Psychology Vocabulary

Vocabulary Module 1: 1. Psychology- scientific study of behavior and mental processes 2. Basic research- pure science that ais to increase the scientific knowledge base 3. Applied research- scientific study that aims to solve practical problems 4. Structuralism- theory that the structure of conscious experience could be understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts ad sensation 5. Gestalt Psychology- Psychological perspective that emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes. 6. Functionalism- Theory that emphasized the functions of consciousness or the ways consciousness helps people adapt to their environment. 7. Psychoanalysis- Freud’s theory of personality; also, a therapeutic technique that attempts to provide insight into thoughts and actions by exposing and interpreting and underlying unconscious motives and conflicts 8. Behaviorism- the theory that psychology should only study observable behaviors, not mental. 9. Humanistic psychology- a perspective that focuses on the study of conscious experience, the individual’s capacity for personal growth. 10. Cognitive perspective- school of thought that focuses on how people think – how we take in, process, store, and retrieve information 11. Biological perspective- school of thought that focuses on the physical structures and substances underlying a particular behavior, thought, or emotion. 12. Social-cultural perspective- school of thought that focuses on how thinking or behavior changes in different situations or as a result of cultural influences. 13. Behavior genetics – the school of thought that focuses on how much our genes and our environment influences our individual differences. 14. Evolutionary psychology- school of thought that focuses on the principles of natural selection to study the roots of behavor and mental processes. 15. Positive psychology- a movement n psychology that focuses