unit 1 AP PSYCH

Critical thinking

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

empiricism

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

Wilhem Wundt

Wundt established the first psychology laboratory at the university of Leipzig, Germany. (He is often referred to as the "father of modern psychology" and focused on introspection as a method for studying conscious experience.)

Structuralism

An early school of thought promoted by WUNDT and TITCHENER; used introspection to reveal the structure of human mind. (It aimed to identify the basic elements of consciousness through careful observation and reporting of one's own experiences.)

Edward Bradford Titchener

Titchener used introspection to search for the minds structural elements.

Introspection

The process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe ones own psychological processes.

Functionalism

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

William James and Mary Whiton Calkins

Pioneers in psychology; James founded functionalism, while Calkins developed techniques for studying memory and was the first female president of the APA.

Margaret Floy Washburn

The first women to receive a psychology PHD, Washburn synthesized animal behavior research in the animal mind.

Behaviorism

The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) and not (2). (A school of thought in psychology founded by John B. Watson, emphasizing the study of observable behavior and the role of environmental factors in shaping behavior.)

John B Watson and Rosalie Rayner

Working with Wayner, Watson championed psychology as the scientific study of behavior. In a controversial study on a baby who became famous as
“Little Albert”, he and Rayner showed that fear could be learned.

B.F. Skinner

leading behaviorist that rejected introspection and studied how consequences shape behavior.

Sigmund Freud

The controversial ideas of this famed personality theorist and therapist have influenced humanities self-understanding.

Humanistic Psychology

An approach that emphasizes personal growth, self-actualization, and the inherent goodness of people, focusing on individual potential and the importance of self-concept.

Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow

Found Behaviorism and Freudian psychology too limiting. They are humanistic psychologists.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, and solve problems.

Cognitive neuroscience

The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, memory, and language)

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes.

Nature vs Nurture issue

The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Todays science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

Natural Selection

The principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will be passed on to future generations.

Evolutionary Psychology

The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Behavior Genetics

The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Charles Darwin

Darwin argued that natural selection shapes behaviors as well as bodies.

Culture

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

Positive psychology

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

Biopsychosocial approach

An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social cultural viewpoints.

Behavioral psychology

The scientific study of observable behavior, and it’s explanation by principles of learning.

Biological psychology

The scientific study of the link between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. (Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientist, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, psychological psychologists or bio psychologists)

Psychodynamic psychology

A branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders.

Social- cultural psychology

The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.

Testing effect

Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also referee to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

SQ3R

A study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review.

Psychometrics

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

Basic Research

Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

Developmental psychology

A branch of psychology that studies physics, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Educational psychology

The study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.

Personality Psychology

The study of individuals characteristics patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Social psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Applied research

Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology

The application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.

Human factors psychology

a field of psychology allied with I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.

Counseling psychology

A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.

Clinical Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies, assess, and treats people with psychological disorders.

Psychiatry

A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who are licensed to provide medicine (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.

Community Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.

Ivan Pavlov

A Russian physiologist who pioneered the study of learning; his work on classical conditioning laid the foundation for behaviorism.

G. Stanley Hall

Established the first formal psychology laboratory in the United States at Johns Hopkins University (1883) and founded the American Psychological Association (APA). He also made significant contributions to developmental psychology, especially the study of adolescence.

Jean Piaget

A Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development, which describes how children construct a mental model of the world and progress through distinct stages of intellectual growth.

Paul Broca

A French physician, anatomist, and anthropologist who discovered "Broca's area," a region in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere of the brain linked to speech production. His work provided early evidence for localization of brain function.

Francis Galton

A British polymath who founded psychometrics, the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits. He also pioneered the use of questionnaires and surveys and made contributions to the study of individual differences and eugenics.

Dorothea Dix

An American activist who, through persistent lobbying of state