Psychology Exam test questions and
answers well graded A+
Variables - ANS✅✅the events, characteristics, behaviors, or conditions that researchers measure
and study.
subject or participant - ANS✅✅an individual person or animal a researcher studies.
Sample - ANS✅✅a collection of subjects researchers study. Researchers use samples because they
cannot study the entire population.
Population - ANS✅✅the collection of people or animals from which researchers draw a sample.
Researchers study the sample and generalize their results to the population.
The Purpose of Research - ANS✅✅-To find ways to measure and describe behavior
-To understand why, when, and how events occur
-To apply this knowledge to solving real-world problems
The scientific method - ANS✅✅a standardized way of making observations, gathering data,
forming theories, testing predictions, and interpreting results.
A theory - ANS✅✅an explanation that organizes separate pieces of information in a coherent way.
replicable - ANS✅✅when others can repeat an experiment and get the same results.
hypothesis - ANS✅✅a testable prediction of what will happen given a certain set of conditions.
naturalistic observation - ANS✅✅researchers collect information about subjects by observing
them unobtrusively, without interfering with them in any way.
case study - ANS✅✅The researcher collects data about the subject through interviews, direct
observation, psychological testing, or examination of documents and records about the subject.
, survey - ANS✅✅a way of getting information about a specific type of behavior, experience, or
event. When using this method, researchers give people questionnaires or interview them to obtain
information.
experiment - ANS✅✅a researcher manipulates or changes a particular variable under controlled
conditions while observing resulting changes in another variable or variables.
Occam's razor - ANS✅✅maintains that researchers should apply the simplest explanation possible
to any set of observations.
correlation - ANS✅✅measurement of the strength of the relationship between two variables
reliability - ANS✅✅if a test produces the same result when researchers administer it to the same
group of people at different times, it has reliability.
Validity - ANS✅✅A test is valid if it actually measures the quality it claims to measure.
Bias - ANS✅✅the distortion of results by a variable. Common types of bias include sampling bias,
subject bias, and experimenter bias.
Sensation - ANS✅✅the process by which physical energy from objects in the world or in the body
stimulates the sense organs
perception - ANS✅✅The brain interprets and organizes this sensory information in a process
called perception
absolute threshold - ANS✅✅the minimum amount of stimulation required for a person to detect
the stimulus 50 percent of the time.
difference threshold - ANS✅✅the smallest difference in stimulation that can be detected 50
percent of the time. sometimes called the just noticeable difference (jnd).
Weber's Law - ANS✅✅a principle demonstrating the fact that we can't detect the difference
between two stimuli unless they differ by a certain proportion and that this proportion is constant.
answers well graded A+
Variables - ANS✅✅the events, characteristics, behaviors, or conditions that researchers measure
and study.
subject or participant - ANS✅✅an individual person or animal a researcher studies.
Sample - ANS✅✅a collection of subjects researchers study. Researchers use samples because they
cannot study the entire population.
Population - ANS✅✅the collection of people or animals from which researchers draw a sample.
Researchers study the sample and generalize their results to the population.
The Purpose of Research - ANS✅✅-To find ways to measure and describe behavior
-To understand why, when, and how events occur
-To apply this knowledge to solving real-world problems
The scientific method - ANS✅✅a standardized way of making observations, gathering data,
forming theories, testing predictions, and interpreting results.
A theory - ANS✅✅an explanation that organizes separate pieces of information in a coherent way.
replicable - ANS✅✅when others can repeat an experiment and get the same results.
hypothesis - ANS✅✅a testable prediction of what will happen given a certain set of conditions.
naturalistic observation - ANS✅✅researchers collect information about subjects by observing
them unobtrusively, without interfering with them in any way.
case study - ANS✅✅The researcher collects data about the subject through interviews, direct
observation, psychological testing, or examination of documents and records about the subject.
, survey - ANS✅✅a way of getting information about a specific type of behavior, experience, or
event. When using this method, researchers give people questionnaires or interview them to obtain
information.
experiment - ANS✅✅a researcher manipulates or changes a particular variable under controlled
conditions while observing resulting changes in another variable or variables.
Occam's razor - ANS✅✅maintains that researchers should apply the simplest explanation possible
to any set of observations.
correlation - ANS✅✅measurement of the strength of the relationship between two variables
reliability - ANS✅✅if a test produces the same result when researchers administer it to the same
group of people at different times, it has reliability.
Validity - ANS✅✅A test is valid if it actually measures the quality it claims to measure.
Bias - ANS✅✅the distortion of results by a variable. Common types of bias include sampling bias,
subject bias, and experimenter bias.
Sensation - ANS✅✅the process by which physical energy from objects in the world or in the body
stimulates the sense organs
perception - ANS✅✅The brain interprets and organizes this sensory information in a process
called perception
absolute threshold - ANS✅✅the minimum amount of stimulation required for a person to detect
the stimulus 50 percent of the time.
difference threshold - ANS✅✅the smallest difference in stimulation that can be detected 50
percent of the time. sometimes called the just noticeable difference (jnd).
Weber's Law - ANS✅✅a principle demonstrating the fact that we can't detect the difference
between two stimuli unless they differ by a certain proportion and that this proportion is constant.
