AP Psychology foundational terms: research methods, biological bases, sensation and perception.
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- What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory in psychology?
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A hypothesis is a testable prediction; a theory is a well-substantiated explanation supported by extensive evidence.- What is an independent variable?
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The variable that the experimenter manipulates or changes to observe its effect on the dependent variable.- What is a dependent variable?
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The variable that is measured to determine the effect of the independent variable.- What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment?
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To provide a baseline for comparison; the control group does not receive the experimental treatment.- What is random assignment in an experiment?
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The process of assigning participants to experimental or control groups by chance to reduce confounding variables.- What is the difference between experimental and correlational research?
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Experimental research manipulates variables to determine cause and effect; correlational research examines relationships without manipulation.- What is a confounding variable?
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An unmeasured variable that affects the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, threatening validity.- What is internal validity?
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The degree to which an experiment accurately tests what it claims to test by controlling confounding variables.- What is external validity?
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The degree to which research findings can be generalized to other populations, settings, and times.- What is a population in research?
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The entire group of individuals that a researcher wants to learn about.- What is a neuron?
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The basic unit of the nervous system; a cell that transmits information through electrical and chemical signals.- What are the three main parts of a neuron?
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Dendrites (receive signals), the cell body (contains nucleus), and the axon (transmits signals).- What is a synapse?
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The junction between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released and received across the gap.- What is an action potential?
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A rapid change in the electrical potential of a neuron's membrane, allowing it to transmit information along the axon.- What is a neurotransmitter?
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A chemical messenger that transmits signals across a synapse from one neuron to another.
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