Biology and Psychology in the 19th Century Flashcards
who was Erasmus Darwin?
- Grandfather of Charles Darwin
- formed a botanical society
what is Anaximander’s theory of evolution?
- thought all life began from one common ancestor
- all life begins in ocean
who was Lamarck?
- advocate for the idea that animals develop via 2 forces:
1. complexifying force: strive for better organisation
2. adapting force: change according to circumstance - Animal characteristics are inherited based upon usefulness.
E.g. Giraffes long necks to reach leaves at tops of trees
Who is Charles Darwin?
- founder of theory of evolution
- studied the galapagos islands, noticed difference in birds across the island (e.g. feathers, beaks, behaviours)
what are the 4 principles of Darwinian evolution?
- Organisms differ, due to inheritance and random changes
- The environment & resources change, too (earthquakes, competition).
3.More organisms are born than there are resources to survive (cf Malthus).
4.Those which are more adapted to the conditions will reproduce.
all animals have a common ancestor accept which animal?
octopuses
what are Tinbergen’s four questions?
- Function (adaptation): How does this increase the animals ‘fitness’?
- Evolution (phylogeny): How does this behaviour come about?
- Causation (mechanism): what provokes this behaviour?
- Development (ontogeny): How does this behaviour change over the creatures lifespan?
who was Lonrenz famous for?
- founder of biological preparedness
- imprinting with geese
what were Von Frisch’s Bees?
- measured bee’s smell, taste, and vision
- found that bees communicate to other bees using the waggle dance
- studied pheromones, social interaction, and sexual attraction
what is Darwinian Psychology?what is ‘Origin of the Species’?
book written by Charles Darwin containing the theory of evolution
what was Darwins view on language?
if the language was attractive/useful, it would be passed on. Endangered languages such as Cornish
what is inter-sexual selection?
competition between sexes
what is intra-sexual selection?
competition within sexes
what are the features of facial expressions? (Ekman,1973, 2006)
- universal and innate
- not cultural
- learned
what was Galton famous for?
- Coined the phrase ‘nature vs nurture’
- Darwin’s cousin
- Eugenicist
- polymath: Photography, meterology, Forensics, Statistics
what was James famous for?
- He focused on the function on consciousness, not the contents
- focused on the idea of free will
what theories did Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection inspire?
- Galton on the inheritance of intelligence
- James on the physiology of the emotions.
- Ekman & Mead on the expression of emotions
what did Galton conclude about the mismeasure of man?
- the bodily and mental characteristics were largely inherited
how did the IQ test develop?
- development of IQ tests, bought in from Binet (France) as a result of industrial revolution when we machanise cities
- Binet test = 2 hour test of frenchman asking questions about inteligence
what are Freud’s Psychodynamic theory basic concepts?
- defence mechanisms
- psychosexual development
- Freudian personality theory
- Scientific and conceptual criticisms of psychodynamic theory
what are the hysteria symptoms according to Freud?
- anxiety
- breathlessness
- irritability
- sexual promiscuity(lots of sexual partners)
- muscle spasms
what are the 3 levels of consciousness according to Freud?
- consciousness
- preconscious
- unconscious
what are the 2 basic drives in psychodynamic theory?
- Eros (life drives)- procreation, social cooperation, survival
- Thanos (death drives) - aggression, risky behaviour, reliving trauma
what are the components of personality according to Freud?
- Superego (morality principle): societal pressures
- Ego (negotiator): driven by the reality principle
- Id (selfish, animalistic): driven by the pleasure principal
The struggle between these forces = psychodynamics
what are Freud’s stages of psychosexual development?
- Oral (weaning): fixation = neuroses, compulsive behaviours, smoking, chewing gum, eating/drinking disorders
- Anal (toilet training): Fixation = retentive (fastidious, stingy, clean) & expulsive behaviours (Over sharing, messy, disorganised, inconsiderate)
- Phallic (parents, 3-6 years): Fixation= extremes of dominant and submissive behaviour fixations can be averted by using defence mechanisms
- Latency (until puberty).
- Genital (puberty until adulthood).
*If the stage-dependent needs aren’t met, child could become fixated.
What are Freud’s defence mechanisms?
- Reaction formation.
- Rationalization.
- Displacement.
- Identification.
- Repression.
- Regression.
- Projection.
- Denial.
what is the oedipus complex?
- Boys develop sexual feelings for the mother.
- Jealousy & resentment towards the father.
- Fearing the father, boys develop castration anxiety.
what is the electra complex?
- Girls develop sexual feelings for the father, jealousy & resentment towards the mother.
- due to not having the ‘correct’ anatomy, girls develop penis envy.
what is psychoanalysis?
- The aim is to release the force of unconscious conflicts by making them conscious (abreaction).
- Analyse slips of the tongue, free association, & the contents of dreams.
- Patients on a couch enter a semi-hypnotic state, & reveal their traumas.
what did Karl Popper say about science?
- Scientific theories must be falsifiable.
- Freud full of unsubstantiated assertions, ‘case studies’, and unpublished ‘evidence’.
