AP Psychology Chapter 1 ID Terms

psychology

is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Plato

proposed the idea that each of us has our own perception of the world which is unique to our life experiences.

Aristotle

believed the way to understand the essence of something was to study specific examples of it in nature, to gain knowledge from observation and data.

Rene Descartes

refined a theory known as dualism; He believed further that the two parts interact in a cause-and-effect relationship.

dualism

recognizes a duality or a two-part quality to human existence: the body, which is physical and includes the brain, and the mind, which is nonphysical.

monism

the belief that nothing exists except physical matter—the mind is a function of the brain.

John Locke

English philosopher and physician; posited that all individuals are born a “blank slate,” or tabula rasa in Latin, and experience in the world shapes the person, filling up the blank slate.

tabula rasa

blank slate

behaviorism

theory that posits all behaviors are learned through interactions with the environment.

empiricism

an approach to understanding subjects, including human behavior, by examining data rather than using intuition or reason alone.

Nature vs. Nurture

concept asking, "do genes or environmental factors contribute more to a person's being?"

Wilhelm Wundt

German philosopher, physician, and professor; known as “the father of psychology” because he is the first person to study humans in a laboratory setting.

introspection

to report their conscious experiences (sensations, perceptions, and first reactions) in relation to a number of different objects.

Edward Titchener

Wundt’s student; first coined the term structuralism to describe this school of thought.

structuralism

breaking down conscious experience into most basic parts (structures)

William James

an American philosopher, physician, and professor at Harvard University, was one of many who were critical of structuralism; wrote The Principles of Psychology.

Charles Darwin

developed a theory called evolution.

theory of evolution

view that organisms change over time as they adapt to their environment and that adaptations that serve the function of promoting survival are passed on to offspring.

stream of consciousness

term used by William James to describe the mind as a continuous flow of changing sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings

functionalism

function of consciousness as an evolutionary adaptation to environment that made it possible for humans to thrive and continue to adapt.

Mary Whiton Calkins

American psychologist who conducted research on memory, personality, and dreams
first woman president of the American Psychological Association
student of William James

Margaret Floy Washburn

a leading American psychologist in the early 20th century
known for her experimental work in animal behavior and motor theory development
the first woman to be granted a PhD in psychology

Dorthea Dix

a reformer and pioneer in the movement to treat the insane as mentally ill
beginning in the 1820s, she was responsible for improving conditions in jails, poorhouses, and insane asylums throughout the U.S. and Canada

Gestalt Psychology

a school of thought interested in how people naturally organize their perceptions according to certain patterns

Sigmund Freud

the founding father of the psychoanalytic approach

psychoanalytic approach

an approach to psychology focusing on unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives and society's demands, and early childhood family experiences

unconscious

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories

latent

according to Freud, a dream's hidden content
its unconscious and true meaning

id

the Freudian structure of personality consisting of unconscious drives
the individuals' reservoir of sexual energy

superego

the Freudian structure of personality that serves as the harsh internal judge of our behavior; what we often call conscience

ego

the Freudian structure of personality that deals with the demands of reality

behaviorist

a psychologist who analyzes how organisms learn or modify their behavior based on their response to events in the environment

John Watson

early behaviorist
famous for the "Little Albert" experiments on fear conditioning

Edward Thorndike

psychologist who created the law of effect
believed rewarded behavior is likely to recur

stimulus and response learning

the ability to learn to perform a particular behavior when a particular stimulus is present

classical conditioning

learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an innately meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response

Ivan Pavlov

psychologist that developed classical conditioning theory of learning
conducted famous salivating dogs experiment to research classical conditioning

B.F. Skinner

pioneer of operant conditioning who believed that everything we do is determined by our past history of rewards and punishments

Skinner Box

a laboratory apparatus used to study operant conditioning in animals, which typically contains a lever that animals can press to dispense food as reinforcement

operant conditioning

a form of associative learning in which the consequences of a behavior change the probability of the behavior's occurrence

cognitive approach

an approach to psychology focusing on the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems

Jean Piaget

a Swiss psychologist most famously known for his theory of cognitive development that looked at how children develop intellectually throughout the course of childhood

humanistic approach

an approach to psychology focusing on a person's positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose one's own destiny

Carl Rogers

psychologist best known for developing the psychotherapy method called client-centered therapy and for being one of the founders of humanistic psychology

Abraham Maslow

an American psychologist who was best known for creating the Hierarchy of Needs

Hierarchy of Needs

a theory of psychological health developed by Abraham Maslow, predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization

sociocultural Approach

the influences of ethnicity gender, culture, and socioeconomic status on behavior.

biological approach

an approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system

evolutionary psychologists

psychologists who focuses on evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors

biopsychosocial model

a model that sees health as the result of biological, psychological, and social factors

applied psychologists

psychologists who use the knowledge developed by experimental psychologists to solve human problems

basic psychologists

psychologists who research without concern to personal or social problems

psychiatrist

medical doctors who can prescribe medication.

clinical psychologists

help people with psychological disorders adjust to the demands of life; largest subgroup of psychologists.

counseling psychologists

they use interviews and tests to define their client’s problems. work with individuals going through a difficult time, rather than mental illness.

human factors psychologists

make technical systems such as automobile dashboards and computer keyboards more user-friendly.

industrial-organizational psychologists

study the relationship between people and work to increase efficiency
study behavior of people in organizations like businesses

school psychologists

help school systems identify and assist students who have problems that interfere with learning. Generally work in face-to-face setting.

biological psychologists

study behaviors and mental processes from a biological perspective
provide insight into the causes of and treatments for psychological disorders
a complex interaction between a person's biology and their behavior and mental processes

cognitive psychologists

examine attention, consciousness, information processing, and memory
interested in skills and abilities such as problem solving, decision making, expertise, and intelligence

developmental psychologists

studies people from the womb to the tomb; study the changes — physical, cognitive, social, and emotional — that occur across the lifespan.

educational psychologists

research theoretical issues related to learning, measurement, and child development (making tests; SATs)

experimental psychologists

specialize in basic processes such as the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, thought, motivation, and emotion; work in laboratories; largest category of basic psychologists.

psychometric psychologists

design and evaluate tests of mental abilities, aptitudes, interests, and personality

personality psychologists

identify and measure human traits and determine influences on human thought processes, feelings, and behavior.

social psychologists

concerned with the nature and causes of individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior in social situations.