Unit 0: Science Practices
Practice 1: Concept Application
1.A Apply psychological perspectives, theories, concepts and research findings to scenario.
1.B Explain how cultural norms, expectations and circumstances, as well as cognitive biases apply to
behavior and mental processes.
Practice 2: Research Methods and Design
2.A Determine the type of research design(s) used in a given study.
2.B. Evaluate the appropriate use of research design elements in experimental methodology.
2.C Evaluate the appropriate use of research design elements in non-experimental methodologies.
2.D Evaluate whether a scenario followed appropriate ethical procedures.
Practice 3: Data Interpretation
3.A Identify psychology related concepts in descriptions or representations of data.
3.B Calculate and interpret measures of central tendency, variation, & percentile rank in a given data
set.
3.C Interpret quantitative or qualitative inferential data from a given table, graph, chart, figure or
diagram.
Practice 4: Argumentation
4.A Propose a defensible claim
4.B Provide Reasoning that is grounded in scientifically derived evidence to support, refute, or modify
an established or provided claim, policy, or norm
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Unit 0 – Science Practice Key terms
Perspectives
- Biological/Neuroscience
- Evolutionary
- Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic
- Behavioral
- Humanistic
- Cognitive
- Social-Cultural
- Biopsychosocial
Cognitive Biases
- Confirmation Bias
- Hindsight Bias
- Overconfidence
Research Methods and Design
- Experiment
- Independent, dependent variables
- Random Assignment
- Experimental and control group
- placebo
- Non-experimental
- Correlation
- Directionality problem
- Third- variable problem
- Correlation does not equal causation
- Case study
- Meta-analysis
- Naturalistic observation
- Hypothesis
- Operational definitions
- Confounding variable v third variable
- Sample
- Population
- Representative sample
- Random sample
- Convenience sampling
- Sampling bias
- Sample size
- Generalizability
- Single blind v Double Blind
- Measurement tools - Qualitative v Quantitative
- Peer Review and Replication
Ethics
- IRB
- Informed consent
- Protect from harm
- Confidentiality
- Deception (Confederates)
- Debriefing
- Human and animal ethics
Data interpretation
- Identify variables in charts/graphs
- Central tendency
- Mean
- Median
- Mode
- Range
- Normal Curve
- Skew
- Bimodal
- Distribution of scores
- Standard Deviation
- Scatterplot
- Correlation Coefficient
- Interpretation of results
- Effect size
- Statistical Significance
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Unit 0 – Health Psychology and Positive Psychology
5.1.A Explain how health psychology addresses issues of physical health and wellness as they apply to
behavior and mental processes
5.1.B Explain how stress applies to behavior and mental processes
- 5.1.B.1 Stress is a factor in heightened susceptibility to disorders and disease. Stress has been linked
to physiological issues such as hypertension, headaches, and immune suppression.
- 5.1.B.2 Stressors can be viewed as motivating (eustress) or debilitating (distress). Stressors can be
experienced as traumatic or as daily hassles that can build up over time. Adverse childhood
experiences (ACEs) are sources of stress that can affect a person throughout the lifespan
5.1.C Explain how reactions to stress apply to behavior and mental processes
- 5.1.C.1 The general adaptation syndrome (GAS) describes the process of experiencing stress.
Initially, alarm reaction occurs when the stress is encountered (via a fight-flight-freeze response). Then,
a resistance phase occurs as the stress is confronted. Finally, an exhaustion phase occurs when the
stress subsides, or resources are spent. The greatest susceptibility to illness occurs during the
exhaustion phase
- 5.1.C.2 The tend-and-befriend theory proposes that some people react to stress by tending to their
own needs and/or the needs of others and seeking connection with others. This phenomenon seems to
occur mostly in women.
5.1.D Explain how the ways that people cope with stress applies to behavior and mental processes
- 5.1.D.1 Problem-focused coping involves seeing stress as a problem to be solved and working
solutions until a solution is found.
- 5.1.D.2 Emotion-focused coping involves managing emotional reactions to stress as a means of
coping. Strategies that are emotion-focused may include deep breathing, meditation, or taking
medication aimed at reducing stressful emotional responses
Key Terms: Health Psychology, Stress, Eustress, Distress, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): Alarm Reaction, Resistance Phase, Exhaustion Phase
Fight-Flight-Freeze Response, Tend-and-Befriend Response, Problem-Focused Coping,
Emotion-Focused Coping
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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
5.2.A Explain how positive psychology approaches the study of behavior and mental processes.
- 5.2.A.1 Positive psychology seeks to identify factors that lead to well-being, resilience, positive
emotions, and psychological health.
5.2.B Explain how positive subjective experiences apply to behavior and mental processes.
- 5.2.B.1 Expressing gratitude, a positive subjective experience, increases subjective well-being.
- 5.2.B.2 People who exercise their signature strengths or virtues report higher levels of positive
objective experiences such as happiness and subjective well-being. A classification of character
strengths has been developed around 6 categories of virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice,
temperance, and transcendence.
- 5.2.B.3 Posttraumatic growth, a positive subjective experience, may result after the experience of
trauma or stress.
Key Terms: Positive Psychology, Subjective Well-Being, Gratitude, Signature Strengths, Posttraumatic
Growth
Virtues (6 categories):
- Wisdom
- Courage
- Humanity
- Justice
- Temperance
- Transcendence