vocabularyforpshychology


 * Empiricism-
 * Structuralism-Structuralism was an intellectual movement concerned with the analysis of such things as language or myths.
 * Functionalism-a psychology based on the assumption that all mental process are useful to an organism in adapting to the environment
 * Psychology-the science of mental life
 * Nature-nurture issue-his is one of if not the longest running debate since the science of psychology beganwhat makes us who we are and drives how we behave, our genes (nature) or our experiences (nurture)? For example, if a person commits a violent crime, did they do so because of their genetic makeup (they are genetically pre-wired to be violent) or because of their experiences (e.g., growing up in an impovershed area, not getting a good education, no parental guidance or some other experience)? This is the nature-nurture debate.
 * Natural Selection-
 * Basic research-As opposed to applied research, basic research is conducted with the intent of increasing the scientific knowledge base, and to find theoretical truth and understanding (not specifically to solve practical problems). For example, someone conducting basic research on cheating behavior may design a study examining whether students from divorced families cheat more often than students not from divorced families. Notice that the research is not done to reduce cheating, help people who cheat, or any other "applied" aspect, but to increase the understanding of cheating behavior.
 * Applied research-As opposed to basic research, applied research is the type of research which is conducted to solve practical problems, find cures to illnesses, develop therapies with the purpose of helping people, and other similar types of practical problem-solving research.
 * Clinical psychology- Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology involving assessment and treatment of people with psychological disorders. In addition, clinical psychologists do conduct some research and experimentation, with topics that focus primarily on practical applications (such as developing new treatments, prevention for addictions, etc.).
 * Psychiatry-the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders