Antecedent conditions - all circumstances that occur or exist before the event or behavior to be

explained; also called antecedents

Applied research - research that is designed to solve real-world problems

Basic research - research designed to test theories or to explain psychological phenomena

Cause-and-effect relationship - the relation between a particular behavior and a set of antecedents
that always precedes it- whereas other antecedents do not- so that the set is inferred to cause the
behavior

Commonsense psychology - Everyday, non-scientific collection of psychological data used to

understand the social world and guide our behavior

Data - facts and figures gathered from observations in research

Empirical data - data that are observable or experienced; capable of being verified or disproved
through investigation

Experimentation - the process undertaken to demonstrate that particular behavioral events will
occur reliably in certain specifiable conditions; a principal tool of the scientific method

Good thinking - organized and rational thought, characterized by open-mindedness, objectivity, and
parsimony; a principal tool of the scientific method

Laws - general scientific principles that explain our universe and predict events

Methodology - the scientific techniques used to collect and evaluate psychological data

Observation - the systematic noting and recording of events; a principle tool of the scientific
method

Parsimony - an aspect of good thinking, stating that the simplest explanation is preferred until
ruled out by conflicting evidence; also known as Occam's razor

Pseudoscience - A field of study that gives the appearance of being scientific but has no true
scientific basis and has not been confirmed using the tools of the scientific method: observation,
measurement, and experimentation

psychology experiment - a controlled procedure in which at least two different treatment

conditions are applied to subjects whose behaviors are then measured and compared to test a
hypothesis about the effects of the treatments on behavior

Replication - the process of repeating research procedures to verify that the outcome will be the
same as before; a principle tool of the scientific method

Science - the systematic gathering of data to provide descriptions of events taking place under
specific conditions, enabling researchers to explain, predict, and control events
Scientific method - steps scientists take to gather and verify information, answer questions, explain
relationships, and communicate findings

Subject - the scientific term for an individual who participates in research

Testable - Capable of being tested; typically used in reference to a hypothesis. Three requirements
must be met to have a testable hypothesis: procedures for manipulating the setting must exist, and
the predicted outcome must be observable and measurable

Theory - a set of general principles that attempts to explain and predict behavior or other
phenomena

Treatment - a specific set of antecedent conditions created by the experimenter and presented to
subjects to test its effect on behavior

As commonsense psychologists, our ability to systematically and impartially gather data is most
seriously limited by our - inferential strategies and sources of psychological information

_____ explain and predict behavior across the widest range of situations - laws

_____ better predict long-term behavior and _____ better predict momentary behaviors - traits;
situations

_____ are scientific principles that have received sufficient experimental support to provide an
interim explanation of events - theories

Jeffrey conducted an experiment to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and
antidepressants in preventing new depressive episodes. Studies like these are most concerned with
the objective of - control

All commonsense psychologists - are trait theorists

_____ involves changes in scientific explanations and theories as we acquire new information - Self-
correction

Theories are explanations of events that - are supported by a majority of studies and provide
interim explanations

Which research objective requires that we use an experimental research design and control for
factors that might also influence this behavior - explanation

Research on the geographic origin of homo sapiens often frustrates nonscientists because popular
hypotheses may be aggressively challenged and overturned by new studies. Which term best
describes competition among scientific theories - self-correction

What did the North, Hargreaves, and McKendrick (1999) supermarket study reveal about consumer
purchasing decisions - consumers are not always aware of their decision-making processes

Assigning numerical values to internal states, like excitement, is called - measurement

____ is everyday nonscientific data collection that shapes our expectations and beliefs, and
influences our social behavior - commonsense psychology

Explanations of events are called laws when they - apply to all situations

Which of the following illustrates empirical data - your reaction time

Jon wears his favorite black tank top whenever he invites a dating partner over for dinner. He
claims, on the basis of 4 years' experience, that it makes him irresistible. Jon's belief illustrates -
commonsense psychology

Sir Karl Popper proposed that science only progresses by replacing old theories with new theories
with greater - explanatory power

study of scientific methodology generally and of the methods of experimentation particularly -

experimental psychology

What are three distinct aspects of science? - 1. experimental methodology

2. statistics

3. philosophy of science

what is the basis of experimental psychology? - experimental methodology

__________________ is an important aspect of experimentation - statistics

understanding of the philosophy of science ________. - is important to an understanding of what

science is, how the scientific method is used, and where experimentation fits into the larger
framework of scientific methodology

recognized as the first experimental psychologist - Wilhelm Wund

Location of the first psych lab. - Leipzig, Germany

Who opened the first Psychology laboratory and in what country was it opened? - G. Stanley Hall

United States

True or False. The human mind and behavior are so complex they are considered the first frontier
of scientific understanding. - False. The human mind and behavior are so complex they are
considered the last frontier of scientific understanding.

People who drank alcohol tend to judge average faces more beautiful than did those who drank
alcohol-free drink. - TRUE

TRUE or FALSE

Bright overhead light intensifies emotions, enhancing perceptions of aggressions and sexiness. -
TRUE
TRUE or FALSE

During food shortages and population-wide stress, relatively more boys are born. - TRUE

nonscientific data gathering that shapes our expectations and beliefs and directs behavior toward
others. - commonsense psychology

what is the disadvantages of commonsense belief about behavior? - 1. data are from our own
experiences or from others

The data we collect in our everyday lives have been generated from a big sample of behaviors, and
the conclusions we draw from them are subject to a number of inherent tendencies, or biases, that
don't limit their accuracy and usefulness. - FALSE, small sample of behavior.

Sources of our commonsense belief about behavior can be reliable. - FALSE. unreliable

seeks data that would give them evidence to their belief - confirmation bias

We are more likely to believe information if it from certain kinds of individuals. - Popular people,
attractive, high in status, seemingly expert, or who appear confident.

might be useful in predicting how someone will behave over the long term - traits

might be better predictors of momentary behaviors - situations

overgeneralize a certain trait to a group of people. - stereotyping

TRUE or FALSE. Stereotyping expectations can lead us to seek confirmatory instances of behavior. -
True

predictions, guesses, and explanations tend to feel much more correct than they actually are, and
the more data we have available (accurate or not), the more confidence we have in our judgements
about behavior. - overconfidence bias

Disadvantages of non-scientific interference. - 1. Shortcuts

2. It is not always accurate.

steps every scientist takes to gather and verify information, answer questions, explain
relationships, and communicate this information. - Scientific Method

Characteristics of Modern Science

T.S.M - The Scientific Mentality

assumes that behavior follows a natural order and can be predicted - The Scientific Mentality

is a belief that there are specifiable (although not necessarily simple or obvious) causes for the way
people behave and that these causes can be discovered through research. - determinism
Characteristics of Modern Science

G.E.D - Gathering of Empirical Data

data that are observable or experienced - Empirical Data

Characteristic of Empirical Data - Data can be verified or refuted through investigation.

Characteristics of Modern Science

S. G. P. - Seeking General Principles

general principle or set of rules, that can be used to predict and explain behavior. - theories

these principles have the generality to apply to all situations - Law

Characteristics of Modern Science

G.T - Good Thinking

approach to the collection and interpretation of data should be systematic, objective, rational, and
logical - Good Thinking

What are the four ways of knowing? - systematic, objective, rational, and logical

TRUE OR FALSE

Good thinking means being open to new ideas even when they contradict our previous beliefs. -
TRUE

means avoiding private beliefs or expectations to color our observations or conclusion - Objectivity

simplest explanation is the best (simplicity, precision and clarity). - Occam's razor

Characteristics of Modern Science

S.C - Self-correction

the more evidence that accumulates to support a particular explanation or theory, the more
confidence we have that the theory is correct - Weight-of-evidence

Psychologist favors ____________ approach. - weight-of-evidence

Characteristics of Modern Science

P.R - Publicizing Results

One of the ways we are able to self-correct is through _________. - Publicizing Results

Characteristics of Modern Science

R. - Replication

An exact or systematic repetition of a study. Replication is important so we can confirm or falsify a

theory, make sure that previous studies and their results are correct, and did not occur through
chance alone. It is a rigorous process of validating knowledge. - replication

Goals of Psychology - Description

Predictions

Explanation

Control

is a systematic and unbiased account of observed characteristics of behaviors - description

TRUE or FALSE

The description is the initial step toward understanding the phenomenon. - TRUE

allow us greater knowledge of behaviors because they provide us with information about what
behavior will be like. - good descriptions

Research design used in description. - case study

field study

survey

the capability of knowing in advance when certain behaviors should occur. - prediction

is knowledge of the conditions that reliably produce a behavior. Only the results of true
experiments allows us to make inferences about cause and effect - explanation

application of what has been learned about behavior. - control

research design to test theories or to explain psychological phenomena. - basic research

research that is designed to solve real-world problems. - applied research

Tools of Psychological Science - Observation

Measurement

Experimentation

is the systematic noting and recording of events - Observation

the procedures are consistently applied - Systematic

is the process we use to test the predictions we call hypotheses and establish cause-and-effect
relationships. - experimentation

involves quantifying a behavior and measuring it in a STANDARDIZED or consistent way so we can

compare it across different conditions and people. - measurement

Testable - typically used in reference to a hypothesis

TRUE or FALSE

Experimentation must also be objective. - TRUE

circumstances that come before the event or behavior that we want to explain - antecedent
conditions

Who employed the Tools of Psychological Science? - Wilhelm Wundt

any field of study that gives the appearance of being scientific, but has no true scientific basis and
has not been confirmed using the scientific method. - pseudoscience

the relation between a particular behavior and a set of antecedents that always precedes it -
whereas other antecedents do not - so that the set is inferred to cause the behavior - Cause-and-
effect relationship

a controlled procedure in which at least two different treatment conditions are applied to subjects
whose behaviors are the measured and compared to test hypothesis about the effects of the
treatments on behavior - Psychology Experiment

Barnum effect - The tendency for people to believe that very general statements apply specifically
to themselves

between-subjects design - An experimental design in which each participant only receives one level
of the independent variable

conceptual definition - A definition of a variable that relates to the study

constant - A factor that is not variable

correlational design - An experimental design in which the extent to which variables vary together
is studied

data - Pieces of information

debriefing - The revelation of the true purpose of a study that is given to participants after the study
is over

dependent variable - A variable that is measured by the researcher

empirical - The use of observation to gather information to answer a research question

experimental design - The research design that allows the researcher to infer cause-and-effect
relationships between variables

hypothesis - A testable prediction

independent variable - A variable that is manipulated as part of an experiment

informed consent - A participant's agreement to participate in the study after being told what is to
be expected from the study

levels - The different variations of the independent variable determined by the researcher

nonexperimental design - A design used when the independent variable cannot be manipulated

Occam's razor - The simplest explanation is usually the best one. THE LAW OF PARSIMONY

operational definition - How variables will be used in a study

paper presentation - A verbal presentation or "talk" that describes the contents of a research paper

peer review - When researchers evaluate the work of other researchers before their work is
published

research journal - A peer reviewed periodical which contains a collection of research articles
relating to a particular field of study

research poster - A visual presentation of a research study typically presented in a room with
dozens of other posters

scientific law - An observation that has been replicated many times with the same result

scientific theory - A conclusion about some aspect of the natural law based on repeated hypothesis
testing

variables - The aspects of an experiment that are manipulated by the experimenter, or that are
expected to vary

within-subjects design - An experimental design in which all participants receive all levels of the
independent variables

Human intuition is remarkable accurate and free from error - False

Most people seem to lack confidence in the accuracy of their beliefs - False

Case Studies are particularly useful because of the similarities we all share - False

We tend to overestimate the number of people who share our attitudes and beliefs - True

The opinions of 1500 randomly selected people can provide a very accurate picture of the entire
nation - True
Research suggest that college students spend more than 25% of waking hours in conversation -
True

The scientific finding that children who watch violence on TV tend to be violent proves that viewing
violence causes it - False

The purpose of the experiment is the re-create behaviors exactly as they occur in everyday life -
False

As a science, psychology is objective and value-free - False

States with the death penalty have lower homicide rates - False