AP Psych Ch 1

Experimental psychology

Investigates the behavioral processes of humans and other animals such as motivation, learning, thought, and memory.

Neuropsychologists

study how the nervous system is connected to behavior by studying and treating neurological disorders like Alzhimers, ADHD, and autism.

Clinical psychologists

work with patients to help with their psychological well being and can specialize in different disorders or treat a broad range and work with psychopathology.

Educational psychologists

work on how psychology can affect learning by linking learning capabilities to social and biological factors and finding ways to facilitate learning.

Natural Selection

created by Carles Darwin, said that organisms (including humans) have certain genetic characteristics that optimize their survival and those without them die, resulting in a survival of the fittest.

Introspection

created by Wilhelm Wundt, technique where people relfect on and describe their own thoughts/emotions and was rejected by Freud since you can not observe a thought

Structuralism

was developed by Edward Bradford Titchener and uses introspection to analyze the different body sensations and the relation between them in order to then understand how the mind is structured.

Community psychology

Deal with broad mental health problems within specific communities rather than individuals or families.

Empiricism

the idea that knowledge comes from experience and science is based off of observation and experimentation.

Psychometric psychology

Studies how we gain psychological knowledge by modifying, creating, and scoring neurocognitive /personality tests.

Personality psychologists

how psychology alters our personalities

Social psychologists

research how individuals influence /are influenced by one another by studying beliefs and behaviors that go into prejudice, leadership, and aggression.

Human factors pscyhology

a subfield of IO psychology that studies how people and machines interact and how these machines /environments can be safer and more efficient.

Industrial- organizational psychology

Studies the relationship between people and their working environments to increase productivity and promote job satisfaction.

Functionalism

founded by William James, heavily influenced by Charles Darwin. Looks at what the mind does in order to study it

Cognitive Revolution

when lead psychologists such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow went against the current definition of psychology because they thought that it was too limited and instead followed the ideas of humanistic psychology.

Nature - nurture debate

psychologists debate whether psychological traits come from genetics or experiences over time.

Forensic Psychology

Research and create public policies for law enforcement, mental health, and criminal investigations within the legal field.

Counseling psychologists

branch of psychology that assists people with problems in order to increase their well-being (usually school, work, or marriage problems)

Basic research

some psychologists research different areas to expand general knowledge

Freudian psychology

how our childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts shape our behavior.

Psychiatrists

medical specialty (not a part of psychology) made up of doctors who administer medication to treat the physical causes behind psychological disorders.

Positive Psychology

scientific study of human functions to discover what makes people and communities successful.

Rehabilitation psychologists

work with those who have lost body function from an event such as sickness or injury.

Developmental psychologists

Study how age changes behavior based off of biological, cognitive, and social development and work with other fields such as school psychology, educational psychology, and gerontology.

Health psychology

Research how psychology promotes personal wellbeing and disease prevention in order to help others live a healthier lifestyle by creating programs to lose weight, prevent the spread of STDs, treat the psychological problems behind chronic /terminal illnesses, and manage pain.

Behaviorism

the idea that psychology is a science that studies behavior without the mental process behind it (2nd part is false)

Biopsychosocial approach

an analysis approach that mixes biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives.
Ex: Biological = hormones, social = gender, psycho = need to prove themselves to themselves or others

Curse of knowledge

the idea that when someone explains something to another person, they assume that the other person already knows what they are talking about and has the background knowledge to understand the topic.

Cognitive psychologists

research thought processes such as memory, language, problem solving, and decision making.

Module 1

Psychologys History

Empiricism

the idea that knowledge comes from experience and science is based off of observation and experimentation

Psychology originally divided into 3 branches (schools) which were...

structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism

Ex

the mind associates laughter with happiness because one often coexists with the other, fight-or-flight response

Experimental psychology

the study of behavior and thinking using experimentation

Freudian psychology

how our childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts shape our behavior

Behaviorism

the idea that psychology is a science that studies behavior without the mental process behind it (2nd part is false)

Cognitive Revolution

when lead psychologists such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow went against the current definition of psychology because they thought that it was too limited and instead followed the ideas of humanistic psychology

Humanistic Psychology

how current environmental influences nurture or limit growth potential and how humans crave love and acceptance

Cognitive Psychology

how humans perceive, process, and retain information

Cognitive Neuroscience

the study of brain activity and its relation to cognition (perception, memory, thinking, linguistics)

What is psychology

the study of the mind and it's behavioral and mental processes
**psychology different than other forms of science because different for everybody

Module 2

Psychologys Big Issues and Approaches

Nature-nurture

psychologists debate whether psychological traits come from genetics or experiences over time

Natural Selection

created by Carles Darwin, said that organisms (including humans) have certain genetic characteristics that optimize their survival and those without them die, resulting in a survival of the fittest

Ex

green lizards are more difficult to see than blue lizards because they blend in with the grass around them which allows the green lizards to survive while the blue ones are eaten by predators

Both can be true too

depression is considered a brain and thought disorder since every psychological event is also a biological event in the nervous system

Biopsychosocial approach

an analysis approach that mixes biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives

Cognitive Psychology

study of thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Biological Psychology

the study of the links between biological and psychological processes

Evolutionary Psychology

study of evolution of behavior and the mind using natural selection

Psychodynamic Psychology

branch of psychology that focuses on the unconscious and what influences behavior, especially in early childhood (usually to treat mental disorders), creates the psychodynamic perspective

Sociocultural Psychology

study of how societal situations and cultures affect thinking

Psychometrics

study that measures human attitudes, abilities, and traits

Basic research

some psychologists research different areas to expand general knowledge

Developmental psychologists

research how humans change from birth to death

Cognitive psychologist

study how people think, communicate, solve problems, etc

Educational psychologists

study how psychology affects teaching and learning

Personality psychologists

how psychology alters our personalities

Social psychologists

studies how humans view and influence each other

Applied research

scientific study that is used to conquer real world problems

Industrial-organizational psychology

how psychology applies to the workplace to optimize productivity and behavior

Human factors psychologists

a subfield of IO psychology that studies how people and machines interact and how these machines/environments can be safer and more efficient

Counseling psychologists

branch of psychology that assists people with problems in order to increase their well-being (usually school, work, or marriage problems)

Clinical psychologists

a branch that studies, diagnoses, assess, and treats those with psychological disorders (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc)

Psychiatrists

medical specialty (not a part of psychology) made up of doctors who administer medication to treat the physical causes behind psychological disorders

Positive Psychology

scientific study of human functions to discover what makes people and communities successful

Community psychologists

studies how people interact in social settings and how social institutions affect individuals/groups

Module 3

Careers in Psychology

Cognitive psychologists

research thought processes such as memory, language, problem solving, and decision making

Developmental psychologists

Study how age changes behavior based off of biological, cognitive, and social development and work with other fields such as school psychology, educational psychology, and gerontology

Educational psychologists

work on how psychology can affect learning by linking learning capabilities to social and biological factors and finding ways to facilitate learning

Experimental psychology

Investigates the behavioral processes of humans and other animals such as motivation, learning, thought, and memory

Psychometric psychology

Studies how we gain psychological knowledge by modifying,creating, and scoring neurocognitive/personality tests

Social psychologists

research how individuals influence/are influenced by one another by studying beliefs and behaviors that go into prejudice, leadership, and aggression

Forensic Psychology

Research and create public policies for law enforcement, mental health, and criminal investigations within the legal field

Health psychology

Research how psychology promotes personal wellbeing and disease prevention in order to help others live a healthier lifestyle by creating programs to lose weight, prevent the spread of STDs, treat the psychological problems behind chronic/terminal illnesses, and manage pain

Industrial-organizational psychology

Studies the relationship between people and their working environments to increase productivity and promote job satisfaction

Neuropsychologists

study how the nervous system is connected to behavior by studying and treating neurological disorders like Alzhimers, ADHD, and autism

Rehabilitation psychologists

work with those who have lost body function from an event such as sickness or injury

School psychology

Diagnose and treat psychological problems that could affect a persons learning capabilities at school, work in academic and government settings

Sports psychology

Study how psychology influences participation in physical activity

Clinical psychologists

work with patients to help with their psychological well being and can specialize in different disorders or treat a broad range and work with psychopathology

Community psychology

Deal with broad mental health problems within specific communities rather than individuals or families

Counseling psychologists

help patients adjust to changes and cope with transitions in group and individual settings

Human Factors Psychology

This field assists in designing and testing new appliances and technologies to see if they are functional and safe for people and then improves them to be more accessible based off of psychology

Curse of knowledge

the idea that when someone explains something to another person, they assume that the other person already knows what they are talking about and has the background knowledge to understand the topic

3 schools of psychology

- structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism
- Gestalt psychology and psychoanalysis are the other 2 that were later added

Wilhelm Wundt

Created 1st psychology lab in Germany, taught G. Stanley Hall (who did the same thing in the US @ JH) and invented introspection
**lab important bc separated psychology from philosophy and made it seen as an actual science

Socrates + Plato

introduced Dualism, nature v. nurture

Aristotle

said that people not born w/ knowledge but instead gain it through experience and memories

(1595–1650) Rene Descartes

Theorized the idea of two dualisms between the life and mind + body and mind and discovered that the body and mind communicate through nervous signals which then form memories from experiences

(1867-1927) Edward B. Titchener

Developed the Law of Effect and structuralism to understand how the mind works

(1871-1939) Margaret Floy Washburn

The first woman to ever get a Ph.D. in Psychology and created the motor theory of consciousness. She wrote two books: The Animal Mind (in 1908) and Movement and Mental Imagery (in 1916)

(1878-1958) John B. Watson

Founded behaviorism and used babies to study conditioning to show that children’s personalities and behaviors are shaped by their environment

(1896-1980) Jean Piaget

Focused on childhood developmental and cognitive psychology by developing his theory of genetic epistemology

(1898-1935) Rosalie Rayner

Assisted John B. Watson with his study of applied behavioral therapy, especially through the famous Little Albert experiment

(1561-1626) Francis Bacon

Said that the human mind looks for patterns and is more likely to remember something that supports a person’s own beliefs. Created the scientific method which is the system used by modern scientists create and support a hypothesis through experimentation

(1632-1704) John Locke

Introduced tabula rasa which is the idea that a person's identity is formed from their memories/experiences and is not something that they are born with. The mind “blank slate”

(1809-1882) Charles Darwin

Theorized natural selection in his book On the Origin of Species (which also applies to humans) and created evolutionary psychology