The Nature of Psychology

1		Psychology is the scientific study of and the factors that influence it. Psychologists have a quest for knowledge for its own sake, which is called and also pursue knowledge that is designed to solve specific practical problems, a type of research known as . The Robber’s Cave study by Sherif et al. (1961) showed that hostility between groups could be reduced by having children work together in . This basic research was later used by Aronson et al. (1978) in the , which required that children had to cooperate in order to achieve a goal that neither could achieve alone. As scientists, psychologists have four basic goals regarding behavior: to , , , and it.

Perspectives on Behavior: Guides to Understanding and Discovery

2		are vantage points for analyzing behavior. The six different perspectives used by psychologists are the , , , , , and perspectives. The ancient Greek belief that the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to the physical laws that govern the body is called . The alternative view that mind and body are one is called . The biological perspective emphasizes the roles of the brain, biochemical processes, and . According to Darwin’s evolutionary theory, any inheritable characteristic that increases the likelihood of survival will be maintained in the species because individuals having the characteristic will be likely to survive and reproduce. This process is known as . Psychologists in the field of stress the ideas that an organism’s biology determines its behavioral capacities and its behavior determines whether or not it will survive. Thus, behaviors may well be products of evolution. The field of examines brain processes underlying behavior. Another area within the biological perspective is , which is the study of how behavioral tendencies are influenced by genetic factors. The cognitive perspective views people as problem solvers and . Today’s cognitive perspective has roots in the debate between the structuralist, functionalist, and Gestalt camps. The structuralists, who believed that sensations are the basic elements of consciousnness, attempted to study consciousness through the technique of . In contrast, the approach that held that psychology should study the "whys" of consciousness, or , was influenced by evolutionary theory. The study of how elements of experience are organized into wholes, or , suggested that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. Modern cognitive psychologists study cognitive processes involved in things like decision-making and problem-solving. was one of the most prominent theorists in the study of childhood cognitive development. A modern offshoot of the cognitive perspective studies complex human thought, reasoning, and problem-solving by developing computer models and is known as . Theorists who maintain that "reality" is in large part our own mental creation are known as . The perspective emphasizing the role of unconscious processes and unresolved past conflicts is known as the perspective and is most associated with . The behavioral perspective developed from , which held that all ideas and knowledge are gained empirically. Today, behaviorists emphasize the determinants of behavior. An attempt to bridge the gap between the behavioral and cognitive perspectives popularized by Albert Bandura, among others, is called . Humanistic psychologists stress the importance of conscious motives and free will and believe that we are motivated to reach our full potentials, a state called . The field of , emphasizes optimal living. The enduring beliefs, values, behaviors, and traditions shared by a large group of people, or , also influences our behavior. The rules that society establishes to indicate what behavior is acceptable are known as .

Integrating the Perspectives: Three Levels of Analysis

3		The three main levels of analysis that can be used to understand behavior are the , , and levels. These levels are usually combined to explain behavior. Indeed, the presence of one factor can influence the effects of other factors, a process called .

Fields Within Psychology

4		There are a number of specialty fields within the larger field of psychology. For instance, psychologists are involved with the diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorders and abnormal behavior while psychologists study the biological foundations of behavior.