AP Psychology 7 Approaches

Behavioral

An approach to psychology emphasizing that human behavior is determined mainly by what a person has learned, especially from rewards and punishments.

Biological

An approach to psychology in which behavior and behavior disorders are seen as the result of physical processes, especially those relating to the brain and to hormones and other chemicals.

Sociocultural

Explains behavior in terms of rules and expectations of social groups and culture.

Psychodynamic

A view developed by Freud that emphasizes the interplay of unconscious mental processes in determining human thought, feelings, and behavior.

Evolutionary

An approach to psychology that emphasizes the inherited, adaptive aspects of behavior and mental processes.

Humanistic

An approach to psychology that views behavior as controlled by the decisions that people make about their lives based on their perceptions of the world.

Cognitive

A way of looking at human behavior that emphasizes research on how the brain takes in information, creates perceptions, forms and retrieves memories, processes information, and generates integrated patterns of action.