Blair-Broker, Thinking About Psychology, 4e, Module 2

Terms in this set (15)

psychology
Scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
basic research
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.
applied research
Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.
structuralism
Theory that the structure of conscious experience could be understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts and sensations.
Gestalt [gih-shtalt] psychology
Psychological perspective that emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
functionalism
Theory that emphasized the functions of consciousness or the ways consciousness helps people adapt to their environment.
psychoanalysis
Freud's theory of personality; also, a therapeutic technique that attempts to provide insight into thoughts and actions by exposing and interpreting the underlying unconscious motives and conflicts.
behaviorism
The theory that psychology should only study observable behaviors, not mental processes.
humanistic psychology
A perspective that focuses on the study of conscious experience, the individual's freedom to choose, and the individual's capacity for personal growth.
cognitive perspective
School of thought that focuses on how people think—how we take in, process, store, and retrieve information.
biological perspective
School of thought that focuses on the physical structures and substances underlying a particular behavior, thought, or emotion.
social-cultural perspective
School of thought that focuses on how thinking or behavior changes in different situations or as a result of cultural influences.
behavior genetics
The school of thought that focuses on how much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences.
evolutionary psychology
School of thought that focuses on the principles of natural selection to study the roots of behavior and mental processes.
positive psychology
A movement in psychology that focuses on the study of optimal human functioning and the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive.
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