OCR GCSE Psychology key terms

A value that summarises the centre or typical score of a dataset. The mean, median and mode are measures of central tendency.

The middle score when scores are arranged in numerical order. With an even number of scores, it is the mean of the two middle scores.

A relationship in which an intermediate variable helps explain the association between two other variables. In this study, Facebook envy mediated the relationship between surveillance use and depression symptoms.

A hormone whose release normally increases at night, helping signal that it is time to sleep.

The process through which newly formed memories become more stable and established in long-term memory.

A difference between a remembered account and what actually happened, such as an added, altered or omitted detail.

A person's psychological well-being, including their ability to cope with stress and function in everyday life.

A model that places mental health along a spectrum from well-being to significant difficulties or illness, rather than dividing everyone into two fixed categories.

The process through which an individual or smaller group changes the attitudes or behaviour of the majority.

Additional stress associated with belonging to a minority group, including experiences of discrimination and negative social attitudes.

The class interval containing the greatest frequency of scores in grouped data.

The value that occurs most frequently in a dataset.

A group of neurotransmitters that includes dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin.

A person’s understanding and beliefs about what is right and wrong.

Magnetic resonance imaging: a technique that produces detailed images of structures inside the body, including the brain.

An explanation of memory proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin in which information passes through three separate stores: sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory.

An experiment in which the independent variable occurs naturally rather than being manipulated by the researcher.

An observation in which participants’ behaviour is studied in their natural environment.

The debate about the relative contributions of biological influences and environmental experiences to behaviour.

The debate about the relative influence of inherited biological factors and environmental experiences on development and behaviour.

A relationship in which higher values of one co-variable tend to occur with lower values of the other.

A reduction or loss of usual functioning, such as reduced emotional expression, motivation or speech.

The network of cells that receives, processes and transmits information around the body.

Damage to the brain or other parts of the nervous system that can disrupt normal functioning.

A nerve cell that communicates information through electrical and chemical signals.

The nervous system's ability to change and adapt through development, experience or injury.

A standardised task used to assess a mental ability, such as memory, attention or problem-solving, to help understand brain functioning.