Psychology Module 1

Neuroscience perspective

might study the brain circuits that cause us to be red in the face and ‘hot under the collar”

Evolutionary perspective

might analyze how anger facilitated the survival of our ancestors’ genes

Behavior genetic perspective

might study how heredity and experience influence our individual differences in temperament

Psychodynamic perspective

might view an outburst as an outlet for unconscious hostility

Cognitive perspective

might study how our interpretation of a situation affects our anger and how our anger affects our thinking

Social-cultural perspective

might explore how expressions of anger vary across cultural contexts

Neuroscience

How the body and brain enable emotions, memories and sensory experiences

Evolutionary

How the natural selection of traits has promoted the survival of genes

Behavior genetics

How our genes and our environment influence our individual differences

Psychodynamic

How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

Behavioral

How we learn observable responses

Cognitive

How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

Social-cultural

How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

Biological psychologists

explore the links between body and mind

Developmental psychologists

studying our changing abilities from womb to tomb

Cognitive psychologists

experimenting with how we think and solve problems

Personality psychologist

investigating our persistent traits

Social psychologists

explore how we view and affect one another

Industrial-organizational psychologists

use psychology’s concepts and methods in the workplace to help organisations and companies select and train employees, boost morale and productivity, design products and implement systems

Counselling psychologists

help people to cope with challenges and crises (including academic, vocational, and relationship issues) and assist those with psychological disorders to improve their personal and social functioning

Clinical psychologists

focus on assessing and treating people with mental, emotional, and behavior disorders

Psychiatrists

also may provide psychotherapy, are medical doctors licensed to prescribe drugs and otherwise treat physical causes of psychological disorders

Forensic psychologists

apply psychology’s principles and methods in the criminal justice system. They may assess witness credibility or testify in court about a defendant’s state of mind and future risk

Community psychologists

work to create social and physical environments that are healthy for all

Empirical approach

An evidence-based method that draws on observation and experimentation

Critical thinking

thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

structuralism

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

functionalism

an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.

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).

humanistic psychology

a historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential.

cognitive psychology

the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems.

cognitive neuroscience

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

nature–nurture issue

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

natural selection

the principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

evolutionary psychology

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

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive.

biopsychosocial approach

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

levels of analysis

the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to socialcultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon.

basic research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

Applied research

a scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

counseling psychology

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

Clinical psychology

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

Psychiatry

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by
physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well
as psychological therapy

Community psychology

a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social
environments and how social institutions (such as schools and neighborhoods)
affect individuals and groups.

Testing effect

Testing does more than assess learning and memory

Shallow processing

encoding on a basic level, based on the structure or appearance of words.

SQ3R

Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

Mental processes

are your internal, subjective experiences

Epigenetics

how experience can influence genetic expression

Plasticity

an enormous capacity to learn and adapt