it could be observed and measured
• Population


  All the individuals in a group that are being studied
• Sample


  A selected group of people from the population
• Random sampling


  • Each individual in the population has an equal chance of participating
• Stratified sampling


  • The population is divided into different subcategories and a random sample is taken from each subcategory
• Sampling bias


  When the group in the sample does not represent the population
• Representative sample


  The sample group in the study represents all the different people in the population
• Research methods


  • Experiments
  • Correlational studies
  • Surveys
  • Naturalistic observations
  • Case studies
  • Longitudinal studies
  • Cross-sectional studies
• Hypothesis


  A testable prediction or assumption made before research is completed
• Theory


  A statement supported by data from completed research that explains a question, thought, or phenomenon
• Causal relationship


  When one variable (independent variable) causes another variable (dependent variable)
• Confounding variable


  Another variable besides the independent variable that could impact the dependent variable
• Random assignment


  Each participant has an equal chance of being put into the control or experimental group
• Confounding variables


  Other variables besides the independent variable that could impact the dependent variable
• Third variable problem


  When there are other variables impacting an experiment or study that may skew the result
• Minimizing biases and errors in a study or experiment

  1. Random assignment

  2. Single blind study

  3. Double blind study
• Random assignment


  Each participant has an equal chance of being put into the control group or experimental group
• Random sample


  Each person in the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study
• Single blind study


  Participants in an experiment are unaware of which group they're part of
• Double blind study


  The participant and the researcher conducting the experiment are unaware of which group the participants are in
• Placebo effect


  Participants may act differently in a study or experiment because they expect a certain outcome
• Control group


  Also known as the placebo group, given a placebo which is a substance that is as close as possible to the independent variable but is missing a key component
• Experimental group


  The group who receives the independent variable
• Quasi-experiment


  Used in situations where controlled experiments would be impossible to use or would be unethical, do not include random assignment of participants
• Reliability


  The repeatability of a test or study
• Validity


  How well a test measures what it claims to measure
• Einstein bias


  The tendency to think that one could have anticipated the outcome of an event or experiment after it already occurred
• False consensus effect


  Individuals overestimate how many others share their opinions and ideas
• Confirmation bias


  Individuals focus on only specific information that aligns with their viewpoint and ignore conflicting information
• Experimenter or researcher bias

  Researchers unknowingly influence the outcome of the research
• Social desirability or participant bias


  Participants in a study skew their answers to create a more favorable impression of themselves
• Hawthorne effect


  An individual or a participant alters their behavior because they know that they are being observed