14/6 2nd Psychology Exam Flashcards
Define Psychology
The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behavior in a given context.
Define science
A means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. The aim to discover general laws.
What is introspection?
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structure of thoughts, images and sensations.
What year did psychology emerge as a science?
1913
Which two psychologists pioneered in early psychology?
Watson and Skinner
What is the behaviorist approach?
A way of explaining behavior in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning by association that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together (an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus). The neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was produced by the unconditioned stimulus alone.
What is operant conditioning?
A form of learning in which behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behavior include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment.
What is reinforcement?
A consequence of behavior that increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. Can be positive or negative.
Name the evaluations of the learning approach; behaviorism?
- it allowed for scientific methods of measurement and repeating.
- real life application onto phobias
- mechanistic view
- it’s environmental determinism
- ethically wrong to test animals, can’t generalist animals
What is the social learning theory?
A way of explaining behavior that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors.
What is imitation?
Copying the behavior of others.
What is identification?
When an observer associated themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model.
What is modelling?
From the observer’s perspective, modelling is imitating the behavior of a role model and from the model’s perspective, modelling is the precise demonstration of a specific behavior.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs though observing someone else being reinforced into a behavior.
What are meditational processes?
Cognitive factors that influence and come between stimulus and response.
Evaluate the social learning theory?
- accepts the importance of cognitive factors.
- over reliance on Bandura’s lab study
- underestimates biological factors.
- explains cultural differences
- less determinist than the behavioral approach
Outline the cognitive approach?
The term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes affect behavior.
What are internal mental processes?
Private operations of the mind such as perception and attention that mediate between stimulus and response.
What is a schema?
A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing that are developed from experience.
What is inference?
The process whereby cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about the way mental processes operate on the basis of observed behavior.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The scientific study of biological structures that underline cognitive processes. E.g. fMRI, PET scans.
Evaluate the cognitive approach?
- scientific and objective methods
- machine reductionism
- application in real life is limited because of inference.
- applied in real life like in artificial intelligence
- less determinist than others (soft determinism)
Outline the biological approach?
A perspective that emphasizes the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function.
What are genes?
They make up chromosomes and consist of DNA which codes the physical feature of an organism and psychological features.
What is a biological structure?
An arrangement or organization of parts to form an organ, system of living thing.
What is neurochemistry?
Relating to chemicals in the brain that regulate psychological functions.
What is a phenotype?
The characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment.
What is a genotype?
A persons actual genetic make-up.
What is evolution?
The changed in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations.
Evaluate the biological approach?
- extremely scientific
- applied in real life to drug therapy and depression
- we don’t know that neurotransmitters are the actual causes
- determinist
- nature versus nurture.
Outline the psychodynamic approach?
A perspective that described the different forces, most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behavior and experience.
What is the unconscious?
The part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behavior.
What is the ID?
Entirely unconscious, the ID is made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification.
What is the ego?
The ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the ID and the superego.
What is the superego?
The moralistic part of our personality which represents the ideal self.
What are defense mechanisms?
Unconscious strategies that the ego uses to balance the conflict between the ID and superego. For example regression and displacement.
What are psychosexual stages?
Five developmental stages that all children pass through. As each stage there is a different conflict, the outcome of which determines future development. Oral-smoking, biting nails. Anal-obsessive or messy. Phalic-reckless, gay. Latency-conflicts repressed Genital-can't from hetero relationships.
Evaluate the psychodynamic approach?
- huge influence on psychology
- controversial
- sexist
- his case study of little Hans
- untestable concepts: unconscious
- psychoanalysis still used
- determinism
Outline the humanistic approach?
An approach to understanding behavior that emphasizes the importance of subjective experience and each persons capacity for self determinism.
What is free will?
The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces.
What is self-actualization?
The desire to grow psychologically and fulfill one’s full potential.
What are the hierarchy of needs?
A five leveled hierarchical sequence in which basic needs must be satisfied before higher psychological needs can be achieved
What is the self?
The ideas and values that characterize ‘I’ and ‘Me’ and included perception and valuing of ‘what am I’ and ‘what can I do?’
What is congruence?
The aim of rogerian therapy: when the self-concept and ideal self are seen to broadly accord or match.
What are conditions of worth?
When a parent places limits of boundaries on their love of their children.
Evaluate the humanistic approach?
- not reductionist
- limited application on the whole
- it’s a positive approach
- untestable concepts
- extreme culture bias