AMSCO AP Psychology
Chapter 1: The Field of
Psychology 2026 | Study
Guide, Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Exam Review | Complete
Ethics Study Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
, Psychology the scientific study of human thought and human and animal behavior.
Plato believed that our perception of the world is informed by life experiences and
proposed the idea that each of us has our own perception of the world that is
unique to our own experiences
Aristotle believed that the way to understand something was to study specific of it in nature,
to gain knowledge from observation in data. He made the distinction between
knowledge, a result of experience, and thinking
Rene Descartes believed in dualism, that humans are made up of the physical(body, brain) and the
nonphysical(mind)
John Locke believed people are born a "blank slate" and experience in the world, shapes the
person, filling up the blank slate. He is also known for contributing to the theory of
behaviorism and believed in empiricism, an approach that focuses on examining
data to understand human behavior rather than using intuition or reasoning alone
Wilhelm Wundt the first person to study humans in a laboratory setting, known as the "father of
psychology". He used introspection.
introspection process requiring people to report their conscious experiences(sensations,
perceptions, and first reactions) in relation to a number of different objects
Edward Titchener created structuralism, understanding conscious experience by attempting to break it
down into its most basic components
Structuralism understanding conscious experience by attempting to break it down into its most
basic components, sometimes thought of as first school of psychology
William James believed it made more sense to study the function of consciousness rather than its
structure. Influenced by Charles Darwin. Created stream of consciousness and
functionalism
Theory of evolution the view that organisms change overtime as they adapt and that adaptations serve
the function of promoting survival and are passed onto offspring
Stream of consciousness a person's thoughts and conscious reactions to events, perceived as a continuous
flow
Chapter 1: The Field of
Psychology 2026 | Study
Guide, Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Exam Review | Complete
Ethics Study Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
, Psychology the scientific study of human thought and human and animal behavior.
Plato believed that our perception of the world is informed by life experiences and
proposed the idea that each of us has our own perception of the world that is
unique to our own experiences
Aristotle believed that the way to understand something was to study specific of it in nature,
to gain knowledge from observation in data. He made the distinction between
knowledge, a result of experience, and thinking
Rene Descartes believed in dualism, that humans are made up of the physical(body, brain) and the
nonphysical(mind)
John Locke believed people are born a "blank slate" and experience in the world, shapes the
person, filling up the blank slate. He is also known for contributing to the theory of
behaviorism and believed in empiricism, an approach that focuses on examining
data to understand human behavior rather than using intuition or reasoning alone
Wilhelm Wundt the first person to study humans in a laboratory setting, known as the "father of
psychology". He used introspection.
introspection process requiring people to report their conscious experiences(sensations,
perceptions, and first reactions) in relation to a number of different objects
Edward Titchener created structuralism, understanding conscious experience by attempting to break it
down into its most basic components
Structuralism understanding conscious experience by attempting to break it down into its most
basic components, sometimes thought of as first school of psychology
William James believed it made more sense to study the function of consciousness rather than its
structure. Influenced by Charles Darwin. Created stream of consciousness and
functionalism
Theory of evolution the view that organisms change overtime as they adapt and that adaptations serve
the function of promoting survival and are passed onto offspring
Stream of consciousness a person's thoughts and conscious reactions to events, perceived as a continuous
flow
