Chapter 1 Flashcards
Wilhelm Wundt (5)
-Father of experimental psychology
-Established first psych lab
-Studied psych by empirically driven experiments
-He thought that consciousness was tied to your will
-(known as voluntarism)
Edward Titchener (1867-1927)
-Developed structuralism as an attempt to try to identify all the elements of consciousness.
-Introspection- careful, reflective and systematic observation of the details of mental processes
-The goal was to describe observable mental processes
-The principle was rejected by other psychologists, but some elements survived
-Scientific study should focus on simple elements as building blocks of complex experiences.
William James
-Set up first psychology lab in the united states
-Wrote the first psychology text book
-Functionalism- The flow of consciousness
James believed that mental processes were fluid “stream of consciousness” instead of fixed elements (structuralists viewpoint)
-Emphasized the functions of the mind in adapting to a changing environment
Gestalt psychologists
-Consciousness cannot be broken down into elements
-Said that we perceive things as whole perceptual units
-The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
-learning is tied to what we perceive
Sigmund freud (1856-1939)
-The belief that people’s behaviours are based on their unconscious desires and conflicts
- psychoanalysis aimed to resolve unconscious conflicts
-One of the first people to talk about childhood
-He found out that trauma causes stress
behaviourism
psychological research should only focus on behaviour you can observe
Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)
Proposed research findings form the study of animals could help explain human behaviour
Ivan pavlov (1849-1936)
-Discovered dogs could learn to associate a bell with an automatic behaviour (salivating for food)
-Called classical conditioning
John B.Watson (1878-1958)
Conducted the “little albert” experiment, demonstrating that children (people could be classically conditioned
B.F Skinner (1904-1990)
-Developed operant conditioning to shape behaviour
-Used reinforcement to change the frequency of the expression of a behaviour
-Positive reinforcement increases and
Negative reinforcement decreases the likelihood of a behaviour occurring
Albert Bandura (1925)
-Described learning by social observation in children
-We now know that this type of learning can be observed in several species of primates.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
-Developed “client-centred therapy”
-The client is an equal, and a client’s thoughts and feelings should be mirrored
-The atmosphere should have unconditional support and positive regard
Positive psychology
New psychological movement that studies human strengths, fulfilment, and creativity.
Ulric Neisser (1928-2012)
-“cognitive psychology” : the study of information processing
-The role of mental processes in how people process information, develop language, solve problems and think
-Cognitive psychologists compared the human mind to a computer
Donald Hebb (1904-1985)
-Canadian scientist that developed the concept of a cell assembly
-Neurons develop networks of connections based on experiences as we develop and interact with our environments
Psychology
using the scientific method to study human behaviour and mental processes
Pseudo - psychology (pseudoscience)
-no use of the scientific method when commenting on human behaviour and mental processes (spiritual people putting rods over water and telling you your future)
-examples : some types of hypothesis ; crystal therapy
Deductive reasoning -
looking at the result and working backwards then making a prediction
Inductive reasoning -
observation experiment, predictions, theory
Hypothetic Deductive reasoning
(what we usually use in psychology) - hypothesis, observation/ experiment, hypothesis supported or not supported: theory built
How do psychologists conduct research : steps in a scientific investigation
Step 1 - identify questions of interest and review the literature
Step 2- develop a testable hypothesis (must be operationally defined)
Step 3- select a method, choose participations and collect the data
Step 4 - analyse the data and accept or reject the hypothesis
Step 5 - seek scientific review, publish and replicate
Step 6 - build a theory
Descriptive research:
-case studies, naturalistic observations, surveys
Purpose- observe, collect and record data (meets the descriptive goal of psychology)
advantage - good for developing early ideas, easier to collect data
Disadvantage- little or no control over variables
Experimental research:
Manipulation and control of variables
Purpose: identify cause and effect ( meets the explanation goal of psychology)
Advantage: allows researchers precise control over variables and to identify cause and effect
Disadvantage: ethical concerns, practical limits
Statistics
- describe and measure relationships between variables
