PSYC 2101 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE
narcissism - Answers -a personality trait marked by an inflated sense of importance, a
need for attention and admiration, a sense of entitlement, and a tendency to exploit
others
psychology - Answers -the science that studies behavior and the physiological and
mental processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated
knowledge of this science to practical problems
behavior - Answers -any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism
clinical psychology - Answers -the branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis
and treatment of psychological problems and disorders
adjustment - Answers -refers to the psychological processes through which people
manage or cope with the demands and challenges of everyday life
empiricism - Answers -the premise that knowledge should be acquired through
observation
experiment - Answers -a research method in which the investigator manipulates one
(independent) variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any
changes occur in a second (dependent) variable as a result
independent variable - Answers -a condition or event that an experimenter varies in
order to see its impact on another variable
dependent variable - Answers -the variable that is thought to be affected by the
manipulations of the independent variable
experimental group - Answers -consists of the subjects who receive some special
treatment in regard to the independent variable
control group - Answers -consists of similar subjects who do not receive the special
treatment given to the experimental group
correlation - Answers -exists when two variables are related to each other
correlation coefficient - Answers -a numerical index of the degree of relationship that
exists between two variables
naturalistic observation - Answers -a researcher engages in careful observation of
behavior without intervening directly with the subjects
, case study - Answers -an in-depth investigation of an individual subject
surveys - Answers -structured questionnaires designed to solicit information about
specific aspects of participants' behavior
subjective well-being - Answers -individuals' personal assessments of their overall
happiness or life satisfaction
affective forecasting - Answers -efforts to predict one's emotional reactions to future
events
hedonic adaptation - Answers -occurs when the mental scale that people use to judge
the pleasantness-unpleasantness of their experiences shifts so that their neutral point,
or baseline for comparison, is changed
overlearning - Answers -continued rehearsal of material after you have first appeared to
master it
mnemonic devices - Answers -strategies for enhancing memory
personality - Answers -refers to an individual's unique constellation of consistent
behavioral traits
personality trait - Answers -a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a
variety of situations
factor analysis - Answers -correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify
closely related clusters of variables
psychodynamic theories - Answers -include all the diverse theories descended from the
work of Sigmund Freud that focus on unconscious mental forces
id - Answers -the primitive, instinctive component of personality that operates according
to the pleasure principle
ego - Answers -the decision-making component of personality that operates according
to the reality principle
superego - Answers -the moral component of personality that incorporates social
standards about what represents right and wrong
conscious - Answers -consists of whatever one is aware of at a particular point in time
preconscious - Answers -contains material just beneath the surface of awareness that
can be easily retrieved
narcissism - Answers -a personality trait marked by an inflated sense of importance, a
need for attention and admiration, a sense of entitlement, and a tendency to exploit
others
psychology - Answers -the science that studies behavior and the physiological and
mental processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated
knowledge of this science to practical problems
behavior - Answers -any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism
clinical psychology - Answers -the branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis
and treatment of psychological problems and disorders
adjustment - Answers -refers to the psychological processes through which people
manage or cope with the demands and challenges of everyday life
empiricism - Answers -the premise that knowledge should be acquired through
observation
experiment - Answers -a research method in which the investigator manipulates one
(independent) variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any
changes occur in a second (dependent) variable as a result
independent variable - Answers -a condition or event that an experimenter varies in
order to see its impact on another variable
dependent variable - Answers -the variable that is thought to be affected by the
manipulations of the independent variable
experimental group - Answers -consists of the subjects who receive some special
treatment in regard to the independent variable
control group - Answers -consists of similar subjects who do not receive the special
treatment given to the experimental group
correlation - Answers -exists when two variables are related to each other
correlation coefficient - Answers -a numerical index of the degree of relationship that
exists between two variables
naturalistic observation - Answers -a researcher engages in careful observation of
behavior without intervening directly with the subjects
, case study - Answers -an in-depth investigation of an individual subject
surveys - Answers -structured questionnaires designed to solicit information about
specific aspects of participants' behavior
subjective well-being - Answers -individuals' personal assessments of their overall
happiness or life satisfaction
affective forecasting - Answers -efforts to predict one's emotional reactions to future
events
hedonic adaptation - Answers -occurs when the mental scale that people use to judge
the pleasantness-unpleasantness of their experiences shifts so that their neutral point,
or baseline for comparison, is changed
overlearning - Answers -continued rehearsal of material after you have first appeared to
master it
mnemonic devices - Answers -strategies for enhancing memory
personality - Answers -refers to an individual's unique constellation of consistent
behavioral traits
personality trait - Answers -a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a
variety of situations
factor analysis - Answers -correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify
closely related clusters of variables
psychodynamic theories - Answers -include all the diverse theories descended from the
work of Sigmund Freud that focus on unconscious mental forces
id - Answers -the primitive, instinctive component of personality that operates according
to the pleasure principle
ego - Answers -the decision-making component of personality that operates according
to the reality principle
superego - Answers -the moral component of personality that incorporates social
standards about what represents right and wrong
conscious - Answers -consists of whatever one is aware of at a particular point in time
preconscious - Answers -contains material just beneath the surface of awareness that
can be easily retrieved
