UPDATE 2026
empirical methods - Answers approaches to inquiry that are tied to actual measurements and
observations
hypothesis - Answers A testable prediction, often implied by a theory (can not extend interpretations
to other claims, if proven wrong)
systemic observation - Answers The careful observation of the natural world with the aim of better
understanding it. Observations provide the basic data that allow scientists to track, tally, or otherwise
organize information about the natural world.
theories - Answers Groups of closely related phenomena or observations.
induction - Answers reasoning based on probability; to draw general conclusions from specific
observations
what distinguishes scientific thinking from everyday thinking? - Answers accuracy, consistency, scope
(how much a theory extends beyond current data), simplicity, fruitfulness (usefulness of a theory)
falsified - Answers the ability of a claim to be tested and possibly refuted, a defining feature of
science
Karl Popper - Answers concept of falsification; argued against statements that couldn't be falsified
(said they blocked the scientific process)
deductive reasoning - Answers a given premise determines interpretation of specific observations,
MUST apply in all relevant circumstances
anecdotal evidence - Answers usually drawn from personal experience, used to support a conclusion
that may/may not be correct
null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) - Answers assesses the probability that the collected data
would be the same if there were no relationship between the variables in the study; involves a null
hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis (compare the expected outcome [probability] and the
collected data to see if the null hypothesis can be falsified/rejected in favour of the alternative
hypothesis by looking at the distribution of data)
null hypothesis - Answers a statement that two variables are not related (never a relationship)
alternative hypothesis - Answers a statement that two variable are related (always a relationship)
accurate detection - Answers (a possible outcome of null-hypothesis significance testing) if find a
relationship and it exists OR is there is no evidence for a phenomenon but it does not exist anyway
type 1 error - Answers (a possible outcome of null-hypothesis significance testing); alternative error -
researcher says there IS a relationship between two variables, reality says there is NOT
type 2 error - Answers (a possible outcome of null-hypothesis significance testing); null error - data
fails to show a relationship between two variables that actually exists
Hermann von Helmholtz - Answers first to measure the speed of a neural impulse, explored
physiology of hearing and vision
psych precursors - Answers philosophy and physiology
psychophysics - Answers the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli,
such as their intensity, and our psychological experience (perception) of them
Wilhelm Wundt - Answers credited with the formal development of modern psychology, focused on
introspection (the internal process); demonstrated that the mind can be measured and the nature of
consciousness can be shown through scientific methods
Bradford Titchener - Answers Wundt's student who used introspection to search for the mind's
structural elements, structuralism - contents of the mind, the conscious experience (excluded
children, animals, and those with mental deficiencies from his studies); mentored Margaret Floy
Washburn (first woman to get PHD)
functionalism - Answers utility of consciousness, what the mind does (influenced by Darwin); includes
animal and comparative psychology (a school of psychology, focused on how our mental and
behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish)
William James - Answers a founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function
in our environment; said that consciousness is ongoing/continuous, it can not be isolated and reduced
to elements, it allows us to make and have responsibility over choices
G. Stanley Hall - Answers american psychologist who studied under William James, established the
first psychology research laboratory in the United States and founded the American Psychological