Introduction to Psychology and its Perspectives

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the basic definition of psychology, its four primary goals, and the five major psychological perspectives mentioned in the transcript.

Psychology

The scientific study of behaviours and mental processes.

Scientific (in Psychology)

The use of systematic methods to observe and draw conclusions.

4 goals of psychology

Description (describe behaviours and mental processes), Explanation (explain causes of behaviours), Prediction (predict how people and animals will react), and Control (control behaviours).

Psychodynamic approach

A perspective based on the premise that unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders; associated with Freud.

Behavioral approach

A perspective based on the premise that only observable events can be studied scientifically, focusing on how organisms learn or change behaviours due to rewards or punishments.

Watson

A psychologist associated with the Behavioral approach who argued that the study of consciousness, thoughts, and feelings should be abandoned.

Skinner

A psychologist who continued Watson's Behavioral approach idea that only observable events should be studied scientifically.

Humanistic approach

A perspective associated with Rogers and Maslow that views humans as free, rational beings with potential for positive growth and a fundamental desire to reach full potential.

Biological approach

A perspective that explains an organism's functioning in terms of bodily structures and biochemical processes, focusing on genes, hormones, and the nervous system.

Cognitive approach

A perspective based on the premise that human behavior cannot be fully understood without examining how people acquire, store, and process information.