CH.1 Flashcards
Psychology
Psychology - scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Behavior
outward or overt actions and reactions.
Mental processes
internal, covert activity of our minds.
Psychology’s Four Goals
Description
Explanation
Prediction
Control
Theory
general explanation of a set of observations or facts
Structuralism
focused on structure or basic elements of the mind.
Wilhelm Wundt’s psychology laboratory
Germany in 1879
Developed the technique of objective introspection – process of objectively examining and measuring one’s thoughts and mental activities.
Edward Titchener
Wundt’s student; brought structuralism to America.
Margaret Washburn
Titchener’s student; first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.
Structuralism died out in…
early 1900s.
Functionalism
how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work, and play.
Proposed by William James.
Influenced the modern fields of:
Educational psychology
Evolutionary psychology
Industrial/organizational psychology
Gestalt
“good figure” psychology.
- Started with Wertheimer, who studied sensation and perception.
- Gestalt ideas are now part of the study of cognitive psychology, a field focusing not only on perception but also on learning, memory, thought processes, and problem solving.
Psychoanalysis
- the theory and therapy based on the work of Sigmund Freud.
- Freud’s patients suffered from nervous disorders with no found physical cause:
- Freud proposed that there is an unconscious (unaware) mind into which we push, or repress, all of our threatening urges and desires.
- He believed that these repressed urges, in trying to surface, created nervous disorders.
- Freud stressed the importance of early childhood experiences.
Behaviorism
-the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only.
-Must be directly seen and measured.
-John B. Watson.
-Based much from work of Ivan Pavlov who demonstrated that a reflex could be conditioned (learned).
-Watson believed that phobias were learned.
Case of “Little Albert” – taught to fear a white rat
Modern Perspectives
Psychodynamic perspective Behavioral perspective Humanistic perspective Cognitive perspective Sociocultural perspective Biopsychological perspective Evolutionary perspective
Psychodynamic perspective
modern version of pychoanalysis.
-More focused on the development of a sense of self and the discovery of other motivations behind a person’s behavior than sexual motivations.
Behavioral perspective
B. F. Skinner studied operant conditioning of voluntary behavior.
- Behaviorism became a major force in the twentieth century.
- Skinner introduced the concept of reinforcement to behaviorism.
Humanistic perspective
-Owes far more to the early roots of psychology in the field of philosophy.
-Humanists held the view that people have free will, the freedom to choose their own destiny.
-Early founders:
Abraham Maslow
Carl Rogers
Emphasized the human potential, the ability of each person to become the best person he or she could be.
Self-actualization
achieving one’s full potential or actual self.
Cognitive perspective
focuses on memory, intelligence, perception, problem solving, and learning
Sociocultural perspective
focuses on the relationship between social behavior and culture.
Biopsychological perspective
-attributes human and animal behavior to biological events occurring in the body, such as genetic influences, hormones, and the activity of the nervous system.
Evolutionary perspective
focuses on the biological bases of universal mental characteristics that all humans share.
Looks at the way the mind works and why it works as it does.
Behavior is seen as having an adaptive or survival value.
Types of Psychological Professionals
Psychiatrist
Psychoanalyst
Psychiatric social worker
Psychologist
