Alright, so ya wanna learn about this AP Psychology thing, huh? Unit 1, they say. Vocabulary, that’s what the young’uns call it. Fancy words for stuff that ain’t always so fancy, if ya ask me. But gotta learn it to pass the test, I guess. So, let’s get to it, no need to beat around the bush.
First off, they talk about empiricism. Sounds big, don’t it? All it means is ya gotta see it to believe it. Like, if ya see a chicken layin’ an egg, ya know chickens lay eggs. Ya don’t just guess about it. Gotta have proof, gotta see it happen. That’s what them smart folks mean by empiricism.
Then there’s structuralism. Now, that’s a mouthful. Think of it like this: ya wanna know how a clock works, right? Ya take it apart, look at all the gears and springs. Structuralism is like that, but for the brain. Tryin’ to figure out how the mind works by lookin’ at the parts, the thoughts and feelings and stuff. Like, what makes ya happy? What makes ya sad? They try to break it all down.
And then they go on about how the body and brain work together for emotions and memories. Well, that ain’t no surprise, is it? Ya get scared, your heart beats fast. Ya remember your grandma’s cookin’, your mouth waters. Body and brain, they’re like two peas in a pod, workin’ together. One ain’t much good without the other.
They talk about functionalism too. That James fella, he was smart. He and that Darwin guy, they figured out that we do things for a reason, ya know? Like, why do birds fly? To get food, to get away from cats. Same with us. We think and act in ways that help us survive, help us get along. That’s functionalism in a nutshell. Adapt and survive, that’s the name of the game.
- Introspection: That just means lookin’ inside yourself. Thinkin’ about your own thoughts and feelin’s. Like, why did I get so mad at that rooster this mornin’? Ya think about it, try to understand yourself.
- Behavioral psychology: That’s about what ya do, not what ya think. Like, if a dog gets a treat every time he sits, he’ll sit more. It’s about learnin’ through rewards and punishments, ya see.
- Biological psychology: This is all about the brain and the body. How your brain works, how your hormones affect you, that kinda stuff. It’s like lookin’ under the hood of a car to see how it runs.
- Cognitive psychology: That’s about thinkin’ and knowin’. How ya remember things, how ya solve problems, how ya learn new stuff. It’s all about the smarts, ya know?
Then there’s this evolutionary psychology. That’s kinda like functionalism, but lookin’ way back, to how our brains and behaviors developed over time. Like, why are we afraid of snakes? Maybe because our ancestors who weren’t afraid got bit and didn’t live to tell the tale. It’s about how our past shapes who we are now.
And psychodynamic psychology, that’s all about the stuff goin’ on inside your head that ya don’t even know about. Like, maybe ya had a bad experience as a kid and ya don’t remember it, but it still affects ya. It’s like there’s a whole other person inside ya, pullin’ the strings.
Social-cultural psychology is about how the people around ya and the way ya grew up affect how ya think and act. Like, if ya grew up in a big city, ya might be different than someone who grew up on a farm. It’s about how the world around us shapes us.
And last but not least, psychometrics. That’s just a fancy word for measurin’ stuff. Like, how smart are ya? They got tests for that. How happy are ya? They got tests for that too. It’s about puttin’ numbers on things so ya can compare ’em and study ’em.
So, there ya have it. Unit 1 vocabulary, plain and simple. It ain’t rocket science, even though some of them words sound like it. Just gotta remember the basics, and you’ll do just fine. Now go on and study, and don’t let them fancy words scare ya.
Tags: [AP Psychology, Unit 1, Vocabulary, Empiricism, Structuralism, Functionalism, Introspection, Behavioral Psychology, Biological Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Psychodynamic Psychology, Social-Cultural Psychology, Psychometrics, Psychology Terms]
