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Intro Psychology — Core Concepts & Classic Studies flashcards

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Psychology's history and perspectives, research design and statistics, research ethics, what the classic studies did and did not show, lifespan development, health psychology and the evidence base for therapy.

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Learn deck · part of Introductory Psychology · written against: Standard Psych 101; complements the AP Psychology decks. Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. Why is Wilhelm Wundt usually called the founder of experimental psychology?
    In 1879 in Leipzig he opened the first laboratory devoted to psychological research, studying conscious experience with controlled, repeatable procedures rather than philosophical argument alone.
    History & Perspectives
  2. What was structuralism, and why did it fade?
    Structuralism, led by Edward Titchener, tried to break conscious experience into its basic elements using trained introspection. It faded because introspective reports were subjective and different labs could not agree on the results.
    History & Perspectives
  3. A researcher gives one group caffeine and another group a placebo, then times how fast each reacts to a light. Which is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable?
    The independent variable is what the researcher manipulates: caffeine vs placebo. The dependent variable is what is measured as the outcome: reaction time.
    Research Design
  4. What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment?
    It provides a baseline: the control group is treated exactly like the experimental group except for the independent variable, so any difference in outcome can be attributed to that variable.
    Research Design
  5. Why is the median usually a better summary than the mean for household income?
    Income is skewed by a few very high earners, which pull the mean upward. The median — the middle score — is barely affected by extreme values, so it better reflects a typical household.
    Statistics & Replication
  6. What does an Institutional Review Board (IRB) do?
    An IRB reviews proposed research with human participants before it begins, checking that risks are minimized, that they are justified by the potential benefits and that participants' rights and welfare are protected.
    Research Ethics
  7. Why is it misleading to say Milgram showed that two-thirds of people will obey any order to harm someone?
    The well-known 65% came from one version of the procedure.

    Across many variations, obedience dropped sharply when the learner was in the same room, when the experimenter left or when peers refused — the lesson is the power of the situation, not a fixed rate of obedience.

    Watch out: archival work (Perry, 2012; Gibson, 2013) found the experimenter often pressed participants beyond the scripted prods, and a reanalysis found that doubters of the shocks tended to give stronger ones, so the rates are still debated.
    Classic Studies
  8. What is a teratogen, and why does timing of exposure matter?
    A teratogen is an agent, such as alcohol or certain infections, that can harm prenatal development. Damage depends on timing because each organ has a critical period of rapid formation, much of it in the first weeks after conception.

    Example: prenatal alcohol exposure can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
    Lifespan Development
  9. What is the HPA axis, and what hormone does it release during stress?
    The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis: the hypothalamus releases CRH, the pituitary releases ACTH, and the adrenal cortex releases cortisol, which mobilizes energy and dampens inflammation.
    Health Psychology
  10. What is exposure and response prevention, and which disorder is it best known for treating?
    The client is gradually exposed to feared triggers while refraining from the usual compulsion, so anxiety falls without the ritual. It is a first-line treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
    Therapy & Evidence

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About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • APA Dictionary of Psychology (dictionary.apa.org), APA, Leipzig University and York University (Classics in the History of Psychology) history pages, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, CDC, HHS and eCFR (45 CFR 46) pages, MedlinePlus and the original studies, consulted as references; no text copied.
  • Study details checked against the original published reports and the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002, amended 2010 and 2016) (reference only; all wording is original).

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