Branches of Psychology

Study Notes

Biological Psychology: studies the physical basis of behavior, including the brain, nervous system, and genetics
Cognitive Psychology: examines mental processes, such as perception, attention, memory, language, and problem-solving
Developmental Psychology: focuses on human development across the lifespan, including cognitive, social, and emotional development
Social Psychology: explores how people think, feel, and behave in social situations, including group dynamics and social influence
Personality Psychology: investigates individual differences in behavior, thought, and emotion, including personality traits and disorders

Correlational Research: examines the relationship between variables, but does not establish causality
Experimental Research: manipulates an independent variable to measure its effect on a dependent variable
Survey Research: collects self-reported data through questionnaires or interviews
Case Study Research: in-depth examination of a single individual or group

Nature vs. Nurture: debate about the relative influence of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on behavior and development
Consciousness: the state of being aware of one's surroundings, thoughts, and feelings
Motivation: the drive to pursue a goal or behavior, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators
Learning: the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, or behaviors, including classical conditioning and operant conditioning
Emotion: a complex psychological and physiological state, including emotions such as happiness, sadness, and fear

Biological Perspective: emphasizes the role of genetics and biology in behavior and mental processes
Behavioral Perspective: focuses on observable behavior and the environment
Cognitive Perspective: emphasizes the role of mental processes, such as thought and perception
Humanistic Perspective: emphasizes personal growth, self-actualization, and subjective experience
Psychodynamic Perspective: emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences in shaping behavior and personality

Biological Psychology studies the physical basis of behavior, including the brain, nervous system, and genetics.
Cognitive Psychology examines mental processes, such as perception, attention, memory, language, and problem-solving.
Developmental Psychology focuses on human development across the lifespan, including cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Social Psychology explores how people think, feel, and behave in social situations, including group dynamics and social influence.
Personality Psychology investigates individual differences in behavior, thought, and emotion, including personality traits and disorders.

Correlational Research examines the relationship between variables but does not establish causality.
Experimental Research manipulates an independent variable to measure its effect on a dependent variable.
Survey Research collects self-reported data through questionnaires or interviews.
Case Study Research involves an in-depth examination of a single individual or group.

The Nature vs. Nurture debate concerns the relative influence of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on behavior and development.
Consciousness is the state of being aware of one's surroundings, thoughts, and feelings.
Motivation is the drive to pursue a goal or behavior, including intrinsic (e.g., personal satisfaction) and extrinsic motivators (e.g., rewards).
Learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, or behaviors, including classical conditioning (association between stimuli) and operant conditioning (consequences of behavior).
Emotion is a complex psychological and physiological state, including emotions such as happiness, sadness, and fear.

The Biological Perspective emphasizes the role of genetics and biology in behavior and mental processes.
The Behavioral Perspective focuses on observable behavior and the environment.
The Cognitive Perspective emphasizes the role of mental processes, such as thought and perception.
The Humanistic Perspective emphasizes personal growth, self-actualization, and subjective experience.
The Psychodynamic Perspective emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences in shaping behavior and personality.