Nature vs. Nurture
This psychological approach was influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection.
Evolutionary Psychology
This famous study of twins reared apart in the U.S. examined how genetics and environment contribute to personality and behavior.
Minnesota Twin Studies
This is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher.
Independent variable
This method observes behavior in natural environments without interference.
Naturalistic observation
This ethical principle requires participants to agree to take part in a study with full understanding.
Informed Consent
This philosopher believed knowledge is innate- we are born with it.
Plato
These twins develop from a single fertilized egg that splits, making them genetically identical.
Monozygotic twins
This is the variable that is measured as the outcome of an experiment.
Dependent variable
This type of in-depth research looks at a single person or group. Sigmund Freud used it to develop his psychoanalytic theory.
Case Study
This psychologist founded the first psychology lab in 1879.
Wilhelm Wundt
This philosopher argued the mind is a “tabula rasa” or blank slate, shaped entirely by experience.
John Locke
This psychologist concluded from twin studies that intelligence is primarily influenced by genetics.
Thomas Bouchard
This group in an experiment does not get manipulated and serves as a baseline for comparison.
Control Group
This type is expressed in words and descriptions.
Qualitative data
This effect happens when participants change their behavior because they know they’re being observed.
Hawthorne Effect
This error occurs when we attribute others’ behavior to internal factors while ignoring situational ones.
Fundamental Attribution Error
This term describes how much variation in a trait within a group is due to genetics, not environment.
Heritability
This type of definition specifies exactly how a variable will be measured.
This bias happens when a researcher’s expectations influence what they notice or record.
Observer bias
Psychology is the study of... (ABCs)
Affect, Behavior, and Cognition
These two philosophical viewpoints argue that knowledge is either innate or gained through experience.
Rationalism and Empiricism
This field studies how environment and behavior can turn genes “on” or “off” without changing DNA.
Epigenetics
This is an outside factor that might unintentionally affect results.
Confounding variable
This method follows the same individuals over time, while this one compares different groups at a single point.
Longitudinal and Cross-sectional studies
This numerical value, ranging from –1.0 to +1.0, shows both the strength and direction of a relationship between variables.
Correlation coefficient