General Psychology Exam 1 Study Guide
•Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes
•Observations in the Laboratory- when we observe organisms in a controlled
setting to see how it responds to various types of stimuli and situations
•Naturalistic Observations- observing organisms in their natural everyday
environment
•Surveys/Interviews- restricted to the observation of humans because it requires
the use of language; survey is the most commonly used method of research because
of its convenience; interviews allow us to obtain more information because they are
usually conducted one person at a time
•Case Study- make intensive observations of one event or person to gather as
much information as possible
•Correlational Research Design- examination of the relationship between two or
more variables; need to observe large number of cases
•Negative Correlation- when one variable goes up, the other goes down
•Positive Correlation- when one variable goes up, the other goes up
•Experimental Research Design- examination of effects after manipulating certain
variables
•Independent Variable- variable manipulated by the experimenter
•Dependent Variable- variable measured as a result; assumed to be affected by the
manipulation of the independent variable
•Treatment Group or Experimental Condition- group(s) exposed to a certain
condition that is assumed to affect the dependent variable
