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AP Psychology Vocab

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the view that (a) knowledge comes from experience via the senses, and (b) science flourishes through observation and experiment.
an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind
a school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.
the science of behavior and mental processes
longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors.
the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
a statement of the procedures used to define research variables
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them
the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors
all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
A statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables
the perception of a relationship where none exists
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 036)
experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo.
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent
the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable
the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied
The experimental factor that is being measured; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
the most frequent value of a random variable
an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

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