PSYCHOLOGY 1100 CSCC FINAL
EXAM REVISION STUDYGUIDE
Psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes.
Psychodynamic Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious
drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that
information to treat people with psychological disorders.
Behavioral Psychology
the scientific study of observable behavior, and its
explanation by principles of learning.
Cognitive Psychology
the scientific study of all the mental activities associated
with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.
Humanistic Psychology
A theoretical view of human nature which stresses a
positive view of human nature and the strong belief in
psychological homeostasis.
Biological Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies the links between
biological (including neuroscience and behavior genetics)
and psychological processes.
Social Psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and
relate to one another.
scientific method
1. observing some phenomenon 2. formulating hypothesis
and prediction 3. testing through empirical research 4.
,drawing conclusions 5. evaluating the theory (evaluations
of conclusions drawn)
external validity
the degree to which an experimental design actually
relfects the real-world issues it is supposed to address
internal validity
the degree to which changes in the dependent variable
are due to the manipulation of the independent variable
reliability
the extent to which a test yields a consistent, reproductive
measure of performance
validity
the extent to which a test measure what it is intended to
measure
hypothesis
an educated guess that derives logically from a theory; a
prediction that can be tested
theory
a broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to
explain observations and to make predictions about future
observations
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
a method of research in the social sciences (such as
sociology or psychology) in which a controlled
experimental factor is subjected to special treatment for
purposes of comparison with a factor kept constant.
Random Assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups
by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences
between those assigned to the different groups.
Independent Variable
, the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable
whose effect is being studied.
Confounding Variable
a factor other than the independent variable that might
produce an effect in an experiment.
Dependent Variable
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in
response to manipulations of the independent variable.
Case Study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in
depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Naturalistic Observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring
situations without trying to manipulate and control the
situation.
Survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or
behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a
representative, random sample of the group.
Correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together,
and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Correlation Coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two things
(from -1 to +1).
Illusory Correlation
the perception of a relationship where none exists.
positive correlation
when the variables move in the same direction, so that if
one variable increases the other variable also increases,
EXAM REVISION STUDYGUIDE
Psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes.
Psychodynamic Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious
drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that
information to treat people with psychological disorders.
Behavioral Psychology
the scientific study of observable behavior, and its
explanation by principles of learning.
Cognitive Psychology
the scientific study of all the mental activities associated
with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.
Humanistic Psychology
A theoretical view of human nature which stresses a
positive view of human nature and the strong belief in
psychological homeostasis.
Biological Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies the links between
biological (including neuroscience and behavior genetics)
and psychological processes.
Social Psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and
relate to one another.
scientific method
1. observing some phenomenon 2. formulating hypothesis
and prediction 3. testing through empirical research 4.
,drawing conclusions 5. evaluating the theory (evaluations
of conclusions drawn)
external validity
the degree to which an experimental design actually
relfects the real-world issues it is supposed to address
internal validity
the degree to which changes in the dependent variable
are due to the manipulation of the independent variable
reliability
the extent to which a test yields a consistent, reproductive
measure of performance
validity
the extent to which a test measure what it is intended to
measure
hypothesis
an educated guess that derives logically from a theory; a
prediction that can be tested
theory
a broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to
explain observations and to make predictions about future
observations
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
a method of research in the social sciences (such as
sociology or psychology) in which a controlled
experimental factor is subjected to special treatment for
purposes of comparison with a factor kept constant.
Random Assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups
by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences
between those assigned to the different groups.
Independent Variable
, the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable
whose effect is being studied.
Confounding Variable
a factor other than the independent variable that might
produce an effect in an experiment.
Dependent Variable
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in
response to manipulations of the independent variable.
Case Study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in
depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Naturalistic Observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring
situations without trying to manipulate and control the
situation.
Survey
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or
behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a
representative, random sample of the group.
Correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together,
and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Correlation Coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two things
(from -1 to +1).
Illusory Correlation
the perception of a relationship where none exists.
positive correlation
when the variables move in the same direction, so that if
one variable increases the other variable also increases,
