AQA GCSE Psychology key terms

A standardised questionnaire developed by Adorno and colleagues to measure authoritarian attitudes associated with susceptibility to fascism.

The extent to which findings can be applied beyond the participants and circumstances studied.

Applying findings from a sample to the wider population it is intended to represent.

An inherited susceptibility that increases the likelihood of developing a condition, without making it inevitable.

A belief that intelligence and ability can develop through effort, practice and learning.

A pattern of substance use that causes actual damage to physical or mental health.

A monocular depth cue in which objects higher in the visual field, towards the horizon in a ground-level scene, appear further away.

One of the two halves of the cerebrum: the left hemisphere or the right hemisphere.

A characteristic passed from parents to offspring through genes.

A graph showing continuous numerical data grouped into intervals, with touching bars whose areas represent frequencies.

An approach that considers the whole person and the interaction of factors affecting their behaviour and wellbeing.

A less severe episode of elevated mood and increased energy and activity than mania.

A precise, testable statement predicting a difference or relationship between variables.

The number of new cases of a condition occurring in a population during a specified period.

An experimental design in which different participants take part in each condition.

An experimental design in which different participants complete each condition.

The variable that is changed by the researcher in a laboratory or field experiment, or occurs naturally in a natural experiment.

An economic consequence beyond the expense of providing care, such as production lost through absence from work.

A cultural emphasis on independence, personal goals and individual achievement.

A conclusion drawn from available evidence, which may go beyond the information directly received by the senses.

Agreement to take part in research after receiving enough information to make a free and informed decision.

An effect on a neuron that makes it less likely to fire an electrical impulse.

Inborn rather than learned through experience.

A behaviour that develops without needing to be learned.

Forgetting that occurs when one memory competes with or disrupts the retrieval of another memory.

The extent to which a change in the dependent variable can confidently be attributed to the independent variable rather than an uncontrolled factor.

A globally used classification produced by the World Health Organization, providing standard symptoms, features and guidelines for diagnosing physical and mental health conditions.