In psychology, a single-blind study is a type of experiment or clinical trial in which the experimenters are aware of which subjects are receiving the treatment or independent variable, but the participants of the study are not. A study in which both the experimenters and participants are unaware of who is receiving the independent variable and…
Self-actualized people embrace growth and authenticity, but just as telling are the habits they avoid. Discover key characteristics of self-actualized people.
The humanistic theory of psychology, also known as humanism or the humanist perspective, is a movement that stresses the inherent goodness in people. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong with people, the humanistic theory of psychology takes a more holistic approach, looking at the individual as a whole and stressing the desire for self-actualization. Origins…
Kitty Genovese was a woman murdered outside her Queens, New York apartment in 1964. False reports initially suggested that neighbors had witnessed the crime yet failed to report what they saw. The case captured the public’s attention and the interest of psychology researchers, who coined the term “bystander effect” to explain why people are less…
From basic survival to self-actualization, Maslow’s hierarchy reveals how our deepest needs shape the way we live, work, and pursue happiness.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is a self-inventory personality questionnaire developed by psychologist David Keirsey and introduced in his 1978 book titled Please Understand Me. Keirsey based his assessment on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The Keirsey Temperament Sorter categorizes people into one of four different temperaments: Gaurdian, Artisan, Idealist, and Rational. Each temperament is then…
Abraham Maslow was an influential American psychologist who founded the school of thought known as humanistic psychology. His famous hierarchy of needs describes how people are motivated by increasingly complex needs. Maslow was inspired to develop his theory by his dissatisfaction with some of the major theories of psychology that existed at the time. He…
Shaping is a conditioning technique that involves working toward a target behavior by breaking it down into gradual, successive steps and rewarding each step on the path toward the desired outcome. Psychologist B. F. Skinner introduced the concept as part of his operant conditioning theory. Shaping is a term used in behavioral psychology to establish…
The Barnum effect is a type of cognitive bias that involves a tendency to believe that vague, general personality descriptions apply specifically and uniquely to them. Horoscopes are a good example of this phenomenon. While each horoscope is general, generic, and can apply to virtually anyone, people often feel like their own horoscope is strangely…
According to humanist psychologist Carl Rogers, human beings have an innate drive to grow as individuals and to achieve their full potential. He referred to this desire as the actualizing tendency. Self-Actualization and the Actualizing Tendency Rogers believed that the underlying motive that all people share is a need to become self-actualized. The self-actualized person…
The scarcity principle is a psychological phenomenon where people perceive items or opportunities as more valuable when they are limited in availability. This principle suggests that scarcity creates a sense of urgency or desire, leading individuals to place higher value on scarce resources or opportunities compared to abundant ones. Essentially, people have a tendency to…
The projection bias is a type of cognitive bias that involves overestimating the degree to which other people agree with us. People tend to assume that others think, feel, believe, and behave much like they do. They assume that their way of thinking about something or doing things is typical, and therefore other normal people…
The Contingency Theory of Leadership challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to management, suggesting that effective leaders must adapt their style to the specific needs of each situation. Here’s how this theory reshapes our understanding of leadership.
Maladaptive perfectionism is a psychological trait characterized by an excessive preoccupation with flawless performance, an unrelenting pursuit of unrealistically high standards, and an inability to accept anything less than perfection. It often results in impaired functioning and emotional distress, leading to procrastination, anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy or failure. Adaptive vs. Maladaptive Perfectionism In…
Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development shed light on how children’s thinking evolves. Explore the key phases that shape intelligence from infancy to adolescence.
The serial position effect refers to the tendency to be able to better recall the first and last items on a list than the middle items. Psychology Hermann Ebbinghaus noted during his research that his ability to remember the items on a list depended on the position of the item on the list. An example…
In psychology research, an institutional review board (also known as an IRB) is a group of individuals who review and monitor research that involves human subjects. Institutional review boards help ensure that the rights, welfare, and safety of participants are protected. They also help safeguard that psychology studies follow ethical and research guidelines such as…
Diana Baumrind is a developmental psychologist who is perhaps best-known for her research on parenting styles and her writings on ethics in psychological research. Through her work, she identified three primary styles of parenting. Two critical factors that she looked at during her research included how responsive parents were to their children and the demands…
Developmental psychology is a field that studies how people grow and change throughout the course of their lifespans. Developmental psychology topics are about much more than the physical changes that occur over a lifetime. These topics also encompass the cognitive, social, and emotional changes at different ages. This article discusses some of the major developmental…
Not all variables in an experiment are easy to control. Learn how extraneous variables can influence outcomes and why they matter in psychological research.
