psychology
the scien fic study of behavior and mental processes
psychiatry
the medical specializa on focusing on the brain and its disorders
William Wundt
Father of psychology, first to approach the inner workings of the mind as a science.
Structuralism
A perspec ve from the early history of psychology that focused on breaking down mental
processes into their structure or basic parts
Func onalism
A perspec ve from the early history of psychology that focused on the func on of our mental
processes and behaviors (tries to determine what our mental processes are for)
William James
Father of psychology in the United States, His psychology research lab was the first in the united
states. He promoted func onalism
Psychoanalysis
a perspec ve in psychology created by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes unconscious mental
ac vity and long las ng influence of childhood experiences.
Sigmund Freud
popularized psychology in the united states and around the world in the late 1800s. His
psychological theory emphasized unconscious mental ac vity and the impact of childhood
experiences on adult life.
Behaviorism
A perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes observable behavior over internal mental
processes.
Humanism
,A perspec ve that emphasizes the no on that human nature is generally good and people are
naturally mo vated to grow toward their own poten al
Mul culturalism
A perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes the influence of culture on behavior and mental
processes
evolu onary psychology
A perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes Charles Darwin's Theory of evolu on as an
influence on behavior.
Cogni ve psychology
A perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes processes such as thinking, language, a2en on,
memory, and intelligence.
Neuroscience
A perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes the link between behavior and the biological
func oning of the brain.
Posi ve psychology
A perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes people's strengths and successes
Biopsychosocial theory
a uniquely comprehensive popular perspec ve in psychology that emphasizes biological,
psychological, and social factors as influences on behavior.
Pseudopsychology
Informa on that is not supported by science but s ll may appear to be.
Cri cal thinking
an inquisi ve, challenging approach to ideas and assump ons
Confirmed Bias
A tendency to prefer informa on that confirms what you thought in the first place
Belief perseverance
A tendency to maintain a belief even when evidence suggests it is incorrect
Descrip ve research
, research in which the goal is simply to describe a characteris cs of the popula on
Correla onal research
research in which the goal is to determine the rela onship between two variables.
Correla on coefficient
a sta s c that shows the rela onship between two variables, ranging from highly posi ve (+1)
to highly nega ve (-1). It means that as one variable goes up, the other variable goes up with it.
correla on-causa on fallacy
The mistaken belief that when two variables correlate strongly with each other, one must cause
the other.
Experimental research
research in which the goal is to determine the cause and effect rela onship between two
variables by manipula ng one and observing changes in the other.
Random assignment
a procedure in experimental research by which the assignment of par cipants into either
experimental or control group happens en rely by chance.
Independent Variable
A variable that is manipulated by the researchers
Dependent variable
a variable that is expected to depend u[on the independent variable
experimental group
the group of par cipants who receive the treatment that is the focus of the study
control group
the group of par cipants who did not receive the treatment that is the focus of the study
placebo effect
the effect of expecta on rather than the experimental manipula ons
Scien fic method