Critical Thinking
Basic Concepts
Different Types of Study
Test Construction
Approaches to Personality
100
Hypothesis
What is a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
100
Psychology
What is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.
100
Surveys
What is research to collect self-report data from study participants. A survey may focus on factual information about individuals, or it might aim to obtain the opinions of the survey takers.
100
Reliability
What is the degree to which the result of a measurement, calculation, or specification can be depended on to be accurate.
100
Humanistic
What is a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole person. Humanistic psychologists look at human behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving.
200
Principle of Falsifiability
What is: It proposes that for something to be scientific it must be be able to be proven true but also false. If things are falsifiable (able to possibly be proven false) then they can be used in scientific studies and inquiry.
200
Phrenology
What is the detailed study of the shape and size of the cranium as a supposed indication of character and mental abilities.
200
Observational
What is draws inferences from a sample to a population where the independent variable is not under the control of the researcher because of ethical concerns or logistical constraints.
200
Validity
What is the quality of being logically or factually sound; soundness or cogency.
200
Behaviorist
What is a major theory within psychology which holds that behaviors are learned through positive and negative reinforcements.
300
Theory
What is a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.
300
Functionalism
What is a belief in or stress on the practical application of a thing, in particular.
300
Psychological Testing
What is "an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior". The term sample of behavior refers to an individual's performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand.
300
Random Assignment
What is: refers to the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group. Study participants are randomly assigned to different groups, such as the experimental group, or treatment group
300
Cognitive Approach
What is: deals with mental processes like memory and problem solving. By emphasizing mental processes, it places itself in opposition to behaviorism, which largely ignores mental processes.
400
Case Study
What is a process or record of research in which detailed consideration is given to the development of a particular person, group, or situation over a period of time.
400
Biological perspective
What is a way of looking at psychological issues by studying the physical basis for animal and human behavior. It is one of the major perspectives in psychology and involves such things as studying the brain, immune system, nervous system, and genetics.
400
Standardized Testing
What is an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior". The term sample of behavior refers to an individual's performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand.
400
Dependent variable
What is what you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the experiment. The dependent variable responds to the independent variable. It is called dependent because it "depends" on the independent variable. In a scientific experiment, you cannot have a dependent variable without an independent variable.
400
Interactionist Approach
What is a theoretical perspective that derives social processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from human interaction. It is the study of how individuals shape society and are shaped by society through meaning that arises in interactions.
500
Empirical
What is: It is a way of gaining people by means of direct and indirect observation or experience. ..
500
Cognitive perspective
What is: deals with mental processes like memory and problem solving. By emphasizing mental processes, it places itself in opposition to behaviorism, which largely ignores mental processes.
500
Placebo
A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect.
500
Controlled condition
What is: People assigned to the control group serve as the basis of comparison for the people in the experimental condition. Everything in a control condition is the same as the experimental conditions except that the independent variable is absent or held constant.
500
Psychoanalysis
What is a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind and bringing repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind by techniques such as dream interpretation and free association.
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