Introduction to Psychology

Introspection

A method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings

Clinical Psychologist

A psychologist who diagnoses and treats people with emotional, behavioral, and/or thinking disorders.

Counseling Psychologist

A psychologist who helps people address the problems faced during daily life. Sometimes referred to as a therapist.

Educational Psychologist

A psychologist who is concerned with helping students learn,and the diagnosing and treatment of learning disorders.

Industrial/Organizational Psychologist (I/O)

A psychologist who specializes in making the workplace more satisfying and/or productive for its employees

Environmental Psychologist

A psychologist who studies the effects of the environment on people. (ex. impact of public parks on mental health)

Developmental Psychologist

A psychologist who studies the emotional, cognitive, biological, and social changes that occur as a person matures.

Community Psychologist

A psychologist who works in mental health and social welfare programming

Theory

A set of assumptions used to explain phenomena and offered for scientific study

Scientific Method

A systematic approach to gathering information and answering questions so that errors and biases are minimized

John Watson

Behavioral Psychologist who argued that a person can be conditioned to respond to a specific stimuli. Leading psychologist on the "Little Albert" experiment.

B.F. Skinner

Behavioral Psychologist who introduces the concept that behavior can be modified through a combination of reinforcement and/or punishments.

Psychiatry

Branch of medicine that address mental, emotional, and/or behavioral health

Noam Chomsky

Cognitive Psychologist and linguist who focused on how humans process and develop speech/ communication skills.

Jean Piaget

Cognitive Psychologist who focused on the study of children's behavior and on how children learn. Greatly influenced early childhood education.

Applied Science

Discovering ways to use scientific finding to accomplish practical goals

Sir Francis Galton

English mathematician and scientist who proposed that certain behaviors and/or character traits were inheritable. Wrote "Inquiries into Human Faculty"

Sigmund Freud

Established the psychoanalytic study of psychology which focuses on the influence of the unconscious mind on human thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Sometimes referred to as the "Father of Modern Psychology."

Gestalt

German psychological movement which studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences. Would later influence the study of cognitive psychology.

Psi

Greek Letter that is used to represent the field of psychology.

Wihelm Wundt

Known as the "Father of Psychology," he established first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.

William James

Psychologist at Harvard University who is credited with writing the first psychological textbook "Principles of Psychology." He also helped pioneer the functionalist approach to psychological study.

Structuralism

the psychological study of the basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences

Basic Science

Te pursuit of knowledge about natural phenomena for its own sake

Phrenology

The practice of studying the bumps on a person's head to make judgements about that person's personality/mental state.

Functionalism

The psychological study of how people and animals have adapted their mental processes and behaviors to their environments

American Psychological Association

The scientific and professional organization who work to advance the science and profession of psychology to promote human well-being. Establishes safe standards for psychological research and experimentation.

Psychology

The scientific student of mental processes, behavior, and feelings of humans and/or animals.

Goals of Psychology

To describe, explain, predict, and influence human and animal behavior.

Humanist Psychology

An approach to psychology that argues that each person has freedom in directing his/her own future and achievement of personal growth. Pioneered by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

Hypothesis

An assumption or prediction about behavior that is tested through scientific research and experimentation.

Behavioral Psychology

Pioneered by Ivan Pavlov, a branch of psychology which analyzes how organisms learn to adapt or modify their behavior based on certain stimuli in the environment.

Ivan Pavlov

Pioneered the Behavioral Approach to Psychology with his study on how dogs learned to have a biological responses (salivation) to a learned stimuli (bell).

Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

Pioneered the Humanist Approach to Psychological study. Argue that in order for psychological growth to be met, certain physiological and psychological needs must be met.

Pseudoscience

Purported "scientific discoveries" which have little actual basis in science. (ex. Fidget Spinners help ADHD)

Mary Whiton Calkins

Studied under William James at Harvard University, she was the first female to complete the course requirements for a PhD in Psychology, but was denied her degree by Harvard. First female president of the American Psychological Association

Biological Psychology

Study of how genetics, physiology, and chemical changes in the body impacts human behavior.

Cognitive Psychology

Study of how humans process, store, retrieve , and use information/memories. Pioneered by Piaget, Chomsky, & Festinger

Sociocultural Psychology

Study of how social interactions, gender, culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status can influence human behavior and thought process.

Psychoanalysis

Study of psychology which focuses on how unconscious motives and conflicts influence human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.