1-contemporary psychology Flashcards
American Psychological Association (APA)
professional organization representing psychologists in the US
- largest organization of psychologists in the world with mission to advance and disseminate psychological knowledge for the betterment of people
- 56 divisions
The Association for Psychological Science (APS)
- founded in 1988
- founding resulted from disagreements between members of the scientific and clinical branches of psychology within the APA
- seeks to advance the scientific orientation of psychology
- publishes 5 research journals and engages in education and advocacy with funding agencies
other psychological organizations
provide networking and collaboration opportunities for professionals of several ethnic or racial groups working in psycology
- national Latina/o Psychological Associaton (NLPA)
- Asian American psychological Association (AAPA)
- Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi)
- Society of Indian Psychologists
BIOPSYCHOLOGY
the brain and nervous system, how biology influences our behaviour
- focuses on immediate causes of behaviour
EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY
focuses on long-term (ultimate) biological causes of behaviour—why did we develop this response?
- has origins with the theory of evolution
- if a behaviour is determined by genetics, it will be shaped by its surroundings
- common behaviors across human cultures = common genetic cause
drawbacks of evolutionary psychology
- Demonstrating that a trait, especially in humans, is naturally selected is extraordinarily difficult
- perhaps for this reason, some evolutionary psychologists are content to assume the behaviors they study have genetic determinants
- One other drawback of evolutionary psychology is that the traits that we possess now evolved under environmental and social conditions far back in human history
- we have a poor understanding of what these conditions were.
- makes predictions about what is adaptive for a behavior difficult
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
developmental trajectories—study of development over a lifetime
> - predictable?
> - does it develop in those ways?
- cognitive, social, emotional, physical, moral
PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY
patterns of thoughts and behaviours that are unique to a person
personality tests/theories
- early theories looked at resolution of sexual desires (freud)
- modern personality tests look at identifying traits (stable dispositional qualities)
- Five-Factor Model (OCEAN)
- openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism
- Myers-Briggs (INFP)
- Five-Factor Model (OCEAN)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
how the (perceived) presence of people influences us, how we interact with and relate to others
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Identification, diagnosis, treatment of mental disorders and other problematic behaviours
humanistic approach to clinical psycholgy
- you are not where you want to be—mismatch between who you think you are and who you actually are…
- how do we realign those two people up together?
cognitive-behavioural approach to clinical psych
- what do you think and what re your behaviours?
- looking at the way we think and how it influences our behaviour
counselling psych – clinical psychology
similar discipline that focuses on emotional, social, vocational, and health-related outcomes in individuals who are considered psychologically healthy
Sensation and Perception
Scientists interested in both physiological aspects of sensory systems as well as in the psychological experience of sensory information
our experience (or perception) is influenced by where we focus our attention, our previous experiences, and even our cultural backgrounds.
