Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology

Cognitive Psychology

Specializes in the study of mental processes, especially from a model that views the mind as an information processor.

Critical thinking

Involves taking an active role in understanding the world around you, rather than merely receiving information.

Functionalism

Which held that psychology should study the functions of consciousness rather than its elements.

Norms

Rules (often unwritten) that specify what behavior is acceptable and excepted for members of the group.

Biological Perspective

Examines how brain processes and other bodily functions regulate behavior.

Psychoanalysis

The analysis of internal and primarily unconscious psychological forces.

Sociocultural Perspective

Examines how the social environment and cultural learning influence our behavior, thoughts, and feelings.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Searches for the causes of behavior within the inner workings of our personality (our unique pattern of traits, emotions, and motives), emphasizing the role of unconscious processes.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals released by nerve cells that allow them to communicate with one another.

Positive Psychology Movement

Which emphasizes the study of human strengths, fulfillment, and optimal living.

Biopsychology

Focuses on the biological underpinnings of behavior.

Industrial Organizational

Examines peoples behavior in the workplace.

Perspectives

Serve as lenses through which psychologists examine and interpret behavior.

Science

Is a process that involves systematically gathering and evaluating empirical evidence to answer questions and test beliefs about the natural world.

Behavioral Neuroscience

Which examines brain processes and other physiological functions that underlie our behavior, sensory experiences, emotions, and thoughts.

Structuralism

The analysis of the mind in terms of its basic elements.

Humanistic Perspective

Emphasized free will, personal growth, and the attempt to find meaning in ones existence.

Behavior

Refers to the actions and responses that we can directly observe.

Evolutionary psychology

Seeks to explain how evolution shaped modern human behavior.

Cultural Psychology

How culture is transmitted to its members and examines psychological similarities and differences among people from diverse cultures.

Developmental Psychology

Examines the human physical, psychological, and social development across the lifespan.

Social Psychology

Examines people's thoughts, feelings, and behavior pertaining to the social world: the world of other people.

Experimental Psychology

Focuses on basic processes such as learning, sensory systems (e.g., vision, hearing), perception, and motivational states (e.g., sexual motivation, hunger, thirst)

Cognitive Behaviorism

This proposes that learning experiences and the environment influence our expectations and other thoughts and, in turn, that our thoughts influence how we behave.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and the mind.