What Is Psychology?

Chapter 1 What is psychology? Behavior | Everything we do that can be directly observed. | | | | behavioral approach | A psychological perspective emphasizing the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants. | | | | biological approach | A psychological perspective that examines behavior and mental processes through a focus on the body, especially the brain and nervous system. | | | | cognitive approach | A psychological perspective that focuses on the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems. | | | | critical thinking | The process of thinking reflectively and productively, as well as evaluating evidence. | | | | evolutionary approach | A psychological perspective that uses evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors. | | | | Functionalism | An early school of psychology that was concerned with the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in individuals' adaptation to the environment. | | | | humanistic approach | A psychological perspective that emphasizes a person’s positive qualities, capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny. | | | | mental processes | The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly. | | | | natural selection | An evolutionary process that favors organisms' traits or characteristics that are best adapted to reproduce and survive. | | | | Neuroscience | The scientific study of the structure, function, development, genetics, and biochemistry of the nervous system. | | | | positive psychology movement | The push for a stronger emphasis on research involving the experiences that people value, the traits