Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and the mind
Behavior
Actions and responses we can directly observe
Mind
Internal states or processes that cannot be seen but must be inferred.
(eg. Knowing someone loves you because they say “I love you”)
Clinical Psychology
The study and treatment of psychological disorders.
(People who work in clinics or hospitals or do research on the causes of mental disorders)
Cognitive Psychology
The study of mental processes, especially from a model that views the mind as an information processor. Examines topics such as consciousness, decision-making, attention, and problem solving
Biopsychology/Neuroscience
focuses on the biological underpinnings of behavior. Biopsychologists examine how the brain processes, genes, and hormones influence our actions, thoughts, and feelings. Some try to explain how evolution has shaped our psychological capabilities (e.g. our capacity for advanced thinking and language) and behavioural tendencies.
Developmental Psychology
Examines human physical, psychological, and social development across the lifespan. (e.g. explore the emotional world of infants).
Experimental Psychology
Focuses on such basic processes as learning, sensory systems, perception, and motivational states. Most research in this subfield involves laboratory experiments often with non-human animals
Industrial/organizational Psychology
Examines people’s behaviour in the workplace. They study leadership, teamwork, and factors that influence employees job satisfaction. They develop tests to help employers find the best job applicants and design systems that companies use to evaluate employee performance
Personality Psychology
Focuses on the study of human personality. Personality psychologists seek to identify core personality traits and how different traits relate to one another and influence behaviour. They also develop tests to measure personality.
Social Psychology
Examines people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviour pertaining to the social world: the world of other people. They study how people influence one another, behave in groups, and form impressions and attitudes. They study social relationships involving attraction and love, prejudice and discrimination, helping and aggression.
Empirical Evidence
Evidence that is gained through experience and observation, which includes evidence from manipulating or changing things and then observing what happens.
Everyday Pitfalls
1) Mental shortcuts- Judging someone’s personality based on stereotypes
2) Failure to consider alternative explanations
3)Once our beliefs are established we do very little to test them
Critical Thinking
Taking an active role in understanding the world around you rather than merely receiving information When hearing a new claim or assertion ask the following:
1) What exactly is the claim?
2)Who is making the claim? Are they trustworthy?
3)What’s the evidence, and how good is it?
4) Are any other explanations possible? Can I evaluate them?
5) What is the most appropriate conclusion?
Uncritical Thinking
Pseudoscience: Astrology, rumpology, etc
Basic Research
Knowledge for its own sake
Applied Research
Solutions to practical problems
Three Levels of Analysis
Biological: Physical Causes or factors
Psychological: Things that they’ve been taught
Environmental: The surrounding environment
Mind-Body Dualism
Mind-body dualism is the idea that the mind and body are distinct entities: the mind is non-physical (thoughts, consciousness) while the body is physical (brain, body). René Descartes is a key proponent, famously saying, “I think, therefore I am.”
Rene Descartes
Mind=spiritual entity
-Not subject to physical laws
-Cannot be studied
Monism
Monism is the idea that the mind and body are not separate but part of a single substance or reality. It contrasts with dualism and includes two main types: materialism (everything is physical) and idealism (everything is mental)
John Locke
John Locke was a 17th-century philosopher who proposed the idea of tabula rasa (blank slate), suggesting that the mind is shaped entirely by experience. He emphasized the role of learning and the environment in human development, laying the foundation for empiricism in psychology
School of British Empiricism
The School of British Empiricism emphasizes that all knowledge comes from sensory experience. Key figures like John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume argued that the mind starts as a blank slate (tabula rasa) and is shaped through experience and observation. This approach influenced the development of experimental psychology
1879
In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany. This marked the beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline, focusing on the study of consciousness through introspection.
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt, known as the “Father of Modern Psychology,” established the first psychology laboratory in 1879 at the University of Leipzig. He pioneered the study of consciousness using introspection and emphasized psychology as a science separate from philosophy and biology. His work laid the foundation for experimental psychology
Psychodynamic
Focuses on how unconscious motives, early childhood experiences, and inner conflicts influence behavior. It emphasizes the role of the id, ego, and superego and the importance of resolving repressed conflicts to understand personality and mental health.
Behavioral Perspective
The behavioral perspective focuses on how behavior is learned and shaped by the environment through conditioning. It emphasizes observable actions rather than internal mental states.
Biological
The biological perspective emphasizes the role of brain structures, neurotransmitters, hormones, and genetics in shaping behavior, thoughts, and emotions. It focuses on understanding how the brain and nervous system influence psychological processes.
Cognitive Perspective
The cognitive perspective focuses on mental processes such as thinking, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making. It emphasizes how people process information, interpret their environment, and make sense of the world
Humanist Perspective
The humanist perspective focuses on individual potential, personal growth, and self-actualization. It emphasizes free will, creativity, and the inherent goodness of people.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, proposed that human behavior is influenced by unconscious drives and conflicts. He introduced concepts like the id, ego, and superego, and emphasized the role of early childhood experiences. Freud’s work shaped modern psychology, particularly in understanding personality, therapy, and mental disorders.
Goals of Psychology
To describe how people and animals behave
To explain and understand the causes of these behaviours
To predict how people and animals will behave under certain conditions
To influence or control behaviour through knowledge and control of its causes to enhance human welfare
John B Watson
The founder of behaviorism. He believed that psychology should focus on observable behavior rather than internal mental processes.
B.F. Skinner
He studied how behavior is influenced by consequences, such as reinforcement (positive or negative) and punishment.
Jean Piaget
known for his theory of cognitive development in children. He proposed that children go through four stages of development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational
Structuralism
An early school of psychology that aimed to break down mental processes into their most basic components.
Edward Titchener
The founder of structuralism in psychology. He expanded on Wilhelm Wundt’s ideas and aimed to analyze the basic elements of consciousness through introspection. Titchener focused on breaking down mental experiences into components like sensations, images, and feelings to understand the structure of the mind.
Functionalism
Functionalism is a school of psychology that focuses on how mental processes and behavior help individuals adapt to their environment.
William James
He founded functionalism, emphasizing the study of how mental processes function to help individuals adapt to their environment.
Mary Whiton Calkins
An American psychologist and the first woman president of the American Psychological Association (APA). She made significant contributions to the study of memory, self-psychology, and the development of paired-association techniques.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a school of psychology that focuses on the study of observable behavior and dismisses internal mental states as the subject of scientific inquiry. It posits that behavior is learned through interactions with the environment, primarily through conditioning
Albert Bandura
known for his work in social cognitive theory and the concept of observational learning.
Gestalt Psychology
A school of thought that emphasizes the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It focuses on how people perceive and organize sensory information into meaningful patterns and wholes.
Sociocultural Perspective
The sociocultural perspective focuses on how social and cultural factors influence behavior, thoughts, and emotions. It examines the impact of factors such as family, community, social norms, ethnicity, and cultural practices on individuals.
Kenneth Clark and Mamie Clark
Kenneth and Mamie Clark were African American psychologists known for their work on the psychological effects of segregation on children. They conducted the famous Doll Test in the 1940s, where African American children were asked to choose between white and black dolls.
Karl Lashley
known for his research on the biological basis of behavior and memory. He is best known for his studies on brain function and lesioning experiments, in which he sought to identify the location of memory storage in the brain.
Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology is a field of psychology that examines how evolutionary processes, such as natural selection, shape human behavior and mental processes. It suggests that many psychological traits, like emotions, cognition, and social behaviors, are adaptations that helped our ancestors survive and reproduce.
