psychology | The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
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science | The use of systematic methods to observe the natural world, including human behavior, and to draw conclusions.
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behavior | Everything we do that can be directly observed.
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mental processes | The thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed directly.
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critical thinking | The process of reflecting deeply and actively, asking questions, and evaluating the evidence.
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empirical method | Gaining knowledge through the observation of events, the collection of data, and logical reasoning.
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positive psychology | A branch of psychology that emphasizes human strengths.
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structuralism | Wundt's approach to discovering the basic elements, or structures, of mental processes; so called because of its focus on identifying the structures of the human mind.
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functionalism | James's approach to mental processes, emphasizing the functions and purposes of the mind and behavior in the individual's adaptation to the environment.
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natural selection | Darwin's principle of an evolutionary process in which organisms that are best adapted to their environment will survive and produce off spring.
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biological approach | An approach to psychology focusing on the body, especially the brain and nervous system.
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neuroscience | The scientific study of the structure, function, development, genetics, and biochemistry of the nervous system, emphasizing that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion.
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behavioral approach | An approach to psychology emphasizing the scientific study of observable behavioral responses and their environmental determinants.
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psychodynamic approach | An approach to psychology emphasizing unconscious thought, the conflict between biological drives (such as the drive for sex) and society's demands, and early childhood family experiences.
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humanistic approach | An approach to psychology emphasizing a person's positive qualities, the capacity for positive growth, and the freedom to choose any destiny.
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cognitive approach | An approach to psychology emphasizing the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.
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evolutionary approach | An approach to psychology centered on evolutionary ideas such as adaptation, reproduction, and natural selection as the basis for explaining specific human behaviors.
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sociocultural approach | An approach to psychology that examines the ways in which social and cultural environments influence behavior.
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psychopathology | The scientific study of psychological disorders and the development of diagnostic categories and treatments for those disorders.
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