Psychology Basics
Define psychology.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
What is the independent variable?
The variable manipulated by the researcher.
What is a positive correlation?
When both variables increase or decrease together.
Name one type of qualitative method.
Interviews, focus groups, observations, case studies.
Define reliability.
Consistency of results (study can be repeated).
Name the 4 goals of psychology.
Describe, explain, predict, control.
What is the dependent variable?
The variable measured as the outcome.
What is a negative correlation?
When one variable increases while the other decreases.
What kind of data does qualitative research produce?
Descriptive data (words, themes, experiences).
Define validity.
Accuracy (study measures what it intends to).
Why is research important in psychology?
It provides empirical evidence and goes beyond common sense.
Identify IV & DV: A researcher tests if caffeine improves memory.
IV = caffeine; DV = memory performance (e.g., recall score).
Example: As stress increases, hours of sleep decrease. What type of correlation?
Negative correlation.
Name one strength of qualitative research.
Rich detail, participant perspective, explores complex issues.
Give one example of reliability without validity.
A bathroom scale that always gives the same wrong result (reliable but not valid).
What is empirical evidence? Give an example.
Data collected through observation/experiments (ex: measuring test scores).
Name one strength and one limitation of experiments.
Strength = shows cause and effect. Limitation = may lack ecological validity or raise ethics concerns.
Why can’t correlation prove causation?
Because a third variable may explain the relationship (correlation ≠ causation).
Name one limitation of qualitative research.
Time-consuming, hard to generalize, researcher bias.
Name 2 ethical principles in psychology.
Examples: informed consent, right to withdraw, confidentiality, debriefing, protection from harm.
What is a theory, and how is it different from a hypothesis?
A theory explains behavior broadly and is based on evidence; a hypothesis is a specific testable prediction.
What is ecological validity, and why might experiments lack it?
Ecological validity = how well results apply to real life. Experiments may lack it because they are often artificial.
Give one example of a spurious (third-variable) correlation.
Example: Ice cream sales and shark attacks (third variable = hot weather).
Design question: How would you study “effects of social media on self-esteem” qualitatively
Example: Conduct interviews with teens about self-esteem and social media; analyze themes.
Why are ethics essential in psychological research?
They protect participants from harm and ensure fairness, integrity, and trust in psychology