Empirical -- relying on or derived from observation, experimentation, or measurement psychology -- the discipline concerned behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by the organisms the physical state, mental state, and external environment
critical thinking -- the ability and willingness excess claims and make judgments on the bases of well supported reasons and evidence, rather than emotion or anecdote
Thinking Critically
- ask questions; be willing to wonder
- define your terms
- examine the evidence
- analyze assumptions and biases
- avoid emotional reasoning
- do not oversimplify
- consider other interpretations
- tolerate uncertainty
phrenology -- the now discredited theory that different brain areas account for specific character and personality traits, which can be read from bumbs the skull
structuralism -- an early psychological approach that emphasized the analysis of immediate experience into basic elements
functionalism -- an early psychological approach that emphasized the function or purpose of behavior and consciousness
psychoanalysis -- a theory of personality and a method of psychotherapy, originally formulated by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts
biological perspective -- a psychological approach that emphasizes bodily events and changes associated with actions, feelings, and thoughts
evolutionary psychology -- a field of psychology emphasizing evolutionary mechanisms that may help explain human commonalities in cognition, development, emotion, social practices, and other areas of behavior
learning perspective -- a psychological approach that emphasizes how the environment and experience affected persons or animal's actions
cognitive perspective -- a psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem-solving, and other areas of behavior
sociocultural perspective -- psychological approach that emphasizes social and cultural influences on behavior
psychodynamic perspective -- a psychological approach that emphasizes unconscious dynamics within the individual, such as inner forces, conflict, or the movement of instinctual energy
humanist psychology -- a psychological approach that emphasizes free will, personal growth, resilience, and the achievement of human potential
feminist psychology -- a psychological approach that analyzes the influence of social inequities on gender relations and on the behavior of the two sexes
basic psychology -- the study of psychology or issues in order to seek knowledge for its own sake rather than for its practical application
applied psychology -- the study of psychological issues that have direct practical significance; also, the application of psychological findings
