Vocab

Psychology

The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.

Behavior

The activity of an organism interacting with its environment; how something acts.

Cognitive activity

Mentally stimulating activities that improve cognitive skills such as focus, concentration, comprehension, perception, memory, reasoning, and processing speed.

Theory

Systems of ideas that can explain certain aspects of human thoughts, behavior, and emotions.

Basic research

Study and research meant to expand our scientific knowledge base.

Introspection

The examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings.

Structuralism

The study of how our minds make meaning through small, step-by-step cognitive processes.

Functionalism

The study of how our minds adapt to external stimuli to help us survive and thrive in our environment.

Behaviorism

The theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are learned through conditioning via interaction with the environment.

Gestalt psychology

A school of psychology that studies the human mind and behavior as a whole, emphasizing that “the whole is different than the sum of its parts.”

Psychoanalysis

A set of theories and therapeutic techniques to work with the unconscious mind, leading to treatment for mental disorders.

Biological perspective

A way of looking at psychological issues by studying the physical aspects of behavior, including the brain, immune system, nervous system, and genetics.

Psychoanalytical perspective

A major theory in psychology explaining behavior, mental disorders, and personality through unconscious internal conflicts.

Learning perspective

Also known as behaviorism, focuses on how humans are controlled by their environment, influencing their choices and consequences.

Social learning theory

The philosophy that people can learn from each other through observation, imitation, and modeling.

Sociocultural perspective

A theory examining the rules of social groups and subgroups that define individual membership.

Socrates

Best known for his affiliation with the Socratic method of question and answer.

B.F

An American psychologist known for developing the theory of behaviorism.

William James

An American psychologist who created functionalism and authored the first modern psychology book, "The Principles of Psychology," in 1890.

Wilhelm Wundt

One of the fathers of psychology, known for funding cultural and experimental psychology.

John B

An American psychologist who founded classical behaviorism.

Sigmund Freud

An Austrian psychologist who founded psychoanalysis.