Name: ________________________
Contemporary Psychological Perspectives
http://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html (check here for some
answers!)
Much like the field of medicine is broken down into specialized areas, the study of
psychology is also broken down by areas, approaches, or perspectives. The main
“schools” or perspectives of psychology are: biological, psychoanalytical, cognitive,
behaviorial, and humanistic. Textbooks refer to these perspectives by various different
names, and occasionally break them down into slightly different categories, but the gist
remains the same. Not all psychologists approach psychology in the same way. The
approach a psychologist uses will determine how he approaches a research question.
Your task is to research the different perspectives using the Internet. Please refrain from
using Wikipedia, as it is not always accurate. Answer the questions below based on your
findings.
Biological Perspective
1. What are the key concepts associated with the biological perspective?
2. Who are the major theorists of this approach?
3. Which concepts have been tested empirically (meaning using the scientific method)?
How valid are these concepts in explaining behavior?
4. Which research methodologies does the biological perspective favor?
5. What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the biological perspective?
6. What is the current standing of the biological perspective in contemporary
psychology?
Name: ________________________
Psychoanalytical/Psychodynamic Perspective
1. What are the key concepts associated with the psychoanalytical perspective?
2. Who are the major theorists of this approach?
3. Which concepts have been tested empirically (meaning using the scientific method)?
How valid are these concepts in explaining behavior?
4. Which research methodologies does the psychoanalytical perspective favor?
5. What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the psychoanalytical perspective?
6. What is the current standing of the psychoanalytical perspective in contemporary
psychology?
Cognitive Perspective
1. What are the key concepts associated with the cognitive perspective?
2. Who are the major theorists of this approach?
Name: ________________________
3. Which concepts have been tested empirically (meaning using the scientific method)?
How valid are these concepts in explaining behavior?
4. Which research methodologies does the cognitive perspective favor?
5. What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the cognitive perspective?
6. What is the current standing of the cognitive perspective in contemporary psychology?
Behavioral Perspective
1. What are the key concepts associated with the behavioral perspective?
2. Who are the major theorists of this approach?
3. Which concepts have been tested empirically (meaning using the scientific method)?
How valid are these concepts in explaining behavior?
4. Which research methodologies does the behavioral perspective favor?
Name: ________________________
5. What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the behavioral perspective?
6. What is the current standing of the behavioral perspective in contemporary
psychology?
Humanistic Perspective
1. What are the key concepts associated with the humanistic perspective?
2. Who are the major theorists of this approach?
3. Which concepts have been tested empirically (meaning using the scientific method)?
How valid are these concepts in explaining behavior?
4. Which research methodologies does the humanistic perspective favor?
5. What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the humanistic perspective?
6. What is the current standing of the humanistic perspective in contemporary
psychology?
Name: ________________________