AP PSYCH VOCAB

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

behavior

The way an organism reacts to changes in its internal condition or external environment.

mental processes

The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly

Sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Socrates and Plato

the mind is separable from the body and continues after the body dies. Knowledge is innate.

Nature vs. Nurture

name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

Descartes

(1596-1650) French philosopher, discovered analytical geometry. Saw Algebra and Geometry have a direct relationship. Reduced everything to spiritual or physical.

Francis Bacon

(1561-1626) English politician, writer. Formalized the empirical method. Novum Organum. Inductive reasoning.

Locke

English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)

Structuralism

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

Wilhelm Wundt

father of psychology

G. Stanley Hall

american psychologist who established the first psychology research laboratory in the United States and founded the American Psychological Association

Functionalism

A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.

William James

founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment

Mary Calkins

student under William James who should have earned her Ph.D. from Harvard; Harvard denied her the degree she had earned, offering her a degree from Radcliffe College, which she refused the degree; she became a memory researcher and the American Psychological Association's (APA's) first female president in 1905

Mary Washburn

First female PhD in psychology

Freudian Psychology

emphasized the ways our unconscious thought processes and our emotional responses to childhood experiences affect our behavior

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

Pavlov

classical conditioning

Watson

Behaviorism; "Little Albert Study"; aversion therapy

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Skinner

operant conditioning

humanistic psychology

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Carl Rogers

1902-1987; Field: humanistic; Contributions: founded person-centered therapy, theory that emphasizes the unique quality of humans especially their freedom and potential for personal growth, unconditional positive regard, fully functioning person

cognitive

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

biological psychology

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

clinical psychology

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

counseling psychology

a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being

personality psychology

the study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Cognitive Psychology

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

educational psychology

the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning

Psychometric Psychology

Looks at the measurement of behavior through the development of psychological tests; assesses issues of validity and reliability as well as statistical modeling

developmental psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

Experiemental Psychology

The study of behavior and thinking through experiments.

industrial-organizational psychology

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

psychodynamic psychology

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders

social psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

John Hopkins

and he began to explore the idea of

sensation and perception

reaction speed

the time that elapses between the onset or presentation of a stimulus and the occurrence of a specific response to that stimulus.

Budda

Ancient philosophers such as Buddha (500s CE) had noted the influence of sensation and
perception on ideas

consciousness

Consciousness describes our awareness of internal and external stimuli. Awareness of internal stimuli includes feeling pain, hunger, thirst, sleepiness, and being aware of our thoughts and emotions.

Darwin

Natural selection

unconscious

behaviors, thoughts, and perceptions are

shaped by our past and our primitive instincts

Primitive desires

It directs impulses for hunger, thirst, and sex

Hebrews

drew connections between feelings and parts of the body, such as
love being felt near the heart and fear in the stomach

Aristotle

however, argued the opposite: that we obtain our knowledge and habits
through observation and experience

different perceptions

This is how your brain interprets that information being provided.

Psychology of the body

the physical body as opposed to the mental processes of a human being.

Gestalt

our drive to group things into larger parts, and see in sequence or as a whole

Negative/positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement: adding a factor to increase the likelihood of the desired behavior. Negative reinforcement: removing a factor to increase the likelihood of the desired behavior.

biopsychosocial

the interactions of genes, mood and personality, and social factors (culture, family, socioeconomic status) all interact to determine behavior

Psychotherapy

is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome problems.

Dorothea Dix

opened up the first mental asylums

Abraham Harold Maslow

Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization.

evolutionary psychology

The field of evolutionary psychology is based on the idea that human emotions and behaviors have been shaped by natural selection.

positive psychology

– seeks to encourage acceptance of one's past

excitement and optimism about one's future experiences

Trait personality

deals with investigating and logging persistent traits and consistent

characteristics / behaviors of people across time

Experimental

– a diverse group of scientists who study behavior

via experimental and observation in humans and animals

Psychometric

a domain that can be applied to any domain or field as it is

a form of measurement for the abilities, attitudes, and traits of human beings

Example: intelligence and personality tests