Learning Objectives

Chapter 1

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the common misperceptions about psychology, understand the limitations of these perceptions, and come to an understanding of how psychology is currently defined.
2. Define the early schools of thought and traditions in psychology, including structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanistic psychology, and cognitive psychology. Who are the psychologists associated with these traditions and what do these traditions believe and study?
3. Name the women and ethnic minorities who have been contributors in psychology and discuss their contributions to the field.
4. Define behaviorism, humanistic psychology, cognitive psychology, and the biological perspective. Include the similarities and differences between them.
5. Name and describe the major perspectives within psychology, including the psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanistic, cognitive, biopsychology, and social and cultural. For each of these perspectives, you should be able to discuss the main idea associated with each and the emphasis or technique used within that perspective.
6. Name and describe the current trends in psychology, including positive, industrial/organizational, and evolutionary psychology.
7. Define and differentiate between the major types of mental health practitioners and describe what psychologists do.
8. Describe and differentiate between the subfields of applied research, human services, and experimental psychology and discuss the focus and activities in each subfield.
9. Identify and summarize the four recurring themes in psychology that can be used to help you understand how the many content areas of psychology relate to one another.