48 of the Psychology glossary’s terms, each with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
A procedure in which every participant has an equal chance of being placed in each condition of an experiment, so participant variables are spread evenly across conditions.
A sampling technique in which every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected, for example by drawing names or using a random number generator.
A true experiment that tests a treatment or intervention by randomly allocating participants to receive it or to a control condition, such as a placebo, usual care or a waiting list.
A measure of dispersion: the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a data set. It is quick to calculate but depends entirely on the two most extreme scores.
A relationship of trust and mutual understanding between interviewer and participant that encourages open and honest answers.
Numerical data measured on a scale with equal units and a true zero, such as reaction time, age or number of words recalled, so that one value can be twice another.
A change in participants’ behaviour caused by their awareness of being observed or studied, which makes the observed behaviour less natural.
A test of adult theory of mind in which participants view photographs of the eye region of faces and choose which of four words best describes the person’s mental state.
A theory proposing that hostility between groups arises when they compete for limited resources, and is reduced when they work together towards shared goals.
A protein on the membrane of a cell with a binding site that fits a particular chemical messenger; when the messenger binds, the receptor changes the activity of the cell.
The social norm that people should repay what others give them, so that receiving a favour or a concession creates a sense of obligation to return it.
The view that remembering is an active process of rebuilding a past event from stored fragments, schemas and later information, rather than replaying an exact copy.
Explaining a complex behaviour by breaking it down into simpler, more basic components, such as one neurotransmitter, one gene or separate memory stores.
The finding that adding information which repeats what is already understandable, such as reading aloud text learners can see, impairs learning because it uses working memory without adding anything new.
A researcher's ongoing, critical awareness of how their own background, beliefs and choices of method may have influenced the research process and its findings.
The statistical tendency for an extreme score on one measurement to be followed by a score closer to the average on the next, because extreme scores partly reflect temporary chance factors.
The repetition of information in short-term memory, which keeps it active and, in the multi-store model, transfers it to long-term memory.
Any consequence of a behaviour that increases the likelihood that the behaviour will be repeated.
The return of the symptoms of a disorder after a period of improvement, during or soon after treatment, before the person has fully recovered.
The degree to which people in a society or social context have opportunities to form new relationships and to end existing ones.
Programmes, usually given to groups of couples before or early in a relationship, that teach communication and conflict-management skills to prevent future distress.
The consistency of a measure: the extent to which it gives the same results on repeated occasions (test–retest), across observers (inter-rater) or across its items (internal consistency).
The point at which a person’s symptoms have fallen below the threshold for the disorder, usually defined as a score below a cut-off on a rating scale.
An experimental design in which the same participants take part in every condition, so each person is compared with themselves.
Repeating a study, using the same or a very similar procedure with new participants, to check whether the original findings occur again.
The discovery, from about 2011 onwards, that many published findings in psychology and other sciences could not be reproduced when the studies were repeated, which led to reforms such as preregistration.
A sample whose characteristics, such as age, sex, culture and income, match those of the target population closely enough for findings to be generalised to it.
A mental shortcut in which the probability that something belongs to a category is judged by how closely it resembles a typical member of that category, neglecting base rates.
A systematic way of collecting data to answer a research question, such as an experiment, observation, survey or questionnaire, interview, correlational study or case study.
The study of how psychologists plan and carry out research: the choice of method, sampling, procedures, data collection and analysis, and the considerations that decide how far findings can be trusted.
A written plan for a psychological investigation that sets out and justifies its aim, method, procedure, ethics, data collection tool and likely findings, without carrying out the research.
A focused question that an investigation sets out to answer, naming what is studied and in which group, phrased so that it can be answered with data.
A distortion of findings caused by the researcher's expectations, beliefs or behaviour, which may affect how a study is designed, how participants are treated, or how data are recorded and interpreted.
Positive adaptation and development despite serious adversity or risk, arising from the interaction of individual qualities with supportive relationships and environments.
The set of four to six sources, with quantitative and qualitative research data, given in HL Paper 3 and built around a claim about culture, motivation or technology in one context.
The percentage of people invited to take part in a survey who actually complete it; a low response rate increases the risk of non-response bias.
The duty of psychologists to act ethically towards research participants, animals, clients and society, protecting their well-being and rights and considering how findings are communicated and used.
The process of bringing stored information back into conscious awareness when it is needed, for example by recall or recognition.
A learning strategy in which information is actively recalled from memory, for example through self-testing, which strengthens long-term retention more than restudying the same material.
A loss of memories formed before brain damage, usually worst for the period just before the damage and less severe for older memories.
Research that looks back in time, usually by asking participants to recall past experiences or by using existing records, after the outcome of interest has occurred.
The reabsorption of a neurotransmitter from the synaptic gap into the presynaptic neuron by transporter proteins, which ends its action and allows it to be reused.
Reasoning backwards from activity in a brain area to the presence of a particular mental process, which is unreliable because most areas take part in many processes.
A questionnaire technique in which some items are worded in the opposite direction and their scores are reversed before totalling, to detect and reduce acquiescence bias.
A network of dopamine pathways, running from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex, that is activated by rewards and motivates behaviour that leads to them.
The right of participants to leave a study at any time, without giving a reason or losing any payment, and to have their data removed.
An intense attraction to one particular person, involving focused attention, craving for emotional union and intrusive thoughts about the beloved, usually strongest early in a relationship.
A style of responding to distress by repeatedly and passively focusing on one’s symptoms and their possible causes and consequences, without acting to solve the problem.