Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychology
scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of humans and animals
Cognition
how the mind processes and retains information; “think”
Behavior
refers to almost any activity that can be observed or measured
Introspection
an objective approach to describing one’s mental content; looking within yourself (inward) to observe one’s own psychological processes
John Locke
wrote an essay (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding)
i. Argued that the mind at birth is a tabula rasa (blank slate) on which experiences are written
Birth of psychology
1879
The first psychological laboratory was established by Wilhelm Wundt
Measured time lag
then divided into schools of psych
Structuralism
Founded by Wilhelm Wundt
makeup of conscious:
i. Sensations - sight, taste, smell, etc. (objective = real)
ii. Feelings - emotional responses (subjective = personal; of the mind)
iii. mental images- memories and dreams
Problems: results are personal
Functionalism
•William James
i. Proposed that more adaptive behavior patterns are learned and maintained while less adaptive patterns tend to discontinue
ii. first psych textbook Principals of psych
•turned into evolutionary psychology
Behaviorism
•John B. Watson
•Defines ‘Psychology’ as the objective study of observable behavior and the study of relationships between stimuli and responses, without reference to mental processes
•behaviorism began to overpower introspection,
•stimuli/response/reinforcement
Stimuli
A feature in the environment that is detected and leads to a change in behavior; triggers a response
Response
a movement or observable reaction to a stimulus
Reinforcement
a stimulus that follows a response and increases the frequency of the response
Gestalt Psychology
•Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler
•Emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into wholes (greater than the sum of its parts)
•Insight
Insight
the sudden reorganization of perceptions allowing the sudden solution of a problem
Psychoanalytic Psychology
•Sigmund Freud
•Emphasized the importance of unconscious motives and conflicts as determinants of human behavior
•contemporary: psychodynamic thinking - the notion that underlying forces of personality determine our thoughts, feelings, and behavior
Humanistic Psychology
•Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow
•Says people are motivated by the conscious desire for personal growth
Eclecticism
The process of making your own system by borrowing from two or more perspectives
The Biopsychosocial Perspective
Combines three major facets of an individual
i. Biology
ii. Psychology
iii. Socio-cultural Interactions
Mind and body <———> interactions
influence
The Behavioral Perspective
Focusses on studying observable behavior and the principals of learning
i. Ex: Figuring out what triggers angry responses
The Biological Perspective
•Emphasizes behavior as a product of biological responses… made possible by the nervous system, the brain, hormones, disease, and genes
•Studies the influence of genes on personality traits, psychological health, and various behavior patterns
The Cognitive Perspective
•Focuses on the role of thinking in determining behavior
The Evolutionary Perspective
•Focuses on the evolution of social behavior and mental processes
The Humanistic Perspective
•Views behavior as reflection of self-awareness, including personal goals and internal growth
•Humanists consider personal experiences to be the most important aspect of psychology
The Psychodynamic Perspective
•Views the individual as a product of both conscious and unconscious forces
•Psychodynamic psychologists try to understand what kinds of perception, thinking, and memory go on below our level of awareness
The Sociocultural Perspective
•View behavior as influenced by rules and expectations of social groups or cultures
•Because of this, cultural values vary from society to society
Psychologist vs psychiatrist
•They both focus on mental/behavioral health, but differ on training and treatment approaches
i. Psychologists can develop treatment plans, but CAN NOT prescribe drugs
ii. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe drugs
Hindsight Bias
Viewing an event as more predictable than it really is; “I knew it all along”
Self-fulfilling prophecy
prediction that results in behavior that makes the prediction come true
Scientific Method Step 1
- Identify a research question
i. Research questions are best directed at observable behavior, because it can be measured directly
Scientific Method Step 2
- State the hypothesis of the research scenario
i. A prediction about behavior that is tested through research
Scientific Method Step 3
- Testing the hypothesis
i. Use carefully controlled methods of observation
ii. Must be testable; must also be falsifiable (falsifiability)
Scientific Method Step 4
- Analyze results
i. Look for patterns or relationships in the data
Scientific Method Step 5
- Replication
i. For findings to be confirmed, the study must be repeated and the same results must be produced
Meta-Analysis
A procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies
(Non-Experimental Methodology)