History and Approaches – AP Psychology

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, perspectives, and figures from the "History and Approaches" unit in AP Psychology.

Trephination

Stone Age practice of drilling skull holes to release evil spirits; earliest evidence of interest in mind–behavior links.

Introspection

Self-observation method in which subjects report their cognitive reactions to stimuli; used by Wundt.

Structuralism

Wilhelm Wundt’s view that the mind operates by combining subjective emotions with objective sensations.

Functionalism

William James’s approach that studies the purpose (functions) of mental processes in everyday life.

Gestalt Psychology

School (Wertheimer) emphasizing that consciousness is best understood as a whole experience, not parts.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud’s framework stressing the unconscious mind, repression, and childhood conflicts in shaping behavior.

Behaviorism

Psychological school focusing on observable behavior and stimulus–response relationships; rejects study of consciousness.

Humanist Perspective

Approach (Maslow, Rogers) stressing free will, self-actualization, and the human potential for growth.

Biopsychology (Neuroscience) Perspective

Explains thoughts and behaviors through genes, hormones, brain structures, and neurotransmitters.

Evolutionary (Darwinian) Perspective

Looks at behavior through natural selection; traits that aid survival are inherited.

Behavioral Perspective

Modern focus on how conditioning, rewards, and punishments shape observable actions.

Cognitive Perspective

Studies how we interpret, process, store, and remember information to understand behavior.

Social-Cultural Perspective

Examines how cultural norms and social contexts influence thoughts and behaviors.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

Integrative model viewing behavior as a product of biological, psychological, and social influences.

Eclectic Approach

Practice of drawing techniques and ideas from multiple psychological perspectives.

Stimulus

Any environmental event that provokes a measurable response.

Response

An observable reaction elicited by a stimulus.

Reinforcement

Consequence that increases or decreases the likelihood of a behavior (Skinner).

Unconscious Mind

Freud’s concept of mental processes outside awareness that influence thoughts and actions.

Repression

Psychoanalytic defense mechanism that pushes anxiety-provoking memories into the unconscious.

Free Will

Humanistic belief that individuals actively choose their behaviors and destinies.

Determinism

View (e.g., in behaviorism) that behavior is caused by past conditioning or external forces.

Conditioning

Learning process of forming associations between environmental events and behavioral responses.

Natural Selection

Darwin’s principle that adaptive traits become more common in a population over generations.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messenger that transmits signals across synapses between neurons.

Wilhelm Wundt

Founded first psychology lab (1879); pioneered introspection and structuralism.

William James

Authored "The Principles of Psychology"; founder of functionalism.

Mary Whiton Calkins

Student of James; first female president of the American Psychological Association.

Margaret Floy Washburn

First woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology; author of "The Animal Mind."

G. Stanley Hall

Pioneer of child development studies; first APA president.

Max Wertheimer

Founder of Gestalt psychology; argued against dissecting consciousness into components.

Sigmund Freud

Viennese neurologist who developed psychoanalysis and concepts like the unconscious and repression.

John B. Watson

Behaviorist who promoted study of observable behavior; influenced by Pavlov’s conditioning work.

Ivan Pavlov

Russian physiologist who discovered classical conditioning via experiments with dogs.

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorist known for operant conditioning and elaborating the concept of reinforcement.

Abraham Maslow

Humanist who proposed the hierarchy of needs culminating in self-actualization.

Carl Rogers

Humanist who developed client-centered therapy and emphasized unconditional positive regard.

Charles Darwin

Naturalist whose evolutionary theory underpins the evolutionary perspective in psychology.

Jean Piaget

Swiss psychologist who outlined stages of cognitive development in children.