AP PSYCHOLOGY ALL TERMS STUDY
1.psychology: the science of behavior and mental processes
2.nature-nurture issue: the long-standing controversy over the relative
contribu- tions that genes and experience make to the development of
psychological traits and behaviors
3.natural selection: the principle that, among the range of inherited trait
variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most
likely be passed on to succeeding generations
4.neuroscience: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory
experiences
5.evolutionary: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how nature selects traits that promote the perpetuation of one's genes
6.behavior genetics: the perspective of psychological science that deals
with how much our genes, and our environment, influence our
individual differences
7.psychodynamic: the perspective of psychological science that deals
,with how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
8.behavioral: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how we learn observable responses
9.cognitive: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how we en- code, process, store, and retrieve information
10.social-cultural: the perspective of psychological science that deals
with how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures
11.basic research: pure science that aims to increase the scientific
knowledge base
12.applied research: scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
13.clinical psychology: a branch of psychology that studies, assesses,
and treats people with psychological disorders
14.psychiatry: a branch of medicine dealing with psychological
disorders, prac- ticed by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for
example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
15.hindsight bias (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon): the tendency to
believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
,16.critical thinking: thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and
conclu- sions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values,
evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
17.theory: an explanation using an integrated set of principles that
organizes and predicts observations
18.hypothesis: a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
19.operational definition: a statement of the procedures (operations)
used to define research variables. For example, intelligence may be
operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures
20.replication: repeating the essence of a research study, usually with
different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic
finding generalizes to other participants and circumstances
21.case study: an observation technique in which one person is studied
in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
22.survey: a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or
behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random
sample of them
, 23. false consensus effect: the tendency to overestimate the extent to
which others share our beliefs and behaviors
24.population: all the cases in a group, from which samples may be
drawn for a study
25.random sample: a sample that fairly represents a population
because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
26.naturalistic observation: observing and recording behavior in
naturally occur- ring situations without trying to manipulate and control
the situation
27.correlation coefficient: a statistical measure of the extent to which
two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts
the other
28.scatterplot: a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the
values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of
the relationship be- tween the two variables. The amount of scatter
suggests the strength of correlation (little scatter indicates high
correlation).
29.illusory correlation: the perception of a relationship where none exists
30.experiment: a research method in which an investigator manipulates
one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on
some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random
assignment of participants the experimenter controls other relevant
factors)
31.placebo: an inert substance or condition that may be administered
instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers
1.psychology: the science of behavior and mental processes
2.nature-nurture issue: the long-standing controversy over the relative
contribu- tions that genes and experience make to the development of
psychological traits and behaviors
3.natural selection: the principle that, among the range of inherited trait
variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most
likely be passed on to succeeding generations
4.neuroscience: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory
experiences
5.evolutionary: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how nature selects traits that promote the perpetuation of one's genes
6.behavior genetics: the perspective of psychological science that deals
with how much our genes, and our environment, influence our
individual differences
7.psychodynamic: the perspective of psychological science that deals
,with how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
8.behavioral: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how we learn observable responses
9.cognitive: the perspective of psychological science that deals with
how we en- code, process, store, and retrieve information
10.social-cultural: the perspective of psychological science that deals
with how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures
11.basic research: pure science that aims to increase the scientific
knowledge base
12.applied research: scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
13.clinical psychology: a branch of psychology that studies, assesses,
and treats people with psychological disorders
14.psychiatry: a branch of medicine dealing with psychological
disorders, prac- ticed by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for
example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
15.hindsight bias (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon): the tendency to
believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
,16.critical thinking: thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and
conclu- sions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values,
evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
17.theory: an explanation using an integrated set of principles that
organizes and predicts observations
18.hypothesis: a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
19.operational definition: a statement of the procedures (operations)
used to define research variables. For example, intelligence may be
operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures
20.replication: repeating the essence of a research study, usually with
different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic
finding generalizes to other participants and circumstances
21.case study: an observation technique in which one person is studied
in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
22.survey: a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or
behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random
sample of them
, 23. false consensus effect: the tendency to overestimate the extent to
which others share our beliefs and behaviors
24.population: all the cases in a group, from which samples may be
drawn for a study
25.random sample: a sample that fairly represents a population
because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
26.naturalistic observation: observing and recording behavior in
naturally occur- ring situations without trying to manipulate and control
the situation
27.correlation coefficient: a statistical measure of the extent to which
two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts
the other
28.scatterplot: a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the
values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of
the relationship be- tween the two variables. The amount of scatter
suggests the strength of correlation (little scatter indicates high
correlation).
29.illusory correlation: the perception of a relationship where none exists
30.experiment: a research method in which an investigator manipulates
one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on
some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random
assignment of participants the experimenter controls other relevant
factors)
31.placebo: an inert substance or condition that may be administered
instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers
