Unit 1: Vocab #1

Question 1

critical thinking

Answer 1

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

Question 2

empiricism

Answer 2

the idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge

Question 3

structuralism

Answer 3

an early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchner; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

Question 4

introspection

Answer 4

the process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one’s own psychological processes

Question 5

functionalism

Answer 5

an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavorial processes function; how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Question 6

behaviorism

Answer 6

idea that behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment

Question 7

humanistic psychology

Answer 7

a historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential

Question 8

cognitive psychology

Answer 8

the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems

Question 9

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 9

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

Question 10

psychology

Answer 10

the science of behavior and mental processes

Question 11

nature-nuture issue

Answer 11

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

Question 12

natural selection

Answer 12

the principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Question 13

evolutionary psychology

Answer 13

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Question 14

behavior genetics

Answer 14

the study of the evolution and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Question 15

culture

Answer 15

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Question 16

positive psychology

Answer 16

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

Question 17

biopsychosocial approach

Answer 17

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural viewpoints

Question 18

behavioral psychology

Answer 18

the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning