Visualizing Psychology Chaps 1,2,4,5

What is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes?

Anything we do from sleeping to rock climbing

Our private, internal experiences-thoughts, perceptions, feelings, memories, and dreams

Information acquired by direct observation and measurement using systematic scientific methods

Process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing information

Only give the appearance of science...claims made by psychics, palmistry, psychometry, psychokinesis, astrology

Ongoing dispute over the relative contributors of nature (heredity) and nurture (environment) to the development of behavior and mental process

Sought to identify the basic building blocks, or structures, of mental life through introspection and then determine how these elements combine to make whole experience-Edward Titchener

Study of how the mind functions to adapt humans and other animals to their environment-strongly influenced by darwins thoery of evolution

Founded by Sigmund Freud-conflicts between "acceptable" and "unacceptable" unconscious sexual or agressive motives- basis for system of therapy psychoanalysis

Emphasizes objective, observable environmental influences on overt behavior-founder John B. Watson

"free will" (voluntary chosen behavior)and self-actualization (state of self fulfillment)

Scientific study of optimal human funtioning

One of the most influential modern approaches-emphasizes thoughts, perceptions, and information processing-many use information-precessiing approach

Examine behavior through the lens of gentics and biological processes in the brain and other parts of the nervous system