psych vocab

will keep adding to during semester

critical thinking

critical thinking

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

Empiricism

the idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge

Structuralism

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

Introspection

the process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one’s own psychological processes

Functionalism

an early school of thought promoted by William James and influenced by Charles Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function-how they enable the organism ro 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 psychologists today agree with 1 but not 2

Humanistic psychology/humanism

a historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential

Psychoanalytic

Sigmund Freud, emphasized the ways our unconscious mind and childhood experiences affect our behavior.

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 ( perception, thinking, memory, and language)

psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

nature v nurture issue

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors ( used to be god(s), nature, and the outside world, nurture, but now it is genes and how you were raised)

natural selection

the principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will 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 behavior

culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

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, cultural veiwpoints

behavioral psychology

the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning

biological psychology

the scientific study of the links between biological ( genetic, neural, hormonal), and psychological processes

psychodynamic psychology

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders

social cultural psychology

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading information

SQ3R

a study method incorporating five steps: survey, question, read, retrieve, review

psychometrics

the scientific study of the measuremnt of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

basic research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

developmental

studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan

educational psychology

the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning

personality psychology

the study of inividuals’ characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

social psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

industrial organizational psychology

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplace

human factors psychology

a field of psychology allied with (I/O) psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use