Ch. 1: History and Approaches

empiricism

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation

structuralism

early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

functionalism

early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function - how they allow organisms to survive, adapt and flourish

experimental psychology

the study of behavior and thinking using experimentation

behaviorism

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

humanistic psychology

a historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary of the brain activity linked with cognition (perception, language, memory, and thinking)

psychology

the study of behavior and mental processes

biopsychosocial approach

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

behavioral

the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning

biological

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, and hormonal) and psychological processes

cognitive

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

evolutionary

the study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection

psychodynamic

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

social-cultural

the study of how situation and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

psychometrics

the scientific study go the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits