General Psychology Terms and Concepts

Flashcards of key terms in General Psychology

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Psychologist

A professional with a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in psychology, trained in research and often licensed to provide therapy or testing.

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor (M.D.) who specializes in mental health and can prescribe medications.

Counselor

A mental health professional with at least a master’s degree who helps people with specific personal issues.

Social Worker

A professional with at least a master’s degree who supports individuals and communities with emotional, social, and health challenges.

Biopsychology/Neuroscience

Studies how the brain and nervous system influence behavior.

Clinical Psychology

Focuses on diagnosing and treating mental illness and psychological problems.

Counseling Psychology

Helps people with emotional, social, and life adjustment problems.

Cognitive Psychology

Studies mental processes like memory, language, and problem-solving.

Developmental Psychology

Examines growth and changes across the lifespan.

Forensic Psychology

Applies psychology to legal and criminal justice systems.

Health Psychology

Studies how biological, psychological, and social factors affect health and illness.

Community Psychology

Examines how individuals interact with their communities and how communities influence mental health.

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology

Applies psychology to the workplace to improve productivity and well-being.

Environmental Psychology

Focuses on how physical environments affect behavior and well-being.

Personality Psychology

Studies individual differences and personality traits.

School Psychology

Focuses on students' learning and behavioral issues in educational settings.

Educational Psychology

Studies how people learn and how to improve teaching methods.

Social Psychology

Examines how people influence and are influenced by others.

Cross-Cultural Psychology

Compares behavior across cultures to understand universal vs. cultural differences.

Sports Psychology

Focuses on psychological aspects of sports performance and physical activity.

Structuralism

An early approach using introspection to explore the structure of the mind.

Functionalism

Focused on how mental processes help people adapt to their environment.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Emphasizes unconscious drives and childhood experiences.

Behavioral Perspective

Studies observable behaviors and how they’re learned through environment and reinforcement.

Humanistic Perspective

Focuses on free will, self-growth, and personal meaning.

Biological Perspective

Looks at the biological bases of behavior, such as brain structures and genetics.

Cognitive Perspective

Studies how we perceive, think, and remember.

Evolutionary Perspective

Explains behavior in terms of adaptation and survival.

Social-Cultural Perspective

Explores how society and culture shape behavior and thinking.

Learning

A process that leads to a lasting change in behavior or knowledge due to experience.

Memory

The process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information.

Rehearsal

Repeating information to help remember it.

Elaboration

Linking new information to things you already know to make it more meaningful.

Self-Reference Effect

Remembering things better when you relate them to yourself.

Method of Loci

A memory strategy using familiar locations to visualize and organize information.

Spacing Effect (Distributed Practice)

Studying over time leads to better retention than cramming.

Goal Setting

Creating realistic, challenging goals can improve performance and motivation.

Self-Testing

Actively trying to recall information to enhance memory and understanding.

Scientific Method

A systematic way to observe, measure, and experiment in order to test hypotheses.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after an event has occurred, that you predicted it all along.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate over whether genetics or environment has a greater influence on behavior.

Free Will vs. Determinism

Whether behavior is freely chosen or determined by external/internal forces.

Conscious vs. Unconscious Processing

How much of our thinking is deliberate versus automatic.

Differences vs. Similarities

Exploring how people are unique or share common traits.