Perspectives- AP Psych

Behavioral psychology

Behavior is based on learned associations people make based off whether or not they are rewarded or punished for doing something

-Reward, punishment

Psychodynamic psychology

Behavior is based on unconscious choices (focuses on the past and childhood)

-Unconscious, past, childhood

Humanistic psychology

Behavior is based on human desire for internal personal growth; the idea that humans make conscious decisions and have full control/ free will to become the best person they can be (assumes that’s their innate goal)

-Free will, full potential

Cognitive psychology

Behavior is based on thoughts, studies how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information (essentially behavior is the result of the brain giving people ideas to do things based on information it takes in)

-Memories

Evolutionary psychology

Behavior is based on what actions increase our dances of survival (natural selection)

-Natural selection, survival, adaptation

Sociocultural psychology

Behavior is based on rules, expectations, and norms of social groups and cultures

-Society, culture, norms

Biological psychology

Behavior is the result of chemical processes in the body (genetics, neurotransmitters, hormones, other chemicals that sway behavior)

-Brain chemistry, drugs