Myers' AP Psych Unit 1
Psychiatry
a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
Biological Psychology
a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior
Counseling Psychology
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being
Psychodynamic Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders
Developmental Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Clinical Psychology
a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders
Functionalism
a school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function - how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish
Structuralism
an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind
Biopsychosocial Approach
an integrated perspective that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Humanistic Psychology
historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people; used personalized methods to study personality in hopes of fostering personal growth
Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology
the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces
Levels of Analysis
the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon
Cognitive Neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)
Nature-Nurture Issue
the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors
Natural Selection
the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Psychology
the science of behavior and mental processes
Cognitive Psychology
the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Social Psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Behavioral Psychology
the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning
Psychometrics
the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits
Personality Psychology
the study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
Experimental Psychology
the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method
Human Factors Psychology
the study of how people and machines interact and the design of safe and easily used machines and environments
Educational Psychology
the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning
Social-Cultural Psychology
the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking
Evolutionary Psychology
the study of the roots of behavior and mental processes using the principles of natural selection
Empiricism
the view that (a) knowledge comes from experience via the senses, and (b) science flourishes through observation and experiment
Behaviorism
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2)
Basic Research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Applied Research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
