Psychology
Mr. Detjen
Chapter Reading/Study Guide
1. “What is Psychology?”
I. Chapter Outline. For each chapter, begin by writing a comprehensive and annotated outline. The purpose
of this task is to habituate yourself to taking notes on what you read. And the more and better and effortfully
you “frontload” notes here, the less you will need to re-read the text when exams roll around. A
“comprehensive and annotated” outline is not just a listing of the chapter’s headings and subsections, but rather
a system of note-taking that is your own balance of efficiency and completeness. For instance, the following
section headings for the first chapter provides an organizational framework, but is an example of an outline that
demonstrates virtually no effort, learning or thought, and which coincidentally earns you an “F.” Your task for
each chapter will be to expand significantly and comprehensively on the basic organizational template like the
one below.
I. Defining Psychology
A. The Psychological Frame of Mind
B. Psychology as the Science of All Human Behavior
II. Psychology in Historical Perspective
A. Wundt’s Structuralism and James’ Functionalism
B. Darwin’s Natural Selection
III. Contemporary Approaches to Psychology
A. The Biological Approach
B. The Behavioral Approach
C. The Psychodynamic Approach
D. The Humanistic Approach
E. The Cognitive Approach
F. The Evolutionary Approach
G. the Sociocultural Approach
IV. What Psychologists Do
A. Careers in Psychology
B. Areas of Specialization
1. Physiological Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience
2. Sensation and Perception
3. Learning
4. Cognitive Psychology
5. Developmental Psychology
6. Motivation and Emotion
7. Women and Gender
8. Personality Psychology
9. Social Psychology
10. Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology
11. Clinical and Counseling Psychology
12. Health Psychology
13. School and Educational Psychology
14. Environmental Psychology
15. Forensic Psychology
16. Sport Psychology
17. Community Psychology
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18. Cross-Cultural Psychology
V. The Science of Psychology and Health and Wellness
A. The Impact of the Mind on the Body
B. The Impact of the Body on the Mind
II. Vocabulary. This task is not just about understanding a definition, but also demonstrating how each
concept might apply to you and your life.
psychology
science
behavior
mental processes
critical thinking
empirical method
positive psychology
structuralism
functionalism
natural selection
biological approach
neuroscience
behavioral approach
psychodynamic approach
humanistic approach
cognitive approach
evolutionary approach
sociocultural approach
psychopathology
III. Section Review Questions. Following each major section of each chapter you will find 3 review questions
that ask you to both summarize and think critically about or analyze the content of the . Answer each of these
in a comprehensive and critically thoughtful paragraph (or more, as needed) of 10-15 sentences. For example
and the sake of convenience, I have appended the first chapter’s here:
I. Defining Psychology
1. What makes psychology a science? What are the goals of psychological scientists?
2. What four attitudes are at the core of the scientific approach? Define and explain them.
3. Which particular Freudian views of human nature have influenced general perceptions of what
psychology is all about?
II. Psychology in Historical Perspective
1. Define, then compare and contrast structuralism and functionalism.
2. What is meant when we say that a particular characteristic of an organism is adaptive?
3. In what ways is Darwin’s work relevant to psychology?
III. Contemporary Approaches to Psychology
1. Which approach to psychology is most interested in early childhood relationships?
2. Which approach to psychology focuses on self-fulfillment, altruism, and personal growth?
3. What specific ideas did B. F. Skinner's behaviorist approach emphasize?
IV. What Psychologists Do
1. What are some career options for a person with an undergraduate degree in psychology? What careers
might someone with a graduate degree in psychology pursue?
2. What important distinctions are there between a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist?
3. Name five areas of specialization in psychology and describe the primary concerns of each of them.
V. The Science of Psychology and Health and Wellness
1. What has psychology increasingly come to recognize about the relationship between the mind and the
body?
2. What are some mental processes that might be involved in efforts to change your physical body, as
through diet or exercise?
3. What is some real-life evidence of the body's impact on the mind? Give examples that are different from
those in the text.
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