Ch. 1 - The Evolution of Psychology

Question 1

Applied psychology

Answer 1

The branch of psychology concerned with everyday, practical problems.

Question 2

Behavior

Answer 2

Any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism.

Question 3

Behaviorism

Answer 3

A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior.

Question 4

Clinical psychology

Answer 4

The branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders.

Question 5

Culture

Answer 5

The widely shared customs, beliefs, values, norms, institutions, and other products of a community that are transmitted socially across generations.

Question 6

Empiricism

Answer 6

The premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation.

Question 7

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 7

Theoretical perspective that examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for a species over the course of many generations.

Question 8

Functionalism

Answer 8

A school of psychology based on the belief that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure.

Question 9

Humanism

Answer 9

A theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth.

Question 10

Industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology

Answer 10

The branch of psychology concerned with human behavior in the work environment.

Question 11

Introspection

Answer 11

Careful, systematic observation of one’s own conscious experience.

Question 12

Natural selection

Answer 12

Principle stating that heritable characteristics that provide a survival reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be “selected” over time.

Question 13

Organizational psychology

Answer 13

Area of psychology concerned with how employees are integrated into the work environment. both emotionally and socially.

Question 14

Positive psychology

Answer 14

An approach to psychology that uses theory and research to better understand the positive, adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human existence.

Question 15

Psychiatry

Answer 15

A branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders.

Question 16

Psychoanalytic theory

Answer 16

A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior.

Question 17

Psychology

Answer 17

The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, and the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems.

Question 18

Structuralism

Answer 18

A school of psychology based on the notion that the task of psychology is to analyze consciousness into its basic elements and to investigate how these elements are related.

Question 19

Testwiseness

Answer 19

The ability to use the characteristics and format of a cognitive test to maximize one’s score.

Question 20

Theory

Answer 20

A system of interrelated ideas that is used to explain a set of observations.

Question 21

Unconscious

Answer 21

According to Freud, thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of conscious awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior.