AP Psych Unit 1

Does not cover everything in unit just essentials

Biological Perspective

• Describes behavior as a reflection of biology

• Behavior, intelligence, personality, emotions, etc. can explained by one’s unique bio-composition

  • brain anatomy, neurology, genetics, biochemistry, etc.

*  Behavior is a result of physiological Nature

Behavioral Perspective

• Focuses on observable, empirical behaviors

• Behavior viewed as learned responses, reactions to stimuli 

• Founders:  Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike, Skinner

*  Behavior is shaped by environmental Nurture

Cognitive Perspective

• Focuses on complex mental processes (thought)

  • Perceptions of information and the ways that information is stored & retrieved = memory

  • Linguistics, problem solving, decision making, etc.

  • Pathological disorders are described as the result of dysfunctional mental processing

Psychoanalytics/Psychodynamics

• Behavior (and abnormalities) develop from… 

1.) primary social relationships during formative years

2.) conflicts within the unconscious mind =  psyche 

• Thoughts, motives, memories, etc. below conscious awareness 

- Lack of consciousness (awareness) = lack of control

• Promotes a negative view towards human behavior

• Founder:  Sigmund Freud

Humanistic Perspective

Behavior (and abnormalities) are motivated by… 

1.) conscious awareness of oneself and one’s abilities / limitations

2.) setting goals to pursue self-fulfillment of psychological needs

• Conscious awareness = control 

• Promotes an optimistic view towards human behavior

Socio-Cultural Perspective

• Behavior is viewed as unique combinations of both biological nature + environmental nurture

• Focuses on culture and social norms and influences as primary factors of human behavior

Evolutionary Perspective

• Describes behavior as being adaptive, similar to how Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection described the continual physiological changes of organisms & species 

• Behavioral patterns are genetic and evolve in order to ensure survival & passage of preferred traits 

Clinical Psychologists

• Largest subfield within psychology

• “Therapists” & Mental Health Professionals

Counseling Psychologists/Counselors

• Clinical therapists that serve as behavioral health specialists 

• Grief counselors, marriage/family counselors, 

  drug rehabilitation counselors, etc. 

Developmental Psychologists

• Specialists who focus on physical & emotional maturation – processes of growth based upon age & sequence

Cognitive Psychologists

• Specialists who focus on the brain’s ability to think & problem solve

• Memory, Learning, Language = Intelligence

Educational/School Psychologists

1.) at-school therapists for students

2.) diagnose learning disabilities and enact academic

      accommodations (IEP, 504 plans, etc.)

Industrial/Organizational Psychologists

1.) at-work therapists for high-stress occupations

2.) improve workplace conditions and worker productivity 

      = Human Resources

Consumer Psychologists

• Specialists in marketing & advertisement that use psychology to better understand consumers buying & shopping preferences

Research Psychologists

• Psychologists focusing on testing & experimentation (research)

• Typically employed by colleges / universities as professors 

Sports Psychologists

• Psychologists focusing on the unique needs of athletes 

• “mental coach” helping with the cognitive & emotional aspects of the game

Forensic Psychologist

1.) Criminal Investigation – examining psychological evidence of crime scenes, victims, & perpetrators 

2.) Criminal Prosecution – professionals who testify to the competency & sanity of a defendant (or witness) in court

Wilhelm Wundt

• Created first psychological laboratory

• Structuralism

Structuralism

explaining the complexities of the mind by analyzing its most basic parts and components (structures)

Edward Titchener

• student of Wundt

• Promoted the principles of Structuralism

• Introspection

Introspection

• Process of analyzing one’s own conscious thoughts and behaviors

• No empirical data = self interpretation

William James

• Father of American Psychology

• Functionalism

• Psychometrics

Functionalism

Explaining human psychology, not based upon the structures of the brain, but by its purpose (functions)

Psychometrics

behavioral measurement based upon quantifiable tests

• Intelligence tests

• Personality tests

Correlation

 quantitative measures of variable relationships

• Coefficients show the direction (+/-) and strength of the mathematical relationship

• Data sets are graphed as scatterplots on a X-Y coordinate grid

Positive Correlation: X and Y both increase/decrease

Negative Correlation: X-variable increases while Y-variable decreases

Zero Correlation: No statistical relation

Validity

degree to which a study measures what it is intended to represent (accuracy)

• Measures hypothesis, not extraneous variables

Reliability

degree to which the research remains accurate / valid over time with repetition