P-155 Exam 1 Study Guide

Exam #1 Study guide

  1) Know all the definitions for the terms listed for Chapters 1 and 2

Chapter 1

1. Case study – An in depth observation of one person

2. Causal hypothesis   - An educated guest about how one variable will influence another variable

3. Correlation – The relationship between two or more variables

4. Dependent variable – The variable in an experiment measures any effect of the manipulation

5. Experiment – A research method that is used to test casual hypotheses’

6. Hypothesis – An educated guess

7. Independent variable – The variable in an experiment that is manipulated

8. Negative correlation – A relationship in which increases in one variable correspond to decreases in the second variable

9. Positive correlation – A relationship in which increases in one variable correspond to increase in the second variable

10. Predictive hypothesis – An educated guess about the relationships among variables

11. Quasi-experiment – A research study that is not a true experiment because participants are not randomly assigned to the different conditions

12. Random assignment – Participants have an equal chance of being placed in any condition of the study

13. Scientific method – A systematic process used by psychologists for testing hypotheses’ about behavior

14. Survey – A research method that asks a large group of people about their attitudes, beliefs and or behaviors

15. Theory – An explanation of why and how a behavior occurs
16. Behavioral perspective – Focuses on external, environmental influences on behavior

17. Cognitive perspective – Focuses on how mental processes influences behavior

18. Evolutionary perspective – Focuses on how evolution and natural selection influence behavior
19. Gestalt psychology – An early psychological approach that emphasized how our minds organized sensory stimuli to produce the perception of a whole form
20. Neuroscience – Science that investigates the... [continues]

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