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Foundations Of Psychology

Foundations of Psychology

Michelle Glawson

University of Phoenix

Schools of Thought

The four major schools of thought consist of Psychodynamic, Behaviorist, Cognitive, and Evolutionary. The Psychodynamic perspective assumption is person’s behavior has to do with what is going on in the mind. When a person is thinking about committing a crime then a crime may be committed. A lot of the time the things that happen within our minds happen when there is no clue of it happening.

The Behaviorist Perspective assumption is when a particular behavior is learned through different forms of stimuli. Stimuli are known as the environment also. The environment contributes to a person’s behaviors. The environment is able to control different types of behaviors. When a stressor is involved then a certain form of behavior can come about. When a person is frightened by something then an instinct to run or scream will surface.

“The Cognitive Perspective assumption focuses on the way people perceive, process, and retrieve information.” (Kowalski, & Weston, 2005, p. 15) Cognition has to do with the thought process. Thoughts of each person are thought differently than others. Some people are able to understand information better than others. Many times information is received better than others. Sometimes information is thought to be other than what it is meant to be. Many people are able to remember information for a really long time. Many tend to forget information a lot more than others. A lot of times knowledge is obtained much easier for some.

The Evolutionary Perspective assumption is that the behaviors have changed over the years. “Evolutionary psychology is focused on the study of how evolution explains physiological processes. Psychologists and researchers take the basic principles of evolution, including natural selection, and apply them to psychological phenomena. This perspective suggests that these mental processes exist because they...