AP Psych U1 Vocab Terms

scientific study of behavior and mental processes in both humans and animals

anything an organism does; direct observable action

internal, subjective experiences

structuralism, father of modern psychology, first psychology experiment

first president of the American Psychological Association

first woman to complete her PhD in psychology

functionalism, father of American psychology, wrote ‘Principles of Psychology’

evolutionary perspective, natural selection / evolution principles in ‘on the origin of species’

first female president of the APA, denied PhD because of her gender

advocate for the mentally ill, created first mental hospitals across US and Europe

psychoanalytic perspective, father of psychoanalysis, psychosexual stages, dream analysis

behavioral perspective, classical conditioning

behaviorism/behavioral perspective, operant conditioning, schedules of reinforcement

behaviorism / Behavioral perspective, aversive conditioning

cognitive perspective, 4 stages of child cognitive development

humanistic perspective, client centered therapy

mental processes exist because they serve an evolutionary purpose, they aid in survival & reproduction; theorized by charles darwin & william james

emphasizes behavior is determined by your past experiences that are left in the unconscious mind and childhood experiences; theorized by sigmund freud

focuses on internal processes of the mind influencing behavior; theorized by albert bandura

the influence of genetics and brain chemistry (physical & biological processes); theorized by william james

focuses on society and culture in terms of our behavior and shaping cognition; theorized by lev vygotsky

focuses on observable behaviors, people / animals are controlled by their environment, positive/negative consequences; theorized by john b. watson

human capacity for choice and growth, motivation for people to fulfill their potential; theorized by Carl Rogers

overarching perspective, integrates biological, psychological and social forces

use of techniques and ideas from a variety of perspectives

widely recognized as the beginning of the science of psychology; prehistory in philosophy and physiology

“what the mind is” — emphasized structure of basic elements of the mind through introspection

“to look within” — self-reflection; objectively examining one’s own thoughts

“what the mind does” — focused on everyday life functions; how we use our mind to adapt to our environment

states that physical processes shape behavior

section of psychology focused on treating mental, emotional and behavioral disorders

studies the mental processes associated with thinking, knowing, and communicating

focuses on personal issues that are not classified as mental disorders

studies social, physical and cognitive changes throughout the lifespan

study of how psychological approaches can impact and improve learning and teaching

uses the experimental method to examine relationships between behavior and mind

studies the relationships b/w work & people in order to help companies increase productivity, boost morale, and select + train employees

the study of how personality affects the way people think and behave

focuses on psychological measurement and in concerned w/ the design of psychological examinations

studies how humans are influenced by one another and how we relate and think about each other

focuses on making human existence more fulfilling, rather than focusing on treatment of mental illness

builds psychology’s knowledge and applied research is application of existing knowledge in the real world

organized sets of concepts that explain phenomena

prediction of how two or more factors are likely to be related

repetition of the methods used in a previous experiment to see whether the same methods will yield the same results

consistency or repeatability of results

extent to which an instrument measures or predicts what it is supposed to measure or predict

examine one person or group in depth

describes behavior in its most natural state without interference or intervention

self-report data, questions influenced by wording

gives every member of a population an equal chance of being selected for the sample

variables move in same direction

variables move in opposite directions

the variable which is manipulated in a controlled experiment (cause)

the behavior or mental process that is measured in an experiment (effect)

the treatment group (the group being watched/experimented)

comparison group (for experimental group)

assigning participants to the control or experimental group to help establish cause and effect

factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study’s results

a description of the specific procedure used to determine the presence of a variable

researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained

seems to be a “real” medical treatment but it isn’t

when participants don’t know if they get the treatment or the placebo

when both researchers and participants know who received the treatment or placebo

describes sets of data

draw conclusions about the sets of data

average value of numbers in a data set

middle value of numbers in a data set

occurs most in a data set

difference between largest and smallest value in a data set

how values vary around the mean

how likely that a result occurred by chance (p value less than .05)

rules of conduct

review proposals for research, approval needed for experiment

ensures that the highest animal welfare standards are maintained

all subjects given necessary information to decide to participate in study, or not

experimenter tells the subject more information about the study’s purpose and procedures after the study is completed

establishes and enforces ethic codes