Experimental Psychology Overview

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Questions and Answers

What does Experimental Psychology examine?

The relationships between human behavior and the mind.

What is manipulated by experimental scientists to discover relationships in behavior?

Research variables (correct)

Social interactions

Biological factors

Environmental factors

Experimental psychology applies the rules of scientific method to its subject matter.

True

What are independent variables?

The antecedent conditions that the experimenter manipulates freely. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment?

To serve as a comparison group that does not receive experimental treatment. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a dependent variable?

Pupillary area of the eye Signup and view all the answers

The variables of experimental psychology are stimuli and ________.

responses Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of statistical techniques in experiments?

To estimate the probability that observed changes are due to random actions of uncontrolled variables. Signup and view all the answers

What is the capacity of receptors and reaction systems to respond selectively and deferentially to physical stimuli known as?

Sensitivity Signup and view all the answers

What are the two types of sensitivity defined in the text?

Differential Sensitivity Signup and view all the answers

What is defined as the stimulus value that yields a response 50% of the time?

Absolute Threshold Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the stimulus difference that gives rise to a judgment of difference 50% of the time?

Differential / Discrimination Threshold Signup and view all the answers

The Absolute Threshold is a fixed point on the stimulus scale.

False Signup and view all the answers

What does j.n.d. stand for?

Just Noticeable Difference Signup and view all the answers

What does the Point of Subjective Equality (PSE) represent?

The value of a comparison stimulus that is equally likely to be judged as higher or lower than that of a standard stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

Some stimuli that are too weak or too intense cannot evoke a response, creating a _____ between these kinds of stimuli.

threshold Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Overview of Experimental Psychology

Examines the connection between human behavior and mental processes.
Emphasizes scientific research and experimentation.
Conducted primarily in laboratory settings with controlled environments.

Methodology

Utilizes the scientific method to uncover lawful behavior relationships.
Investigates both simple and complex behaviors, seeking determinants in organisms and their environments.
Experimental methods aim to understand the processes underlying behavior through variable manipulation.

Variables in Experimental Psychology

Dependent Variables: The phenomena being explained or predicted, reliant on independent variables.
Independent Variables: Conditions manipulated by the researcher to observe effects on dependent variables.
Examples include pupil size in varying light conditions and items solved in tests.
A variable can take on multiple values, like the length of a word list impacting learning trials.

Stimuli and Responses

Focus on environmental stimuli and organism responses to those stimuli.
Each stimulus represents a part of the environment, while responses reflect specific behaviors.

Experimental Control of Variables

Essential to isolate the relationship between dependent and independent variables while controlling extraneous factors.
Parameters (e.g., word difficulty, presentation speed) should be kept constant to ensure valid results.
Conducting trials with multiple subjects minimizes individual differences' effects.

Experimental and Control Groups

Experimental Group: Participants exposed to independent variable manipulations.
Control Group: Participants receiving no experimental treatment, serving as a comparison for assessing the independent variable’s impact.
Control groups matched closely to experimental groups to ensure validity, maintaining similar demographics.

Statistical Significance

Statistical analysis helps determine if observed changes in dependent variables are due to independent variables or random factors.
Probability assessments clarify the reliability of experimental results and their implications.

Receptor Organs and Sensitivity

Organisms have specialized receptor organs that detect environmental changes.
Receptors serve as a crucial link between stimuli application and response.
Sensitivity is the ability of receptors and response systems to respond selectively to stimuli.

Types of Sensitivity

Absolute Sensitivity: Indicates the limits of a subject’s ability to respond to a stimulus, inversely related to the minimal detectable stimulus.
Differential Sensitivity: Relates to a subject’s ability to perceive qualitative and quantitative differences between stimuli, inversely related to the minimal difference required for reliable discrimination.

Thresholds and Limens

Some stimuli are too weak to evoke a response; others are too intense to fail.
The transition between non-responsive and responsive stimuli is gradual.
Absolute Threshold: The stimulus intensity that elicits a response 50% of the time, inherently variable and statistical rather than a fixed point.
Differential Threshold: Defined as the smallest difference in stimulus intensity needed for a subject to perceive a difference (Just Noticeable Difference, JND) 50% of the time.

Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

JND represents the subject's capacity for discrimination between stimuli.
The difference threshold indicates how much a stimulus must be altered for the subject to notice half the time.

Point of Subjective Equality (PSE)

PSE is a measure of relational judgment between sameness and difference.
Stimuli with identical physical characteristics may be judged as different, and vice versa.
PSE is the comparison stimulus level that is equally likely to be judged higher or lower than a standard stimulus.
In experiments, subjects compare varying stimuli against a reference to determine the PSE, where both seem identical.

Key Relationships

There is no consistent correspondence between physical stimulus equality and perceptual judgments of sameness, indicating variability in human perception.
Experimental designs often include estimating PSE to gauge discrimination capabilities accurately.

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Description

This quiz explores the fundamentals of experimental psychology, focusing on the relationship between human behavior and mental processes. It highlights the importance of scientific research and variables in understanding behavior through controlled experimentation.