Chapter 1 Terms

A school of psychology based on the notion that the task of psychology is to analyze consciousness into its basic elements and to investigate how these elements are related.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 005)

A school of psychology based on the belief that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 005)

Careful, systematic observation of one's own conscious experience.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 005)

Principle stating that heritable characteristics that provide a survival reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be selected over time.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 005)

According to Freud, thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of conscious awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 007)

A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 007)

A theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 011)

Any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 008)

A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 008)

The branch of psychology concerned with everyday, practical problems. (Weiten Psychology 8e p. 012)

The branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 012)

The mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 013)

The tendency to view one's own group as superior to others and as the standard for judging the worth of foreign ways.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 015)

Theoretical perspective that examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for a species over the course of many generations.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 015)

Approach to psychology that uses theory and research to better understand the positive, adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human existence.(Weiten Psychology 8e p. 016)