Introduction to Psychology Chapter 1

Introspection

A procedure used to study the structure of the mind in which subjects are asked to describe in detail what they are experiencing when they are exposed to a stimulus.

Gestalt Psychology

An approach to psychology that focuses on the organization of perception and thinking in a "whole" sense rather than on the individual elements of perception.

Functionalism

An early approach to psychology that concentrated on what the mind does- the functions of mental activity- and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments.

Evolutionary Psychology

Considers how behavior is influenced by our genetic inheritance from our ancestors.

Clinical Psychology

Deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders. clinical psychologists are trained to diagnose and treat problems that range from the crises of everyday life to extreme conditions.

Health Psychology

Explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease

Cognitive Psychology

Focuses on higher mental processes, including thinking, memory, reasoing, problem solving, judging, decision making, and language.

Personality Psychology

Focuses on the consistency in people's behavior over time and traits that differentiate one person from another.

Counseling Psychology

Focuses primarily on educational, social, and career adjustment problems.

Trephining

Form of treatment for psychological problems seven thousand years ago. Ancient healers chipped a hole in patient's skull with crude instruments.

Behavioral genetics

Seeks to understand how we might inherit certain behavioral traits and how the environment influences whether we actually display such traits

Determinism

Sees behavior as caused, or determined, by things beyond a person's control.

Developmental Psychology

Studies how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death.

Free Will

The ability to freely make decisions about one's own behavior and life.

Psychodynamic Perspective

The approach based on the view that behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control.

Cognitive Perspective

The approach that focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world.

Humanisitc Perspective

The approach that suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior.

Neuroscience Perspective

The approach that views behavior from the perspective of the brain, the nervous system, and other biological functions.

Behavioral Perspective

The aprroach that suggests that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study.

Experimental Psychology

The branch of psychology that studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning and thinking about the world.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental process

Social Psychology

The study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.

Clinical neuropsychology

Unites the areas of neuroscience and clinical psychology: It focuses on the origin of psychological disorders in biological factors.

Structuralism

Wilhelm Wundt's approach which focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness, thinking, and other kinds of mental states and activities.

Cross-Cultural Psychology

investigates the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups

Behavioral neuroscience

subfield of psychology that mainly examines how the brain and the nervous system--- but other biological processes as well--- determine behavior. Neuroscientists consider how our bodies influence our behavior.