OCR GCSE Psychology key terms

Applying findings from the people studied to other people or the wider population.

The belief that intelligence and ability can develop through learning, effective strategies and effort.

A sensory experience without a corresponding external stimulus, such as hearing a voice when nobody is speaking.

The size of the hippocampus, a brain structure whose volume has been linked to self-esteem and internal locus of control.

A brain structure within the limbic system that is important for forming new long-term memories.

A graph displaying continuous data grouped into intervals, with touching bars. For equal-width intervals, bar heights show frequencies.

Explaining behaviour by considering the whole person and the wider context rather than only separate constituent parts.

A brain region involved in regulating bodily functions, including the sleep–wake cycle.

A precise, testable statement predicting the outcome of a study.

The International Classification of Diseases: the World Health Organization’s system for classifying health conditions, including mental disorders.

The person someone would like to be.

The process of wanting to be like a role model, which makes adopting their behaviour more likely.

An increase in confidence that an event happened after imagining it.

Copying behaviour that has been observed.

Remembering information straight after it has been presented.

The number or rate of new cases of a condition arising in a specified population during a specified period.

Something that does not fit its context or is incompatible with ordinary expectations.

An experimental design in which different participants take part in each condition, with each participant completing only one condition.

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

The variable changed by the researcher, or a naturally occurring difference used to compare conditions, to investigate its effect on an outcome.

A difference between participants, such as reading ability or memory capacity, that could affect the dependent variable.

A culture that places relatively greater emphasis on personal independence and individual goals.

A sequence of mental operations through which information is taken in, encoded, stored, retrieved and used.

Voluntary agreement to participate in research after receiving and understanding enough information about its procedures, risks and implications to make a meaningful decision.

The entry of information through the senses, such as sight, hearing and touch.

Regular difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or returning to sleep after waking early, often accompanied by tiredness and impaired daytime functioning.

The ethical principle of being honest, accurate, fair and consistent, remaining objective and avoiding exploitation and conflicts of interest.