| Psychology | The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
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| structuralism | Wundt's approach, which focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness, thinking, and other kinds of mental states and activities.
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| introspection | A procedure used to study the structure of the mind in which subjects are asked to describe in detail what they are experiencing when they are exposed to a stimulus.
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| functionalism | An early approach to psychology that concentrated on what the mind does—the functions of mental activity—and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments.
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| gestalt (geh-SHTALLT) psychology | An approach to psychology that focuses on the organization of perception and thinking in a "whole" sense rather than on the individual elements of perception.
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| neuroscience perspective | The approach that views behavior from the perspective of the brain, the nervous system, and other biological functions.
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| psychodynamic perspective | The approach based on the view that behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control.
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| behavioral perspective | The approach that suggests that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study.
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| cognitive perspective | The approach that focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world.
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| humanistic perspective | The approach that suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior.
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| free will | The idea that behavior is caused primarily by choices that are made freely by the individual.
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| determinism | The idea that people's behavior is produced primarily by factors outside of their willful control.
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