Introduction to Psychology Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from introductory psychology lecture notes covering major concepts, branches, provider credentials, historical figures, and research methodology.

Psyche

Greek root meaning "soul" or "mind".

Logos

Greek root meaning "word".

Psychology

The systematic study of behavior and experience.

Nature

Pre-wiring influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors.

Nurture

The influence of external factors after conception, such as social relationships, external environment, culture, and childhood experiences.

Developmental Psychology

Branch of psychology that focuses on how people change and grow throughout life.

Educational Psychology

Branch of psychology concerned with schools, teaching psychology, educational issues, and student concerns.

Experimental Psychology

Branch of psychology that utilizes scientific methods to research the brain and behavior.

Forensic Psychology

Branch of psychology that deals with issues related to psychology and the law, applying psychological principles to legal issues.

Health Psychology

Also called medical psychology or behavioral medicine; focuses on how biology, psychology, behavior, and social factors influence health and illness.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Branch of psychology that applies psychological principles to workplace issues.

Personality Psychology

Branch of psychology that focuses on the study of thought patterns, feelings, and behaviors that make each individual unique.

School Psychology

Type of psychology that involves working in schools to help kids deal with academic, emotional, and social issues.

Social Psychology

Branch of psychology that seeks to understand and explain social behavior.

Sports Psychology

Study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise, and physical activity.

Clinical Psychologist

Mental health provider who earns a PhD with clinical emphasis or PsyD plus internship, ordinarily taking 5+ years after an undergraduate degree.

Psychiatrist

Medical doctor who completes an MD plus psychiatric residency, requiring a total of 8 years after an undergraduate degree.

Psychoanalyst

Practitioner trained in psychiatry or clinical psychology plus 6-8 years in a psychoanalytic institute, often using Freud's methods.

Psychiatric Nurse

Mental health service provider whose education ranges from a 2-year (AA) degree to a master's degree plus supervised experience.

Clinical Social Worker

Provider requiring a Master's degree plus 2 years of supervised experience, taking a total of at least 4 years after an undergraduate degree.

Counseling Psychologist

Mental health professional with a PhD, PsyD, or EdD plus supervised experience in counseling.

Biopsychologist

Psychology specialist whose general interest is the relationship between brain and behavior.

Cognitive Psychologist

Psychology specialist whose general interest is memory and thinking.

Community Psychologist

Psychology specialist whose general interest is organizations and social structures.

Environmental Psychologist

Psychology specialist whose general interest is how noise, heat, crowding, and other factors affect behavior.

Evolutionary Psychologist

Psychology specialist whose general interest is the evolutionary history of behavior.

Human Factors Specialist

Psychology specialist whose general interest is communication between person and machine.

Psychometrician

Psychology specialist whose general interest is measuring intelligence, personality, and interests.

Wilhelm Wundt

Psychologist who established the first psychological laboratory and identified sensations and feelings as elements of experience.

Edward Titchener

Student of Wundt who developed structuralism to describe the structures that compose the mind.

Structuralism

An attempt to describe the structures that compose the mind, particularly sensations, feelings, and images.

William James

Founder of American psychology who articulated functionalism and focused on what the mind does rather than what it is.

Functionalism

Psychological approach focusing on the purpose of consciousness and behavior and how people produce useful behavior.

Francis Galton

Cousin of Charles Darwin who was among the first to try to measure intelligence, asked if intellectual variations were inherited, created weather maps, and suggested fingerprint identification.

Alfred Binet

Psychologist who devised the first useful intelligence test, the Binet Intelligence Scale.

John B. Watson

Psychologist regarded by many as the founder of behaviorism.

Behaviorism

Theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning via interaction with the environment.

Scientific Theory

An explanation or model that fits many observations and makes valid predictions.

Falsifiable

Describing a theory stated in such clear, precise terms that evidence could count against it if such evidence existed.

Hypothesis

A clear predictive statement used in research.

Method

A way on how you can test a hypothesis.

Null Hypothesis ($H_0$)

A test hypothesis that always predicts no effect or no relationship between variables.

Alternative Hypothesis ($H_A$)

A test hypothesis stating that research predicts an effect or relationship between variables.

Principle of Parsimony

Principle that instructs us to adhere to what we already believe and resist radically new hypotheses unless supported by sufficient evidence.