Video Notes: Key Psychology Concepts (Critical Thinking & Schools of Thought)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes: critical thinking, empiricism, structuralism, introspection, functionalism, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology.

Critical thinking

Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; it examines assumptions, appraises, the sources, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

Empiricism

The idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge.

Structuralism

An early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Introspection

The process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one's own psychological processes.

Functionalism

An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.

Behaviorism

The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes; most psychologists today agree with its focus on behavior but not its dismissal of mental processes.

Humanistic psychology

A historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential.