PSYCh. 2 Terms
empiricism - ANS the approach in which psychologists gain accurate knowledge about behavior
and mental processes only by observing the world and measuring aspects of it
four primary goals of science - ANS description, prediction, control, and explanation
goals of psychological science - ANS describe what a phenomenon is, predict when it will
occur, control what causes it to occur, and explain why it occurs
research - ANS a scientific process that involves the careful collection, analysis, and
interpretation of data
data - ANS a collection of measurements gathered during the research process
scientific method - ANS a systematic and dynamic procedure of observing and measuring
phenomena, used to achieve the goals of description, prediction, control, and explanation; it
involves an interaction among research, theories, and hypotheses
theory - ANS a model of interconnected ideas or concepts that explains what is observed and
makes predictions about future events; based on empirical evidence
produce a wide variety of hypotheses, theory should be falsifiable - ANS attributes of a good
theory
hypotheses - ANS a specific, testable prediction, narrower than the theory it is based on
falsifiable - ANS able to be disproven by experimental results
"Interpretation of Dreams" - ANS Freud's treatise that outlined the theory that all dreams
represent the fulfillment of an unconscious wish
Jean Piaget - ANS proposed theory of cognitive development occurring in a fixed series of
stages from birth to adolescence
William of Occam - ANS proposed that when two competing theories exist to explain the same
phenomenon, the simpler of the two theories is generally preferred
Occam's Razor - ANS Simpler explanations are more likely to be true than complex ones
frame a research question, conduct a literature review, form a hypothesis, design a study,
conduct the study, analyze the data, and report the results. - ANS How to test a hypothesis
, naturalistic observation - ANS observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring
situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
survey - ANS the collection of data by having people answer a series of questions
cyclical - ANS relating to a theory formulated based on evidence from many observations and
refined based on hypothesis tests
reproducibility project - ANS project in which researchers are trying to reproduce the findings of
100 experimental and correlational articles in psychology
critical studies - ANS directly contrast theories to see which theory better explains the data
descriptive research - ANS research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that
behavior objectively and systematically
variable - ANS something in the world that can vary and that a researcher can manipulate
(change), measure (evaluate), or both
case study - ANS a descriptive research method that involves the intensive examination of an
unusual person or organization
since only one person/organization is the focus of a case study, scientists cannot tell from that
study if the same thing would happen to other people/organizations that have the same
experience - ANS major problem of case studies
correlational studies - ANS a research method that describes and predicts how variable are
naturally related in the real world, without any attempt by the researcher to alter them or assign
causation between them
experimental method - ANS a research method that tests causal hypotheses by manipulating
and measuring variables
participant observation - ANS a type of descriptive study in which the researcher is involved in
the situation
naturalistic observation - ANS a type of descriptive study in which the researcher is a passive
observer, separated from the situation and making no attempt to change or alter ongoing
behavior
reactivity - ANS the phenomenon that occurs when knowledge that one is being observed
alters the behavior being observed
empiricism - ANS the approach in which psychologists gain accurate knowledge about behavior
and mental processes only by observing the world and measuring aspects of it
four primary goals of science - ANS description, prediction, control, and explanation
goals of psychological science - ANS describe what a phenomenon is, predict when it will
occur, control what causes it to occur, and explain why it occurs
research - ANS a scientific process that involves the careful collection, analysis, and
interpretation of data
data - ANS a collection of measurements gathered during the research process
scientific method - ANS a systematic and dynamic procedure of observing and measuring
phenomena, used to achieve the goals of description, prediction, control, and explanation; it
involves an interaction among research, theories, and hypotheses
theory - ANS a model of interconnected ideas or concepts that explains what is observed and
makes predictions about future events; based on empirical evidence
produce a wide variety of hypotheses, theory should be falsifiable - ANS attributes of a good
theory
hypotheses - ANS a specific, testable prediction, narrower than the theory it is based on
falsifiable - ANS able to be disproven by experimental results
"Interpretation of Dreams" - ANS Freud's treatise that outlined the theory that all dreams
represent the fulfillment of an unconscious wish
Jean Piaget - ANS proposed theory of cognitive development occurring in a fixed series of
stages from birth to adolescence
William of Occam - ANS proposed that when two competing theories exist to explain the same
phenomenon, the simpler of the two theories is generally preferred
Occam's Razor - ANS Simpler explanations are more likely to be true than complex ones
frame a research question, conduct a literature review, form a hypothesis, design a study,
conduct the study, analyze the data, and report the results. - ANS How to test a hypothesis
, naturalistic observation - ANS observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring
situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
survey - ANS the collection of data by having people answer a series of questions
cyclical - ANS relating to a theory formulated based on evidence from many observations and
refined based on hypothesis tests
reproducibility project - ANS project in which researchers are trying to reproduce the findings of
100 experimental and correlational articles in psychology
critical studies - ANS directly contrast theories to see which theory better explains the data
descriptive research - ANS research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that
behavior objectively and systematically
variable - ANS something in the world that can vary and that a researcher can manipulate
(change), measure (evaluate), or both
case study - ANS a descriptive research method that involves the intensive examination of an
unusual person or organization
since only one person/organization is the focus of a case study, scientists cannot tell from that
study if the same thing would happen to other people/organizations that have the same
experience - ANS major problem of case studies
correlational studies - ANS a research method that describes and predicts how variable are
naturally related in the real world, without any attempt by the researcher to alter them or assign
causation between them
experimental method - ANS a research method that tests causal hypotheses by manipulating
and measuring variables
participant observation - ANS a type of descriptive study in which the researcher is involved in
the situation
naturalistic observation - ANS a type of descriptive study in which the researcher is a passive
observer, separated from the situation and making no attempt to change or alter ongoing
behavior
reactivity - ANS the phenomenon that occurs when knowledge that one is being observed
alters the behavior being observed
