Foundations of Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
What is psychological science?
Approach that focuses only on observable behavior
What is behaviorism?
The tendency to search for information that confirms existing beliefs
What is confirmation bias?
A systematic process used to answer scientific questions
What is the scientific method?
Anything in a study that can change or vary
What is a variable?
The idea that the mind and body are separate
What is dualism?
Field that studies thinking, memory, and problem solving
What is cognitive psychology?
The “I knew it all along” effect after learning an outcome
What is hindsight bias?
A testable prediction derived from a theory
What is a hypothesis?
The variable manipulated by the researcher
What is the independent variable?
The debate about whether behavior is shaped by genes or environment
What is the nature vs. nurture debate?
Perspective that combines biological, psychological, and social factors
What is the biopsychosocial model?
Large datasets used to detect patterns and trends
What is big data?
Repeating a study to see if the results are consistent
What is replication?
The variable that is measured
What is the dependent variable?
The question of how mental processes relate to physical processes in the brain
What is the mind–body problem?
The idea that different brain areas control different functions
What is localization?
Ethical responsibility in collecting and using data
What is data ethics?
Assigning participants to groups by chance
What is random assignment?
How a variable is measured or defined
What is an operational definition?
The continuous flow of thoughts, feelings, and sensations
What is stream of consciousness?
Approach that focuses on the purpose of mental processes
What is functionalism?
A movement promoting transparency, data sharing, and reproducibility
What is the open science movement?
Selecting participants so they represent the population
What is random sampling?
How well a study measures what it claims to measure
What is construct validity?