Psychology Key terms definitions

list of key term definitions which are handy to know for A-Level Psychology :-)

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  • Created by: jenna
  • Created on: 13-08-12 17:52
Abnormal Behaviour
Behaviour that differs from the norm
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Adaptive
Behaviours that promote survival and reproduction
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Agentic State
When a person is under control of an authoritative figure
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Altruism
Helping behaviour. Putting others before yourself
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Behavourism
An approach to Psychology that believes that all behaviour can be explained by the learning theory.
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Bystander behaviour
The theory that within a potential helping scenario the presence of other people reduces the chance of the victim receiving help
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Case Study
A research method that involves looking in detail at a single person, event or organisation
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Cognition
This refers to out higher mental process such as believing, acquiring knowledge and perceiving
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Control
Control refers to the extent to which an experimenter can claim that the behaviour recorded in experiment is as a result of the independent variable.
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Correlation
A measure of the extent to which two variables are related. For example, a positive correlation is when two variables increase together and a negative correlation is when one variable increases and the other one decreases.
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de-individuation
When loss of personal identity occurs, eg. when a person is part of a crowd
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Determinsim
The belief that all human actions are determined by causes outside of our control
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Demand Characteristics
Features within an experiment that give away the experiments aim.This can lead to participants displaying artificial behaviour in order to please the experimenter
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Ecological Validity
Whether a psychological method/technique corresponds to its equivalent in an everyday natural setting. Laboratory settings are often low in Ecological Validity and therefore behaviour is unnatural.
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Ethics
To do with right and wrongs. Psychologists must follow ethical guidelines to reduce the chances of deception/danger/damage. Ethical guidelines are laid down by the BPS
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Ethnocentric Bias
When a situation is interpreted unfairly due to the psychologist's own biases/point of view. Only being able to interpret the situation from your own point of view
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Extraneous Variables
Variables that are controlled by the experimenter because they may interfere with the investigation. eg experiment measuring the effect of noise on perfomance, temperature may be controlled - may affect participants' performance
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Free Will
The belief that we all choose how to behave
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Gender Bias
When people are treated differently/unfairly because of their gender
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Gender Identity
The part of your self concept that identifies with a gender. "I am girl"
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Generalisability
The extent to which research findings can be applied to people away from the study
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Hormone
Chemicals in our bodies that can alter behaviour
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Hypothesis
When psychologist conduct experiments they formulate a hypothesis. Hypotheses are both testable statements and predicaments. The experiment is designed to test the hypothesis
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Individual and Situational Explanations
When a person’s behaviour is explained using their personality (individual) or when a person’s behaviour is explained using the situation they are in. (situational)
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Informed Consent
One of the ethical guidelines. It is when an experimenter asks a participant's full permission before they take part in the research.
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Inter-rater Reliability
This is the extent to which two or more experimenters, usually within an observation, gather similar findings/information.
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Minimal Group
A group that has nothing in common and therefore group identification is based on nothing meaningful.
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Natural Experiment
When the Independent variable in an experiment is naturally occuring and is not manipulated by the experimenter. eg. Gender
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Observation
A research method that involves watching/observing people
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Operant Conditioning
A type of learning that takes place because of the consequences - punishment and reinforcement
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Participant
A person who is measured/questioned/observed within research
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Personality
A persons relatively stable set of characteristics
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Qualitative measures
Techniques for obtaining information that assume that the meaning of the information is the most important thing. Methods include interviews, case studies, observation. Measures are usually descriptive and interpretation can be subjective
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Quantitative measures
An approach to psychological information that is primarily concerned with the collection of numerical information.
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Reductionism
An argument that takes the view that an event, behaviour or phenomenon can be understood as nothing but its component parts. eg. stimulus – response. This argument ignores deeper explanations and is simplistic
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Reliability
Consistency of measure. How likely an experimental design is to produce the same results if used again in the same circumstances
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Validity
The extent to which a psychological technique really assesses what it intends to measure
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Variable
nything that varies. In a psychology experiment any measure of performance or behaviour taken in a study is referred to as a variable.Independent variable (iv): Manipulated by a psychologist. Dependent variable (dv): Measured by a psychologist
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Card 2

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Behaviours that promote survival and reproduction

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Adaptive

Card 3

Front

When a person is under control of an authoritative figure

Back

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Card 4

Front

Helping behaviour. Putting others before yourself

Back

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Card 5

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An approach to Psychology that believes that all behaviour can be explained by the learning theory.

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kristien

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this is very good :)

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