Psychology 150 Chapter 1 Question And Answer.

Psychology - correct answer Scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Critical thinking - correct answer Process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. 4 main goals of psychology - correct answer To answer 4 basic questions about behavior and mental processes: What is their nature? 1. to describe-description tells 'what' occured Why do they occur? 2. to explain-explanation tells 'why' a behavior/mental process occurred When do they occur? 3. to predict-identifying the conditions under which a future behavior/mental process is likely to occur How can we change them? 4. to change-applying psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted outcomes or bring about desired goals Nature-nurture controversy - correct answer ongoing dispute over the relative contributions of nature (heredity) and nurture (encironment) Psychoanalytic approach - correct answer focuses on unconscious processes and unresolved conflicts *founded by Sigmund Freud an Austrian physician during the late 1800s and early 1900s *he developed psychotherapy or 'talk therapy' called psychoanalysis Ethnocentrism - correct answer * Believing one's culture is typical of all culture, * viewing one's own ethnic group (or culture) as central and "correct" and * judging others according to this standard. Biopsychosocial model - correct answer Unifying theme of modern psychology that incorporates * biological * psychological and * social processes. Case study - correct answer Indepth study of a single research participant. Operational definition - correct answer Precise description of how the variables in a study will be observed and measured. ie: drug abuse might be operationally defined as "the number of missed work days due to excessive use of an addictive substance". Theory - correct answer Systematic, interrelated set of concepts that explain a body of data. Informed consent - correct answer Participant's agreement to take part in a study after being told what to expect. Positive Psychology - correct answer Scientific study of optimal human functioning, emphasizing * positive emotions * positive traits * positive institutions Naturalistic Observation - correct answer Observation and recording behavior and mental processes in the participant's natural state or habitat. Humanistic Perspective - correct answer Emphasizes free will, selfactualization, and human nature as naturally positive and growthseeking. Correlation Coefficient - correct answer Number indicating strength and direction of the relationship between two variables (from 1.00 to +1.00) Sample bias - correct answer Occurs when research participants are not representative of the larger population. Sociocultural perspective - correct answer Emphasizes social interaction and cultural determinants of behavior and mental processes. Biological perspective - correct answer Emphasizes genetics and biological processes in the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Applied research - correct answer Research designed to solve practical problems. Experimental research - correct answer Carefully controlled scientific procedure that involves manipulation of variables to determine cause and effect. Basic research - correct answer Research conducted to advance scientific knowledge. Behavioral perspective - correct answer Emphasizes objective, observable environmental influences on overt behavior. Statistical significance - correct answer Statistical statement of how likely it is that a study's result occurred merely by chance. Correlation research - correct answer Research method in which variables are observed or measured (without directly manipulating) to identify relationships between them. Dependent variable (DV) - correct answer *Variable that is MEASURED *It is affected by (or dependent on) the independent variable (IV). Survey - correct answer Research technique that questions a large sample of people to assess their behaviors and attitudes. Independent variable (IV) - correct answer *Variable that is CHANGED to determine its casual effect on the dependent variable. Debriefing - correct answer Upon completion of the research, participants are informed of the study's design and purpose, and explanations are provided for any possible deception. Biological research - correct answer Scientific studies of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Doubleblind study - correct answer Both the researcher and the participants are unaware (blind) of who is in the experimental or control group. Confounding variables - correct answer Nuisance variables that may affect the outcome of the study and lead to erroneous conclusions. Random assignment - correct answer Using chance methods to assign participants to experimental or control conditions, thus minimizing the possibility of biases or preexisting differences in the groups. Cognitive perspective - correct answer Focuses on thinking, perceiving, and information processing.