Intro to Psych (Test 1 - Chapter 1)

The 3 New Branches of Psychology

Behavioral genetics Evolutionary psychology Clinical neuropsychology

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 (ex. ADHD treatment)

Health Psychology

Explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease (ex. Stress & heart)

Personality Psychology

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

Counseling psychology

Focuses primarily on educational, social, and career-adjustment problems (ex. study skills) Focus is more specific than clinical psychology

Criticisms of structuralism

Introspection not a scientific technique, and people had difficulty describing some kinds of inner experiences.

Cross-cultural Psychology

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

The 5 Major Perspectives of Psychology

Neuroscience Cognitive Behavioral Humanistic Psychodynamic

Introspection

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

Developmental Psychology

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

behavioral neuroscience

Studies how the brain and nervous system determine behavior ex: how the degeneration of certain components of nerve cells in the brain might contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis

Experimental psychology

Studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world

Social Psychology

Study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others

Cognitive psychology

The subfield of psychology that focuses on the study of higher mental processes, including thinking, language, memory, problem solving, knowing, reasoning, judging, and decision making.

Clinical neuropsychology

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

Father of Psychology

Wilhelm Wundt

William James

person that concentrated on how behavior functions and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments

Hermann Ebbinghaus and Max Wertheimer

person who focused on the organization of perception and thinking in a "whole" sense rather than on the individual elements of perception

Wilhelm Wundt (father of psychology)

person who focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness, thinking, and other kinds of mental states and activities

Cognitive Perspective

perspective that focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world

Behavioral Perspective

perspective that suggests that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study John B. Watson B. F. Skinner

Neuroscience Perspective

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

Psychodynamic Perspective

perspective that views that behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control Sigmund Freud

Psychology

scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Humanistic Perspective

the perspective that suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior. Therefore, not tied down by biological inheritance, free will to make decisions about life Carl Rogers Abraham Maslow