Psychology Chapter 1 Vocabulary

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Psychology

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the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

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Behavior

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observable and measurable actions of people and animals

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Cognitive Activities

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private, unobservable mental processes such as sensation, perception, thought, and problem solving

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Psychological Constructs

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theoretical entities, or concepts, that enable one to discuss something that cannot be seen, touched, or measured directly

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Theory

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a set of assumptions about why something is the way it is and happens the way it does

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Principle

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a rule or law

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Basic Research

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research that is conducted for its own sake, that is, without seeking a solution to a specific problem

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Introspection

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an examination of one's own thoughts and feelings

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Associationism

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a learned connection between two ideas or events

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Structuralism

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the schoool of psychology, founded by Wilheim Wundt, that maintains that conscious experience breaks down into objective sensations and subjective feelings

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Functionalism

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the school of psychology, founded by William James, that emphasizes the purposes of behavior and mental processes

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Behaviorism

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the school of psychology, founded by John Watson, that defines psychology as the scientific study of observable behavior

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Gestalt psychology

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the school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into meaningful wholes

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psychoanalysis

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the school of psychology, founded by Sigmund Freud, that emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as determinants of human behavior

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psychodynamic thinking

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the theory that most of what fills an individual's mind is unconscious and conscious of conflicting impulses, urges, and wishes

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biological perspective

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the psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior

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evolutionary perspective

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the theory focusing on the evolution of behavior and mental processes

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cognitive perspective

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the viewpoint that emphasizes the ole of thought processes in determining behavior

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humanistic perspective

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the psychological view that assumes the existence of the self and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the freedom to make choices

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psychoanalytic perspective

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the perspective that stresses the influences of unconscious forces on human behavior

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Learnig perspective

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the psychological point of view that emphasizes the effects of experience on behavior

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Social-leaning theory

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the theory that suggests that people have the ability to change their environments or to create new ones

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Sociocultural perspective

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in psychology, the perspective that focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in personality formation

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Ethnic group

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a group united by cultural heritage, race, language, or common history