Ch 6 (Exam 1) Flashcards
functionalism
- school concerned with adaptive functions of mind
- inspired by evolutionary theory
Charles Darwin
- wrote pioneering book about evolution called On the Origin of Species
- theory of evolution: 1859
Francis Galton
- first to study individual differences in human capacities
eugenics
- selective breeding of humans to improve inherited traits
- science founded by Francis Galton
regression toward mean
- tendency for extreme traits to become less extreme in one’s offspring
mental tests
- assessments of motor skills and sensory capacities
- concept originated by Francis Galton
George Romanes
- wrote first book on comparative psychology called Animal Intelligence
anecdotal method
- study of animal behaviour through casual reports based on observation
- used by George Romanes
introspection by analogy
- study animal behaviour by assuming same mental processes in humans and animals
- used by George Romanes
Lloyd Morgan
- first to conduct large-scale experimental studies in comparative psych
Parsimony Law
- never invoke higher mental process if explanation possible in terms of lower mental process
- proposed by Lloyd Morgan
Which of the following statements is true?
a) Charles Darwin was the first scholar to propose an evolutionary solution to the species problem.
b) Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origins of Species, was published 20 years before Wundt established his laboratory at the University of Leipzig.
c) In evolutionary terms, “fitness” is to be equated with strength.
d) Charles Darwin equated evolution with progress.
e) All the above.
b) Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origins of Species, was published 20 years before
Wundt established his laboratory at the University of Leipzig.
fixity of species
- answer to species problem
- unchangeable entity created at a single time
4 ways Darwin altered the subject matter of psych
- focus on animal psych
- focus on the functions of consciousness
- focus on individual differences
- acceptance of new methodologies and data
Hereditary Genius
- Galton
- intelligence = sensory acuity, humans can only know the world through their senses
- individual greatness occurs within families, inheritance
who developed correlation and regression toward the mean?
- Galton
mental ladder
- array of the various animal species in the order of the degree of their mental functioning
