APPSYCH Unit 1 Words to Review

empiriscm

the idea that knowledge is the result of experience and that scientific knowledge is developed through observation and experimentation

behavioral perspective

how learned and observable behaviors impact behavior and mental processes

biological perspective

how biological (genetics, neural, hormonal) and physiological processes impact behavior and mental processes

cognitive perspective

interpretation of a situation & mental processes (thoughts, memories, problem-solving) impact behavior and mental processes

evolutionary perspective

natural selection of traits has promoted the survival of genes

humanistic perspective

a way of evaluating an individual as a whole, rather than looking at them only through a smaller aspect of their person

psychodynamic perspective

encompasses a number of theories that explain both normal and pathological personality development in terms of the dynamics of the mind.

social-cultural perspective

behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

biopsychosocial approach

systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery

basic research

scientific inquiry that aims to increase psychology's knowledge base

applied research

scientific inquiry that aims to use psychology to solve practical problems

human-factors psychology

how people interact with machines and technology

central tendencies

a statistic that identifies a single value as representative of the entire distribution of data

standard deviation

a measure which shows to what extent the values in a data set deviate from the mean

normal curve

statistical significance

helps quantify whether a result is likely due to chance or to some factor of interest

Wilhemn Wundt

established the first psychology law in 1879

William James

Introduced funtionalism