Basics of Psychology Flashcards
What are the two main branches of Psychology?
- Clinical Psy. - the assessment and treatment to help with behaviour problems
- Experimental Psy. - the scientific research of behaviour and the nervous system
Why is Psychology a science?
- Scientists form hypotheses based on theory and evidence
- Large amounts of proof and evidence is needed before scientists confirm their hypotheses
Note: Psychology has not always been a science i.e) evidence based
List the 6 concepts/approaches in early psychology.
Dualism
Phrenology
Structuralism
Empiricism
Nativism
Behaviourism
Acronym: Do Phoenix’s Sell Empty Nest Beds
List the early psychological concepts in order and their respecting philosopher.
- Dualism (Rene Descartes - 1600s) the philosophical position that the mind and body are separate entities
- Empiricism (John Locke - 1600s) the view that knowledge arises from experience
- Phrenology (Franz Josef Gall - early 1800s) the shape of the human skull was associated with the brain in specific areas like characteristics, thoughts, and abilities
- Structuralism (Wundt, Tichener - late 1800s to early 1900s) the breakdown of conscious experience into its constituent parts
5.Nativism (Noam Chomsky - 1900s) certain skills or abilities are hard wired into the brain at birth - Behaviorism (Watson, Skinner - mid 1900s) observable behaviour is learned through conditioning which can include rewards or punishments
Explain Dualism
Who: Rene Descartes
When: 1600s
Theory: the philosophical position that the mind and body are separate entities i.e) humans consist of a material body (interacts w/ world) and an immaterial soul
Details: - came up with concept of a Reflex which he stated as the body acting without conscious thinking
- thought cannot be explained by the physical body, but the mind can exert its influence over the body through the pineal gland
Note: by saying the mind is inherently immaterial and forces its will on the body, he removed it from scientific inquiry
Give an example of Dualism
Descarte’s illustration of a reflex.
When fire touches the skin, it displaces the skin.
The skin pulls a tiny thread which opens a pore in the ventricle in the head allowing the “animal spirit” to flow through a hollow tube.
The “spirit” inflates the muscle of the leg, causing the foot to withdraw.
Explain Phrenology
Who: Franz Josef Gall
When: 1800s
Theory: the study of the shape of the human skull in an attempt to associate brain areas with specific characteristics, thoughts, and abilities.
Details: - believe that a person’s mental capacities or characteristics based on bumps on their head
- the brain was divided into different attributes of a person like mirth, combat, affection, etc
i.e) if one of those sections was bigger, it might mean they were better at something, or more likely to be that way
Give an example of Phrenology
It was thought that women in the 1800s would be good wives and mothers if they had a large head compared to those with small heads.
Explain Structuralism
Who: Wundt, Tichener
When: 1800s, 1900s)
Theory: breaking down immediate conscious experience (like sensations and feelings) into their constituent parts (thoughts, feelings, and mental images)
Details: - evidence was based on self reports of conscious experiences (known as Introspection)
- Introspection was not accurate (diff people=diff experiences, false answers, subjective)
- because of the inaccuracy of simple introspection, Wundt and Tichener came up with Systematic Introspection (an attempt at standardizing the way conscious experiences were reported, so that multiple people could be compared effectively
Explain Empiricism
Who: John Locke
When: 1600s
Theory: knowledge arises directly from what we observe and experience
Details: - mind starts off as a blank slate, everyone born equal
- supported the argument that science should focus on observation and experimentation with experience
- relates to the argument of nature vs. nurture
Explain Nativism
Who: Noam Chomsky
When: 1900s
Theory: some forms of knowledge are inborn, or innate
Details: - opposite of Empiricism
- relates to argument of nature vs. nurture
- related to Biological Determinism (all human behaviour is controlled by genetic and biological influences)
- relates to a priori knowledge (knowledge that does not depend on experiential evidence
-a posteriori (knowledge based on experience) can affect your a priori
i.e) experiences can influence how you perceive things
Give an example of posteriori effects on a priori ability.
Hint: relates to Nativism
The Muller-Lyer illusion.
3 parallel lines with arrows pointing in opposite diections seem to indicate that the middle line is longer than the two arrow lines that sandwich it.
This is because we live in a “Carpenters world”, in which there are lots of lines and right angles. Our mind has learned to organize our environment in that way, so because of these experiences, our ability to know that the lines are actually the same length have been influenced.
In other areas of the world where people live in round homes, they were able to know right away that the lines were of the same length. i.e) their a posterior did not affect their priori ability
Explain Behaviourism
Who: Watson, Skinner
When” mid 1900s)
Theory: Observable behaviour that can be influenced by a reward or punishment system
Details: - allowed Psychology to become a more methodologically rigorous science as it was not based on introspection as much anymore
-idea of operant conditioning (behaviour based on rewards and punishments
- focus on mental processes lost during this time
Cognitive Revolution
- Behaviourism abandoned because it too strictly excluded mental processes
- Brought Psychology to a point where it was encouraged to study mental processes in a scientifically controlled manner (so through observations and hard evidence)
- Explains why Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes
What are Psychology’s 3 main levels of analysis?
- Biology - physiological structure of body/mind, evolution, hormones, etc
- Socio-cultural influences - people, expectations of culture, family, government, media, etc
- Psychology - learning, emotions, perceptions of reality
List some fields of Psychology
Evolutionary - natural selection, evolution, animal behaviour
Neuroscience - brain, nervous system, learning, emotions
Behavioural - learning responses to stimuli
Cognitive - encoding, processing, retrieving information
Sociocultural - influences of social and cultural settings
Developmental - age related changes in behaviour, understanding, emotions
Clinical - Treating people with a variety of problems
