1 Flashcards
Psychology
the scientific study of the causes of behaviour, the application of the findings of psychological research to the solution of problems
Casual Event
an event that causes another even to occur
Physiological Psychology
the branch of psychology that studies the physiological basis of behaviour
Comparative Psychology
the branch of psychology that studies the behaviours of a variety of organisms in an attempt to understand the adaptive and functional significance of the behaviours and their relation to evolution.
Behavioural Analysis
the branch of psychology that studies the effect of the environment on behaviour - primarily the effects of consequences of behaviours on the behaviours themselves
Behaviour Genetics
the branch of psychology that studies the role of genetics in behaviour
Cognitive Psychologists
the branch of psychology that studies complex behaviours and mental processes such as perception, attention, learning, memory, verbal behaviour, concept formation, problem solving
Developmental Psychology
the branch of psychology that studies the changes in behavioural, perceptual & cognitive capacities of organisms as a function of age & experience
Social Psychology
the branch of psychology devoted to the study of the effects people have on each other’s behaviour
Personality Psychology
the branch of psychology that attempts to categorize & understand the causes of individual differences in patterns of behaviour
Evolutionary Psychology
the branch of psychology that explains behaviour in terms of adaptive advantages that specific behaviours provided during the evolution of a species. They use natural selection as a guiding principle
Cross-Cultural Psychology
the branch of psychology that studies the effects of culture on behaviour
Clinical Psychology
the branch of psychology devoted to the investigation and treatment of abnormal behaviour & physiological disorders
Animism
The belief that all animals and all moving objects possess spirits providing their motive force.
Reflex
An automatic response to a stimulus, such as the blink reflex to the sudden unexpected approach of an object toward the eyes
Dualism
he philosophical belief that reality consists of mind and matter
Model
a relatively simple system that works on known principles and is able to do at least some of the things that a more complex system can
Empiricism
the philosophical view that all knowledge is obtained through the senses
Materialism
a philosophical belief that reality can be known only through an understanding of the physical world, of which the mind is a part
Doctrine of Specific Nerve Energies
Johannes Muller’s observation that different nerve fibers convey specific information from one part of the body to the brain (and vise versa)
Experimental Ablation
the removal of a portion of the brain of an experimental animal for the purpose of studying the functions of that region
Psychophysics
the branch of psychology that measures the quantitative relation between physical stimuli and perceptual events
Determinism
doctrine that behaviour is the result of prior events
Law of Effect
Throndike’s observation that stimuli that occur as a consequence of a response can increase or decrease the likelihood of making that response again
Structuralism
the system of experimental psychology that began with Wundt; emphasized introspective analysis of sensation and perception
Introspection
literally ‘looking within’ in an attempt to describe one’s own memories, perceptions, cognitive processes or motivations
Functionalism
he strategy of understanding a species’ structural or behaviour features by attempting to establish their usefulness with respect to survival and reproductive success
Behaviourism
a movement in psychology that asserts that the only proper subject matter for scientific study in psychology is observable behaviour
Humanistic Psychology
an approach to the study of human behaviour that emphasizes human experience, choice & creativity, self-realization & positive growth
Gestalt Psychology
a movement in psychology that emphasized cognitive processes could be understood by studying their organization, not their elements
Information Processing
an approach used by cognitive psychologists to explain the workings; information received through the senses is processed by systems of neutrons in the brain.
