Chapter 1: What is Psychology?

introspection

examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings

Emotion

focuses on physiological and brain processes that are influenced by emotion, how emotions influence health, and how emotions are experienced cross culturally and by species

Motivation

focuses on what drives an individual to strive for a goal/reward

William James

founded functionalism

Wundt

founded structuralism

Behavior

observable responses

Biological (Approach)

psychological perspective that examines behavior and mental processes through a focus on the body, esp. the brain and nervous system

Psychology

scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Mental processes

thoughts, feelings, and motivation experienced by an individual

Forensic (Psychology)

- Applies psychological concepts to the legal system - Relies on cognitive and social psychologists - Provide testimony about potential risk seen with certain types of criminals

Clinical & Counseling (Psychology)

- Diagnose and treat people with life issues and psychological problems. - Counselors deal with less severe cases

Cognitive (Psychology)

- Focus on attention, consciousness, information processing, and memory. - interested in cognitive skills and abilities (problem solving, decision-making, expertise, intelligence)

Psychological & Behavioral Neuroscience

- Focus on physical processes involved in mental processes (vision and memory). - uses animal models - Consider development of nervous system/biological processes

Sensation and Perception

- Focus on the physical systems and psychological processes that people are able to experience the world - Considers the influences of prior exposure to a stimulus and biases that are relevant to the individual

Developmental (Psychology)

- Focus on who people are and become across the life span (life to death) - Consider influences of biology and environment on human development

Learning

- Focuses on how information is acquired and maintained. - Considers the manipulation of behavior in order to achieve a specific outcome

Social (Psychology)

- Focuses on how people interact, relationships, social perception, social cognition, and attitudes. - Interested in how groups function and influence the individual (example of research topic: racial prejudice).

Personality (Psychology)

- Focuses on traits and characteristics of the individual--things that make us unique - interested in goals, motives, genetics, personal development, and well being

Health (Psychology)

- Multidimensional approach to psychology focusing on psychology, life style, and health care delivery. - Focus on how stress impacts the body - Can also be clinicians

Community (Psychology)

- Wants to make psychological care more accessible - Develop outreach programs, prevention programs for local community - Focus on how people adapt to limitations of resources

Sociocultural (Approach)

- approach examining the ways in which the social and cultural environment influence behavior - focus on differences between groups (nationalities, ethnicities, age, gender) - To understand a person's behavior, we must understand a person's culture

Structuralism

- focus on identifying the structures of the human mind - used introspection - focused on sensation and perception

Sigmund Freud

- founded psychodynamic approach - developed psychoanalysis

Functionalism

- psychological field concerned with the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in individuals' adaptation to the environment - used a *pragmatic approach*--to gain knowledge of an idea requires determining the consequences - Research influenced by Darwin; focused on human interactions w/ outside world

Psychodynamic (Approach)

- psychological perspective emphasizing unconscious thought, the conflict between biological instincts and society's demands, and early family experiences - influenced by sexual and aggressive impulses - requires a medical degree

Behavioral (Approach)

- scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants - focuses on environmental interaction - mainly in lab settings

Positive (Psychology)

-push for a stronger emphasis on research involving the experiences that people value -traits associated with optimal capacities for love and work -positive group and civic values

Sports (Psychology)

Applies psychological principles to improving sport performance

School and Educational (Psychology)

Focus on how children learn and adapt to school/young adults (college students) Do: - placement testing and develop education plans - research on teaching methods and learning

Environment (Psychology)

Focuses on how people interact with the environment. Interested in the effects of physical settings for perception, learning, cognition, development, abnormal behavior and social relations (ex: impact of overcrowding)

(Psychology of) Women

Focuses on psychological, social, and cultural influences on women and their development and behavior

Cross-Cultural (Psychology)

Focuses on the role of culture for behaviors, thoughts, and emotion

Industrial & Organizational (Psychology)

Focuses on: - workplace (workers and employer) - HR and personnel manners - groups within an organization

Cognitive (Approach)

approach focusing on the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems

Humanistic (Approach)

approach that emphasizes a person's positive qualities, capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny

Evolutionary (Approach)

approach using evolutionary concepts (adaptation, reproduction, fitness) as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors