Chapter 1: Psychological Science and Critical Thinking

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, research approaches, perspectives, and study strategies from Chapter 1.

Scientific Attitude

An approach to exploring and understanding the world that combines curiosity, skepticism, and humility.

Critical Thinking

Smart thinking that examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

Wilhelm Wundt

German philosopher and physiologist who established psychology's first laboratory in 1879 at Leipzig University to measure simple mental processes.

Mary Whiton Calkins

Memory researcher mentored by William James who completed Harvard's Ph.D. requirements but was denied the degree, later becoming the first female president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1905.

William James

Legendary philosopher-psychologist who authored the landmark textbook Principles of Psychology (1890) and mentored Mary Whiton Calkins.

Margaret Floy Washburn

The first woman to officially receive a psychology Ph.D., author of The Animal Mind (1908), and the second female APA president in 1921.

Behaviorism

The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies observable behavior without reference to mental processes.

John B. Watson

Behaviorist who, along with Rosalie Rayner, championed psychology as the study of behavior and demonstrated conditioned fear in the 'Little Albert' study.

B. F. Skinner

Leading behaviorist who rejected introspection and studied how consequences shape behavior.

Freudian Psychology

Psychoanalytic approach founded by Sigmund Freud that emphasized how unconscious mind processes and childhood experiences affect behavior.

Humanistic Psychology

Historically significant perspective led by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow that emphasized human growth potential, needs for love and acceptance, and nurturing environments.

Cognitive Psychology

The scientific study of how we perceive, process, and remember information, and how thinking and emotion interact in psychological disorders.

Cognitive Neuroscience

An interdisciplinary study that links brain activity (neuroscience) with mental activity and cognitive processes (cognitive psychology).

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Any action or response of an organism that can be directly observed and recorded.

Mental Processes

Internal, subjective experiences such as sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.

Natural Selection

Charles Darwin's principle that nature selects traits from chance variations that best enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a specific environment.

Evolutionary Psychology

The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection to explore how humans are biologically alike.

Behavior Genetics

The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in behavior and traits.

Culture

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

WEIRD Cultures

An acronym for Western, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic cultures, which represent a small fraction of the global population.

Positive Psychology

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

Biopsychosocial Approach

An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis to analyze behavior or mental processes.

Basic Research

Pure science that aims to increase psychology's scientific knowledge base.

Applied Research

Scientific study that aims to solve practical, real-world problems.

Counseling Psychology

A branch of psychology that assists people with challenges and crises (academic, vocational, relationship) to improve personal and social functioning.

Clinical Psychology

A branch of psychology that assesses and treats people with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Psychiatrists

Medical doctors licensed to prescribe drugs and otherwise treat physical causes of psychological disorders.

Community Psychology

A branch of psychology that works to create social and physical environments that are healthy for all, rather than seeking to change individuals to fit their environment.

Testing Effect

Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information; also known as the retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

Spaced Practice

A study strategy where learning is distributed over several study periods over time rather than massed into one session.

Interleaving

The practice of mixing the study of psychology with other subjects to boost long-term retention and protect against overconfidence.