What is Psychological Science

Question 1

Critical Thinking

Answer 1

Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence

Question 2

Culture

Answer 2

The beliefs, values, rules, and customs that exist within a group of people who share a common language and environment

Question 3

Nature/Nurture Debate

Answer 3

The arguments concerning whether psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through education, experience, and culture

Question 4

Mind/Body Problem

Answer 4

A fundamental paychological issue: Are mind and body separate and distinct, or is the mind simply the physical brain’s subjective experience?

Question 5

Introspection

Answer 5

A systematic examination of subjective mental experiences that requires people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts

Question 6

Structuralism

Answer 6

An approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious experience can be broken down into its basic underlying components

Question 7

Stream of Consciousness

Answer 7

A phrase coined by William James to describe each person’s continuous series of ever-changing thoughts

Question 8

Functionalism

Answer 8

An approach to paychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior

Question 9

Evolutionary Theory

Answer 9

A theory presented by the naturalist Charles Darwin; it views the history of a species in terms of the inherited, adaptive value of physical characteristics, of mental activity, and of behavior

Question 10

Natural Selection

Answer 10

In evolutionary theory, the idea that those who inherit characteristics that help them adapt to their particular environments have a selective advantage over those who do not

Question 11

Adaptations

Answer 11

In evolutionary theory, the physical characteristics, skills, or abilities that increase the chances of reproduction or survival and are therefore likely to be passed along to future generations

Question 12

Gestalt Theory

Answer 12

A theory based on the idea that the whole of personal experience is different from the sum of its constituent elements

Question 13

Unconscious

Answer 13

The place where mental processes operate below the level of conscious awareness

Question 14

Psychoanalysis

Answer 14

A method developed by Sigmund Freud that attempts to bring the contents of the unconscious into conscious awareness so that conflicts can be revealed

Question 15

Behaviorism

Answer 15

A psychological approach that emphasizes the role of environmental forces in producing observable behavior

Question 16

Cognitive Psychology

Answer 16

The study of mental functions such as intelligence, thinking, language, memory, and decision making

Question 17

Cognitive Neuroscience

Answer 17

The study of the neural mechanisms underlying thought, learning, perception, language, and memory

Question 18

Social Psychology

Answer 18

The study of how people influence other people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions

Question 19

Personality Psychology

Answer 19

The study of characteristic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in people and how they vary across social situations

Question 20

Psychological Science

Answer 20

The study, through research, of mind, brain, and behavior