I. INTRODUCTION

Objective I.1

Define psychology: the science of behavior and mental processes.

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Key Terms

Psychology: the science of behavior and mental processes.

Exercises

1. Put a check mark by each statement that is true regarding psychology. __X_ Psychologists study human behavior. __X___ Psychologists study animal behavior. ____X_ Psychologists study emotions and mental processes. _____ Psychology and "common sense"
Information-processing-characterizes thinking as the environment providing input of data, which is then transformed by our senses. The information can be stored, retrieved and transformed using “mental programs”, with the results being behavioral responses. Evolutionary psychology-is focused on the study of how evolution explains physiological processes. Psychologists and researchers take the basic principles of evolution, including natural selection, and apply them to psychological phenomena. This perspective suggests that these mental processes exist because they serve an evolutionary purpose – they aid in survival and reproduction. Biological psychology-The study of physiology played a major role in the development of psychology as a separate science. Today, this perspective is known as biological psychology. Sometimes referred to as biopsychologyor physiological psychology, this point of view emphasizes the physical and biological bases of behavior. Sociocultural approach- based on the idea that society and culture shape cognition. Social customs, beliefs, values, and language are all part of what shapes a person's identity and reality. According to this approach, what a person thinks is based on his or her socio-cultural background. A socio-cultural approach takes into account more than the individual in attempting to understand cognitive processes.