Psychology Terms: Chapter One

Insight

The act or result of being aware of the inner nature of things

Acquire

To get or obtain

Physiological

Having to do with an organism's physical processes

Cognitive

Having to do with an organism's thinking and understanding

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior that is tested

Hypothesis

An assumption or prediction about behavior that is tested through scientific research

Theory

A set of assumptions used to explain phenomena and offered for scientific study

Basic science

The pursuit of knowledge about natural phenomena for its own sake

Applied science

Discovering ways to use scientific findings to accomplish practical goals

Empirical

Based on observation or experiment

Structuralist

A psychologist who studies the basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences

Alternative

Different

Contemporary

Modern or current

Functionalist

A psychologist who studies the function (rather than the structure) of consciousness

Psychoanalyst

Psychologist who studies how conscious motives and conflicts determine human behavior, feelings, and thoughts

Behaviorist

A psychologist who analyzes how organisms learn or modify their behavior based on their response to events in the environment

Humanist

A psychologist who believes that each person has freedom in directing his or her future and achieving personal growth

Cognitivist

A psychologist who studies how we process, store, retrieve, and use information and how thought processes influence our behavior

Psychobiologist

A psychologist who studies how physical and chemical changes in our bodies influence our behavior

Analyze

To study the nature of something by closely examining the parts that make it up

Environment

The objects or conditions that surround something or someone

Psychologist

A scientist who studies the mind and behavior of humans and animals

Psychiatrist

A branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders