Prologue - The Story of Psychology

Question 1

empiricism

Answer 1

the view that (a) knowledge comes from experience via the senses, and (b) science flourishes through observation and experiment

Question 2

structuralism

Answer 2

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

Question 3

functionalism

Answer 3

a school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function – how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Question 4

nature-nurture issue

Answer 4

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviours

Question 5

natural selection

Answer 5

the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Question 6

basic research

Answer 6

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

Question 7

applied research

Answer 7

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Question 8

clinical psychology

Answer 8

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

Question 9

psychiatry

Answer 9

a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy