PSYCHOLOGY - OPEN UNIVERSITY
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ John Watson.
Answer: Behavioral Psychologist who argued that a person can be
conditioned to respond to a specific stimuli. Leading psychologist on the
"Little Albert" experiment.
◍ Clinical Psychology.
Answer: a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people
with psychological disorders
◍ Scientific Method.
Answer: A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting
data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating
conclusions.
◍ Environmental Psychologist.
Answer: A psychologist who studies the effects of the environment on
people. (ex. impact of public parks on mental health)
◍ Industrial/Organizational Psychologist (I/O).
Answer: A psychologist who specializes in making the workplace more
satisfying and/or productive for its employees
◍ Biological Psychology.
Answer: Study of how genetics, physiology, and chemical changes in the
body impacts human behavior.
◍ Clinical Psychologist.
, Answer: A psychologist who diagnoses and treats people with emotional,
behavioral, and/or thinking disorders.
◍ Psychoanalysis.
Answer: Study of psychology which focuses on how unconscious motives
and conflicts influence human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
◍ Evolutionary Psychology.
Answer: the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using
principles of natural selection
◍ Humanistic Psychology.
Answer: a historically significant perspective that emphasized human
growth potential
◍ Goals of Psychology.
Answer: To describe, explain, predict, and influence human and animal
behavior.
◍ functionalism.
Answer: focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its
environment
◍ Research Psychology.
Answer: research into the experiences and behavior of people
◍ John Watson.
Answer: Behavioral Psychologist who argued that a person can be
conditioned to respond to a specific stimuli. Leading psychologist on the
"Little Albert" experiment.
◍ Empirical Approach.
Answer: an evidence-based method that draws on observation and
experimentation.
◍ Theory.
Answer: A set of assumptions used to explain phenomena and offered for
scientific study
, ◍ Environmental Psychologist.
Answer: A psychologist who studies the effects of the environment on
people. (ex. impact of public parks on mental health)
◍ Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers.
Answer: Pioneered the Humanist Approach to Psychological study. Argue
that in order for psychological growth to be met, certain physiological and
psychological needs must be met.
◍ BaSiC ReAsEaRcH.
Answer: Research targeted at increasing scientific knowledge for its own
sake.
◍ biopsychosocial model.
Answer: perspective that asserts that biology, psychology, and social factors
interact to determine an individual's health
◍ Clinical Psychologist.
Answer: A psychologist who diagnoses and treats people with emotional,
behavioral, and/or thinking disorders.
◍ Sociocultural Psychology.
Answer: Study of how social interactions, gender, culture, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status can influence human behavior and thought process.
◍ Behaviorism.
Answer: the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2)
studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research
psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
◍ Functionalism.
Answer: The psychological study of how people and animals have adapted
their mental processes and behaviors to their environments
◍ William James.
Answer: Psychologist at Harvard University who is credited with writing the
first psychological textbook "Principles of Psychology." He also helped