Key Terms for Introduction to Psychology
- adaptation
- a trait of an organism has a function for the survival and reproduction of the individual
American Psychological Association (APA)
professional organization representing psychologists in the United States
- behaviourism
- focus on observing and controlling behaviour
- biopsychology
- study of how biology influences behaviour
- biopsychosocial model
- perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors interact to determine an individual’s health
- clinical psychology
- area of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behaviour
- cognitive psychology
- study of cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to experiences and actions
- counselling psychology
- area of psychology that focuses on improving emotional, social, vocational, and other aspects of the lives of psychologically healthy individuals
- developmental psychology
- scientific study of development across a lifespan
- dissertation
- long research paper about research that was conducted as a part of the candidate’s doctoral training
- empirical method
- method for acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities
- forensic psychology
- area of psychology that applies the science and practice of psychology to issues within and related to the justice system
- functionalism
- focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment
- humanism
- perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans
- introspection
- process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts
- natural selection
- the process by which differences in an organisms characteristics arise leading to better adaptation to their environment
-ology
suffix that denotes “scientific study of”
- personality psychology
- study of patterns of thoughts and behaviours that make each individual unique
- personality trait
- consistent pattern of thought and behaviour
- PhD
- (doctor of philosophy) doctoral degree conferred in many disciplinary perspectives housed in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences
- postdoctoral training program
- allows programs and broaden their research skills under the supervision of other professionals in the field
- psychoanalytic theory
- focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behaviour
- psychology
- scientific study of the mind and behaviour
- PsyD
- (doctor of psychology) doctoral degree that places less emphasis on research-oriented skills and focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context
- sport and exercise psychology
- area of psychology that focuses on the interactions between mental and emotional factors and physical performance in sports, exercise, and other activities
- structuralism
- understanding the conscious experience through introspection