ch 1 understanding psychs history Flashcards
what are the 3 prominent themes in psych
- the mind body problem
- nature vs nurture
- theorist/practioner debate
knowledge
info that has a purpose or use
psychological knowledge
info related to mental phenomena subjective experiences or activities of the mind
the mind body problem
debate concerning the extent to which the mind and the body are separate or the same thing
nature vs nurture
debate centers on the contributions of genetics and environmental factors to human development
theorist/practitioner problem
Is the purpose of psychology to understand phenomena or to improve humanity?
what are the 4 types of knowledge in psych
scientific, popular, ideological, and legal
scientific knowledge
The knowledge accumulated through research, systematic empirical observation, evaluation of facts, and rigorous verification by multiple sources, scientific knowledge may change
scientific knowledge can be inaccurate for what 3 reasons?
incorrect assumptions, imprecise descriptions, and poor applications
The science of incorrect assumption
mesmerism and animal magnetism: Mesmer believed invisible forces affected the body. believed human illnesses might be caused by the disruption or blocking of the normal flow of an invisible body fluid
Based on Newton’s theory of gravity but applied inaccurately
Imprecise Descriptions in Psych
Neurasthenia: anxiety and depression; widely used label to fit many psychological symptom
Neurasthenia
weakness of the nervous system. this term was widely used to fit many psych symptoms
The Science of Poor Applications example
Using his findings with dogs, Pavlov developed a theory of the higher nervous activity associated primarily with the cerebral cortex of the brain and behavior. But Cannot compare dogs to people because people are more complex
popular knowledge
a form of everyday psych created by the people and for the people
popular psych
psych designed for mass consumption