WINTER BREAK HOMEWORK 2009-2010
- Motivation Quiz Notes (Optional... but rewards if you do)
- Spark Notes REVIEW
- Example of Homework: Introduction
- MIDTERM Questions
Motivation Quiz Notes (Optional... but rewards if you do)
Found at:
http://www.appsychology.com/HowPass/MC%20quizes/MCquizeshome.htm
Spark Notes REVIEW
Go to:
http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/psychology/psychology/section1.p
hp
Cut and paste each section of review.... You are welcome to work
on this with your partner and one other partnership. (No more
than 4 people in a group)
But, you should come to class with YOUR OWN full set of notes...
feel free to customize them for yourself!!!!
Example of Homework: Introduction
Approaches to Psychology
Biological: Focuses on the relationship between the body and the
mind
Behavioral: Concerned mainly with a person's observable responses
to stimuli
Cognitive: Concerned with memory, perception, thought, and other
mental
processes
Humanistic: Focuses on a person's capacity for self-fulfillment
and growth
Psychodynamic: Concerned with the influence of unconscious
desires and motives
Research Studies
Studies test hypotheses (testable explanations of observed
events).
Studies must have reliability and validity.
Reliability: The study produces consistent results when
replicated.
Validity: The study accurately measures what it claims to
measure. There are three types of validity:
Construct: The study measures the effect that it is trying to
measure
Internal: The study shows that only the experimental factor
caused an effect
External: The study results apply to other situations
Types of Studies
Correlational study: Expresses the relationship between two
variables; does not imply causation.
Experiment: Manipulation of an independent variable in order to
understand its effect on a dependent variable. Identifies cause-
and-effect relationships.
Sampling: The process of choosing subjects to study
Sample: A group of subjects selected for study; a subset of a
population
Population: A group of people about whom the researcher wants to
make conclusions. A sample should be representative of the
population.
Random assignment: Random placement of subjects into experimental
or control groups
Control group: A group not subject to experimental manipulation
Variables: Things that can vary among subjects
Independent variable: Manipulated by researcher; produces a
change in dependent variable
Dependent variable: Measured by the researcher
Confounding variable: Any possible variable (other than the
independent variable) that may cause the observed effect
Statistics
Statistical analysis describes data and quantifies relationships
between variables.
Frequency distribution: An arrangement of data points based on
how frequently they occur
Normal distribution: A frequency distribution with a symmetrical
bell-shaped curve
Central tendency: Measures of the center of the frequency
distribution. There are three types.
Mean: The arithmetic average of data points
Median: The middle data point
Mode: The most frequent data point
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION and standard deviation
Variability: How the data are dispersed or spread around the mean
Range: The distance between the highest and lowest data point
Standard deviation (SD): The average distance of a data point
from the mean. A small SD means the scores are relatively close
to the mean score; a large SD means the scores have a wider range
around the mean.
Statistical significance: Means that the differences observed are
too big to have occurred by chance
Two types of errors occur in significance testing:
Type I error: False positive; perceives an effect that is not
there
Type II error: False negative; fails to perceive an effect that
is there
MIDTERM Questions
Study for the midterm!!! It will be shortly after we return to
school and the greatest part of your grade to date!!!!
Come prepared with ONE QUESTION per chapter. Something you still
don't understand or want further explanation on.
