CH 1 Flashcards
Psychology
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF (HUMAN) BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL
PROCESSES
* PSYCHOLOGY HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THE REAL WORLD—AND OURSELVES; EXPLAINS OUR MENTAL ACTIVITY AND BEHAVIOR
Behavior
AN OBSERVABLE AND MEASURABLE ACTION. WHAT
INDIVIDUALS DO THEIR ACTIONS AND RESPONSES.
Mental Processes
HOW WE SEE THE WORLD; COGNITIONS
(PERCEIVING, THINKING, UNDERSTANDING AND MEMORY) AND
AFFECTS (FEELINGS OR MOODS THAT FOLLOW AN EMOTIONAL
REACTION)
Uncritical Acceptance
Failing to evaluate claims using sufficient logic
* Tendency to accept beliefs as true for illogical reasons
Confirmation Bias
Noticing that which confirms our expectations
* Often occurs unconsciously
* Deliberate selection of evidence to support beliefs
* MAY ALSO INVOLVE ACTIVE AVOIDANCE/DISREGARD OF THAT WHICH CONTRADICTS OUR
EXPECTATIONS
Superstition
Belief lacking in objective evidence
Pseudoscience
False Science
Pseudo - Psychology
APPROACH TO EXPLAINING AND PREDICTING BEHAVIOR AND
EVENTS THAT APPEARS TO BE PSYCHOLOGY BUT IS NOT SUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL,
OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE
* Astrology
* Phrenology
* Graphology
Psychologists
Highly trained in methods, knowledge, and theories of psychological research
* Usually, master’s degree or doctorate
* Requires several years postgraduate training
* Teach and do research
* Consulting or therapy
* Research in nonacademic settings
Clinical Psychologist
Treats psychological problems; research on
therapies and mental disorders
Counseling Psychologist
Treats milder problems such as trouble at work
or school
Psychiatrist
Medical doctor, treats serious mental disorders,
often with drugs
Psychoanalyst
Psychiatrist or psychologist who uses a very
specific approach to psychotherapy
Counselor
Advises, offers practical helping skills to solve
problems with marriage, career, school, and so
on
Basic Research
- SEEKING
KNOWLEDGE FOR
THE SAKE OF
KNOWLEDGE - FOR EXAMPLE, HOW
MEMORY WORKS
Applied Research
- SOLVING IMMEDIATE
PRACTICAL
PROBLEMS - FOR EXAMPLE, HOW
TO IMPROVE
ATHLETIC
PERFORMANCE
Animal Model
- A SMALL
PERCENTAGE OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL
STUDIES - PRINCIPLES APPLY TO
HUMANS - FOR EXAMPLE,
STRESS, LEARNING,
OBESITY, SLEEP
THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)
ONE OF THE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FIELD, IT HAS OVER 50
DIVISIONS REPRESENTING VARIOUS SUB-DISCIPLINES AND AREAS OF INTEREST (APA,
2012A)
THE ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (APS)
ANOTHER MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION IN THE FIELD, IT OFFERS A LIST ON
ITS WEBSITE OF OVER 100 DIFFERENT SOCIETIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND AGENCIES
THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE SOME AFFILIATION WITH THE FIELD OF
PSYCHOLOGY. (APS, 2012)
William Wundt
Considered father of psychology
* Relied on scientific observation
* SOUGHT TO TRAIN INTROSPECTIONISTS TO BE
SYSTEMATIC AND SCIENTIFIC AS THEY LOOKED INWARD
TO REPORT REACTIONS TO VARIOUS STIMULI
* STUDIED VISION, HEARING, TASTE, TOUCH, MEMORY, TIME
PERCEPTION, AND OTHER TOPICS
Stimulus
Physical energy that affects a person and evokes a response
Introspection
Personal observation of mental events; thoughts, feelings, and
sensations
Edward Titchener
Brought introspection ideas to the United States, naming them
structuralism.
Structuralism
Study of sensation and personal experience as a basic element
Imageless Thought
Lack of a conscious
image to form though
Serial Positioning
Confirms much
thinking takes place in the cognitive
unconscious
Max Wertheimer
Max Wertheimer was first to advance the Gestalt viewpoint
According to Gestalt psychologist, perceptions have a powerful
tendency to form meaningful patterns
Gestalt psychology
Gestalt psychology studied experiences of thinking,
learning, personality, and perception as whole units, not
by parts (structuralist)
William James
Functionalism: Considers behavior in terms of active
adaptations
* Consciousness is ever-changing stream of images and
sensations
* Includes Darwin’s principle of natural selection
* Brought the study of animals into psychology and
promoted educational work
John Watson
Behaviorism: Emphasizes study of observable
actions over the study of the mind
* Observed relationships between stimuli and animal’s
response
* Adopted Ivan Pavlov’s concept of conditioning to
explain most behavior
* Believed conditioning could change people’s actions
B.F. Skinner
Believed actions are controlled by rewards and
punishments
* Rejected both introspection and the concept of mind as
inappropriate subject matter for scientific psychology
* Felt behavior best explained without mental events such
as thinking
Sigmund Freud
Mental life is like an iceberg, with only a small
part exposed
* Dynamic unconscious: Area of the mind outside
of personal awareness
* Behavior deeply influenced by unconscious
thoughts, impulses, and desires, especially sex
and aggression
