Princeton review AP psychology vocab part 1

Psychology

This is the scientific study of behavior and the mind.

Behavior

This refers to any observable action performed by a person or an animal.

Mind

The mind encompasses subjective phenomena that are not easily observed, such as thoughts, emotions, motives, memories, and sensations.

Dualism

This philosophical concept divides the world and everything in it into two distinct parts: body and spirit.

Brain

Defined as the command center of the central nervous system, it is the physical organ responsible for processing information.

René Descartes

An influential philosopher who believed the physical world followed observable laws and that animals were like machines.

Pineal Gland

Descartes hypothesized that this specific location, deep within the brain, was the place where the mind and body interacted.

Reflex

Descartes identified these as immediate, unconscious reactions to environmental events.

John Locke

A philosopher who believed that even the mind is subject to natural laws.

Empiricism

This is a school of thought proposed by Locke which states that truth is acquired through observations and experiences.

Tabula Rasa

A Latin term meaning 'blank slate,' used by Locke to describe the mind of an infant.

Materialism

The philosophical belief held by Thomas Hobbes that only matter and energy exist.

Thomas Hobbes

A philosopher who stressed the role of nature over nurture.

Charles Darwin

The scientist who proposed the theory of natural selection.

On the Origin of Species

Published in 1859, this is the landmark book in which Darwin first outlined his theory of evolution.

Natural Selection

This process occurs because individuals best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Evolutionary Theory

In psychology, this theory explains differences between species by looking at how specific behaviors helped ancestors survive.

Wilhelm Wundt

Often called the founder of the science of psychology, he opened the first laboratory dedicated to studying consciousness in 1879.

Edward Titchener

A student of Wundt who brought psychology to the United States.

Structuralism

A theory that seeks to understand the structure of the mind by identifying its smallest elements.

Introspection

An interview process used in structuralism where a subject describes their conscious experience.

William James

An American psychologist who opposed structuralism.

Functionalism

James's approach, which focuses on how the mind fulfills its purpose.

Biological Psychology

This field seeks to understand the physical roots of behavior.

Behavioral Genetics

This perspective explores how much of our behavior is attributed to specific genes.

Behaviorism

A school of thought that posits psychology should only study observable behavior.

Classical Conditioning

A basic form of learning where a subject learns to associate a neutral stimulus with a specific behavior.

John Watson

A famous behaviorist who applied classical conditioning to humans in the 'Little Albert' experiment.

B.F. Skinner

A behaviorist who developed the 'Skinner Box' to study operant conditioning.

Cognitive Psychology

A modern approach that focuses on how people think and construe their environment.

Humanistic Approach

This approach focuses on free will, consciousness, and the human condition.

Abraham Maslow

A humanistic psychologist who proposed that humans have a fundamental need to reach their full potential.

Self-Actualization

The process of reaching one's full potential in a creative way.

Carl Rogers

Another key humanistic psychologist who emphasized that a positive self-concept is critical for reaching self-actualization.

Unconditional Positive Regard

A concept championed by Rogers, referring to the total acceptance of a person regardless of their actions.

Sigmund Freud

The creator of psychoanalytic theory, primarily concerned with how the interaction between the conscious and unconscious mind shapes behavior.

Psychoanalytic Theory

This theory stresses the importance of childhood experiences and the resolution of hidden internal conflicts.

Conscious Mind

The mental state of awareness that we can readily access.

Unconscious Mind

Mental processes that we do not have ready access to, but which still influence our behavior.

Repressed

This refers to information or memories that have been buried in the unconscious.

Carl Jung

A psychologist who expanded on Freud's work by introducing the concept of a shared human memory.

Collective Unconscious

Jung's idea that a part of the unconscious mind is shared among all humans.

Sociocultural Approach

This approach argues that the environment and culture a person lives in are the primary drivers of how they behave.

Evolutionary Approach

This focuses on how behavior is an adaptive response that helped our ancestors survive.