Psychology Perspectives and Subfields Flashcards
Behavioral
How we learn observable responses
How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, for example, to lose weight?
Biological
How the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences; how our genes and our environment influence our individual differences
How do pain messages travel from the hand to the brain? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression products of our genes? Of our environment?
Cognitive
How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information
How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Solving problems?
Evolutionary
How the natural selection of traits has promoted the survival of genes
How does evolution influence behavior tendencies?
Humanistic
How we achieve personal growth and self-fulfillment
How we achieve personal growth and self-fulfillment
Psychodynamic
How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained by unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas?
Social-cultural
How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures
How are we affected by the people around us, and by our surrounding culture?
Developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Educational psychology
the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.
Personality psychology
the study of individuals’ characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.
Social psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology
the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.
Human factors psychology
a field of psychology allied with I/ O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.
Counseling psychology
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.
Clinical psychology
a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.
