AQA GCSE Psychology key terms

Selecting participants who are available when and where the researcher recruits them.

The pattern of light reaching the eyes from the environment, containing information about objects and surfaces.

A change in performance caused by the sequence in which conditions are completed, such as practice, fatigue or boredom.

Changes in performance caused by completing conditions in a particular sequence, such as improvement through practice or deterioration through fatigue.

A score unusually far from the other scores in a dataset.

Non-verbal features of speech, such as tone, pitch, volume and intonation.

The division of the autonomic nervous system that supports rest, digestion and recovery, conserving energy.

A characteristic that differs between participants, such as memory ability, and could affect an experiment's results.

The effect of people of a similar age or social background on an individual's attitudes and behaviour.

Choosing friends who already share one's attitudes or behaviour, rather than becoming similar because of their influence.

A proportion expressed out of 100.

The process of interpreting information received through the senses.

An increase in the apparent intensity or prominence of a stimulus because it relates to a person's needs or desires.

A readiness to perceive certain things rather than others, influenced by experience, expectations, needs and feelings.

The nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that carry information between the central nervous system and the rest of the body.

The relatively enduring characteristics that influence how a person typically thinks, feels and behaves.

The physical distance people prefer between themselves and others so that they feel comfortable.

A positron emission tomography scan: an imaging technique that uses a radioactive tracer to investigate activity in the brain.

Physical activation of the body, shown by changes such as a faster heart rate, increased breathing and sweating.

An association in which higher values of one variable tend to occur with higher values of the other.

Constructive involvement in relationships and community life, such as maintaining friendships, cooperating with others and contributing to shared activities.

Increasing the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated by providing a rewarding consequence after it.

Mirroring or adopting a similar body position to another person; it may indicate agreement or friendliness.

The positioning of the body when standing or sitting.

An expression of approval for someone's effort, behaviour or achievement.

The proportion of a population who have a condition at a particular time or during a specified period, including existing cases.

The tendency to recall items at the beginning of a list better than items in the middle.