AP Psychology Unit 1 Terms

empiricism

* knowledge comes from **experience**
* science should rely on observation and experimentation

structuralism

* edward titchener
* early school of psychology that used self-reflection (introspection) to examine the structural elements of the human mind

introspection

elements of experience (sensations, images, feelings)

functionalism

* william james
* early school of psychology that emphasized how behavior and mental processes enabble the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

experimental psychology

the study of thinking and behavior using the experimental method

behaviorism

* the view that psychology should only focus on the scientific study of observable behaviors
* NO MENTAL PROCESSES

humanistic psychology

* “hippie psychology“
* historically significant perspective of psychology that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people
* are they receiving the emotional support and love they need?

cognitive neuroscience

the study of how brain activity is linked with thought processes such as memory and perception

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

nature-nurture

controversy over the relative contributions that genes (nature) and experience (nurture) make to the development and psychological traits and behaviors

* basically genes v.s. experience

natural selection

* darwin
* the principle that those traits of a species that contribute to reproduction and survival are most likely to be passed on to succeeding generations

levels of analysis

analyze behavior and mental processes from differing complementary views

biopsychosocial approach

an integrated perspective that focuses on biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis for a given behavior or mental process

behavioral perspective

* focuses on principles of learning in the scientific study of observable behavior
* which stimuli trigger angry responses
* skinner, watson, raynor

biological perspective

* genes combine with environment to influence individual differences

cognitive perspective

* encode, process, store, and retrieve information
* how an individual interprets something

evolutionary perspective

* principles of natural selection to study thinking and behavior
* darwin

psychoanalytic/psychodynamic perspective

* how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
* events of the past

sociocultural perspective

* how situations and culture influence thinking and behavior
* how groups influence you

humanistic

how we meet out needs for love and acceptance and achieve self-fulfillment

psychometrics

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

basic research

pure science that aims to increase psychology’s scientific **knowledge base** than to solve practical problems

developmental psychology

physical, cognitive, and social change over the **life span**

educational psychology

how psychological processes affect teaching and learning

personality psychology

the study of a person’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

social psychology

how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

applied research

scientific study that aims to **solve practical problems**

industrial/organizational psychology

applies psychological concepts to optimizing human behavior in the workplace

human factors psychology

the study of how **humans** and **machines** interact

counseling psychology

helps people cope with challenges in their daily lives

clinical psychology

branch of psychology concerned with the study, assessment, and treatment of people with psychological disorders

psychiatry

branch of **medicine** concerned with the physical diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders

positive psychology

the scientific study of human functioning with the goal of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

community psychology

branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environment and how social institutions impact individuals and groups

wilhelm wundt

* 1st psych lab in germany
* reaction time experiment
* wanted to understand mental processes (not behavior)

g. stanley hall

first u.s. psych lab at john hopkins

william james

* first textbook of psychology
* thinking developed because it was adaptive
* functionalism

mary whiton calkine

* denied her degree
* first female president of the APA

margaret floy washburn

* first phd for women in psychology
* second president of the APA

sigmund freud

* emotional responses to childhood experiences
* unconscious thought processes

john b. watson and b.f. skinner

* rejected introspection
* redefined psychology as the “scientific study of observable behavior“

carl rogers and abraham maslow

* humanistic psychologists
* found both freudian psychology and behaviorism too limiting

ivan pavlov

pioneered the study of learning

jean piaget

most influential observer of children

charles darwin

* natural selection


* functionalism

aristotle

argued that all knowledge comes from experiences stored in memories

descartes

thought “animal spirits“ flowed through the muscles and reclaimed memories from past experiences

john locke

* “tabula rasa“ (blank slate)
* empiricism

dorothea dix

* mental asylums
* mental illness advocate

plato

student of socrates

edward b. titchener

* structuralism
* introspection

philosophy

the study of seeking knowledge and wisdom in understanding the nature of the universe through self-examination and experiences

physiology

how psychological processes affect the human body

innate

traits that are inborn rather than acquired or learned

gestalt

grouping things together in a way that makes sense to an individual

behavior genetics

the study of genetic and environmental influences on behaviors