Psych Exam 1 Study Guide
What is psychology?
Psychology- a science that seeks answers to age-old questions about why people think, feel, and
act as they do, aiming to separate uniformed opinions from examined conclusions.
Applied vs Basic Research
Basic: understand process and reasons/attempt to answer questions about behavior
Applied: conducted to address practical problems/ useful solutions within a few years
*CAN’T HAVE APPLIED RESEARCH IF YOU DON’T HAVE BASIC*
Scientific Methods and Research Designs:
Case Study: a descriptive research technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in
the hope of revealing universal principles; describes behavior
Correlational: indicates how closely two things vary together, and thus how well either
one predicts the other
A positive correlation (above 0 to +1.00) indicates a direct relationship, meaning that two things
increase together or decrease together. For example, height and weight are positively correlated.
A negative correlation (below 0 to −1.00) indicates an inverse relationship: As one thing
increases, the other decreases. The weekly number of hours spent in TV watching and video
gaming correlates negatively with grades.
Experimental: powerful form of investigation that allows researchers to draw conclusions about
cause and effect relationships between different factors; independent variable, dependent variable,
controlled and cause and effect relationships
Naturalistic Observation: observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations
without trying to manipulate and control the situation; describes behaviors with no explanation
Survey: self-reports in which people answer questions about their behavior or attitudes
Theory: help us explain and predict behavior by offering ideas that organize what we have observed
- Tentative explanation
- A whole body of research
, Hypothesis (predictions): prediction/ idea you can test *testable*
- Operational definition description of how variables will be measured
Independent cause; manipulated variable and Dependent Variables effect; measured variable
Operational definition a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a
research study. [ex: Human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test
measures.
Replication do the study over in hopes of getting the same results
- Reproduction of results
- Partial reproduction, things are repeated
Research Ethics:
Informed Consent: giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to
choose whether they wish to participate
Debriefing: the post experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions to
its participants
Confidentiality: don’t disclose personal information about others to others
Structure, function, and communication of neurons (both
inside a neuron and between neurons)
What is psychology?
Psychology- a science that seeks answers to age-old questions about why people think, feel, and
act as they do, aiming to separate uniformed opinions from examined conclusions.
Applied vs Basic Research
Basic: understand process and reasons/attempt to answer questions about behavior
Applied: conducted to address practical problems/ useful solutions within a few years
*CAN’T HAVE APPLIED RESEARCH IF YOU DON’T HAVE BASIC*
Scientific Methods and Research Designs:
Case Study: a descriptive research technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in
the hope of revealing universal principles; describes behavior
Correlational: indicates how closely two things vary together, and thus how well either
one predicts the other
A positive correlation (above 0 to +1.00) indicates a direct relationship, meaning that two things
increase together or decrease together. For example, height and weight are positively correlated.
A negative correlation (below 0 to −1.00) indicates an inverse relationship: As one thing
increases, the other decreases. The weekly number of hours spent in TV watching and video
gaming correlates negatively with grades.
Experimental: powerful form of investigation that allows researchers to draw conclusions about
cause and effect relationships between different factors; independent variable, dependent variable,
controlled and cause and effect relationships
Naturalistic Observation: observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations
without trying to manipulate and control the situation; describes behaviors with no explanation
Survey: self-reports in which people answer questions about their behavior or attitudes
Theory: help us explain and predict behavior by offering ideas that organize what we have observed
- Tentative explanation
- A whole body of research
, Hypothesis (predictions): prediction/ idea you can test *testable*
- Operational definition description of how variables will be measured
Independent cause; manipulated variable and Dependent Variables effect; measured variable
Operational definition a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a
research study. [ex: Human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test
measures.
Replication do the study over in hopes of getting the same results
- Reproduction of results
- Partial reproduction, things are repeated
Research Ethics:
Informed Consent: giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to
choose whether they wish to participate
Debriefing: the post experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions to
its participants
Confidentiality: don’t disclose personal information about others to others
Structure, function, and communication of neurons (both
inside a neuron and between neurons)
