Unit 1 Study Guide 1Unit 1 Study GuideChapters 1, 2, and 3Definitions1. Psychology- the scientific study of the mind, brain and behavior. 2. Multiply Determined- produced by many factors. 3. Reciprocal Determinism- the fact that we mutually influence each other’s behavior. 4. Naïve Realism- the belief that we see the world precisely as it is. Incorrect conclusions about human nature. 5. Science- consists of a set of attitudes and skills designed to prevent us from fooling ourselves. 6. Empiricism- the premise that knowledge should initially be acquired through observations. 7. Scientific Theory- an explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world, including the psychological world. Offers an account that ties multiple findings together into one pretty package. 8. Theory- general explanations. 9. Hypotheses- specific predictions derived from those explanations. 10. Confirmation Bias- the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our beliefs and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them. “Seek and ye shall find”11. Belief Perseverance- the tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them. 12. Metaphysical Claims- assertions about the world that we can’t test. Includes assertions about the existence of God, the soul, and the afterlife. 13. Skepticism- to consider carefully14. Scientific Skeptic- evaluates all claims with an open mind but insists on persuasive evidence before accepting them. 15. Critical Thinking- set of skills evaluating all claims in an open-minded and careful fashion. 16. Scientific Thinking- set of skills for overcoming our own biases. 17. Correlation-causation Fallacy- error of assuming that because one thing is associated withanother, it must cause the other. 18. Falsifiable- capable of being disproved. 19. Replicability- a study’s findings can be duplicated consistently. 20. Decline Effect- fat that the size of a certain psychological findings appears to be shrinking over time. 21. Prefrontal Lobotomy- surgical procedure that severs fibers connecting the frontal lobes ofthe brain from the underlying thalamus. 22. Intuitive Thinking- quick and reflective thinking. Go with your gut.223. Analytical Thinking- slow and reflective thinking. Reasoning. 24. Heuristic- a mental short cut or rule of thumb. 25. Naturalistic Observation- watching participant’s behavior in real world settings without manipulating their actions. 26. External Validity- the extent that our findings generalize to real world settings. 27. Internal Validity- the extent to which we can draw cause and effect inferences. 28. Case Study- research design that examines one person or a small number of people in depth often over an extended time period. 29. Existence Proof- demonstration that a given psychological phenomenon can occur. 30. Self-Report Measures/ Surveys- questionnaires to assess a verity of characteristics such as personality traits, mental illnesses and interests. 31. Random Selection- procedure that ensures every person in a population has an equal chance of being chosen to participate. 32. Reliability- consistency of measurement33. Validity- extent to which a measure assesses what I purports to measure. 34. Response Set- tendency of research participants to distort their responses to questionnaireitems. 35. Malingering- the tendency to make ourselves appear psychologically disturbed with the aim of achieving a clear cut personal goal.36. Halo Effect- the tendency of ratings of one positive characteristic to spill over to influence the ratings of other positive characteristics. 37. Correlational Design- research design that examines the extent to which two variables areassociated. 38. Scatterplot- grouping of points on a two-dimensional graph in which each dot represents a single person’s data. 39. Illusory Correlation- perception a statistical association between two variables where none exist. 40. Spurious Correlation- things can be correlated but the correlation is due to a third variablethat you don’t know about. 41. Experimental Designs- they permit cause and effect inferences. 42. Random Selection- a procedure that allows every person an equal chance to participate. 43. Experiment- research design characterized by random assignment of participants to conditions and manipulation of an independent variable. 44. Random Assignment- randomly sorting participants into two groups45. Experimental Groups- in an experiment the group of participants that receives the manipulation. 46. Control Group- in an experiment the group of participants that doesn’t receive the manipulation. 47. Independent Variable- variable than an experimenter manipulates48. Dependent Variable- variable that doesn’t change. 49. Operational Definition- a working definition of what a researcher is measuring. 50. Confounding Variable- any variable that differs between the experimental and control groups other than the independent variable.351. Placebo Effect- improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement. 52. Blind- unaware of whether one is in the experimental group or control group. 53. Nocebo Effect- harm resulting from the mere expectation of harm. 54. Experimenter Expectancy Effect (Rosenthal Effect)- phenomenon in which researchers’ hypotheses lead them to unintentionally bias the outcome of a study. 55. Double-blind- when neither researchers nor participants are aware of who’s in the experimental or control group. 56. Demand Characteristics- cues that participants pick up from a study that allow them to generate guesses regarding the researcher’s hypotheses. 57. Informed Consent- informing research participants of what in involved in a study before asking them to participate. 58. Neuron- nerve cell specialized for communication, three types of neurons. Sensory, motor, and interneurons. 59. Dendrite- receives information60. Axon- sends signals. Information travels down. 61. Synaptic Vesicle- spherical sac containing neurotransmitters. 62. Neurotransmitters- Chemical messenger specialized for communication from neuron to neuron63. Synapse- place where the axon of one neuron meets the dendrite of another neuron. 64. Myelin Sheath- carries electrical impulses down. Accelerates information. 65. Cell Body- where materials are made that the neuron needs. 66. Synaptic Cleft- the space between two neurons. 67. Glial Cell- Cell in the nervous system that plays a role in the formation of myelin and the blood
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