Unit 1 | History, Approaches, Methods

• Structuralism


  Early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind
• Experimental Psychology


  The study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method
• Humanistic Psychology


  A historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people
• Biopsychosocial Approach


  An integrated approach that incorporates biological, Psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
• Behavioral Psychology


  The scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning
• Biological Psychology


  The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes
• Cognitive Psychology


  The scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
• Evolutionary Psychology


  The study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection
• Psychodynamic Psychology


  A branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders
• Social-cultural psychology


  The study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking
• Case Study


  A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in hope of revealing universal principles
• Naturalistic Observation


  Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
• Survey


  A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.
• Correlation


  A measure of the extent to which two variables change together, and thus of how well either variable predicts the other