Prologue Flashcards
Evolutionary perspective
How the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes
Neuroscience perspective
How the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences.
- body and brain has largest influence on behavior
- neurons, hormones
Cognitive perspective
How we encode, process, store and retrieve info.
-our thought processes affect our behavior
Event–> we think about if, beliefs, expectations–>React
Psychodynamic perspective
How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
Social-Cultural perspective
How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures
- culture has biggest impact on behavior
- power of surroundings
Behavior genetics perspective
How much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences
-how our environment reinforces/punishes our actions
Behavioral perspective
How we learn observable responses
- we are born a “blank slate”
- environment shapes our behavior
- how our behavior gets reinforced/punished
Nature-Nurture
Do our human traits develop through experience, or do we come equipped with them?
Applied research
Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
Basic research
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Cognitive psychologists
Experiment with how we perceive, think, and solve problems
Biological psychologists
Study links between brain and mind
Personality psychologists
Investigates our persistent traits
Clinical psychologists
Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders
Developmental psychologists
Study our changing abilities from womb to tomb
