Chapter 1 Flashcards
Mental Process
Known as cognitive activities,
Activities within your brain (dreams/thoughts)
Behavior
An action that other people can observe or measure (smiling)
Social Science
Deal with the structure of human society and the nature of the people who comprise society (history/politics)
Natural Science
Deal with the nature of the physical world and utilize scientific research to answer questions (biology/chemistry)
Purpose of Psychology
Scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Goals and characteristics of psychology
G- to describe, explain, predict, and influence human and animal behavior
C- systematic method of asking and answering questions about why people think, act, and feel as they do
Goals and characteristics of sociology
G- to examine interactions of humans society and their parts as well as social disorders
C- derive knowledge from experiment and observation, using mathematical tools borrowed from statistics
Goals and characteristics of anthropology
G- To explain human culture
C- relies on collection analysis and explanation of dated from research in the field
5 Goals of Psychology
- Observe behavior -> hypothesis
- Describe behavior and mental processes
- Explain why the behavior and mental processes occur-> theory
- Predict future behavior
- Control/change behavior and mental processes
1-3=research psyc
4-5= applied psyc
How is psychology both a social and natural science?
Social- structure of human society
Natural- nature of physical world
Socrates
No real philosophy until the mind begins to question itself. Developed a questioning style
Hippocrates
“Father of medicine”
Developed new method of inquiry involving careful observation and facts
“Do no harm”
Plato
Believed knowledge was in you, you just have to ask the right questions
Aristotle
All knowledge comes from the senses and experience.
The 2 laws of learning:
Contiguity (if 2 things are touching in space and time, one will bring the other to the mind
Similarity/contrast (if 2 things are similar one will bring the other to the mind etc)
Descartes
Suggested that there is a line between mind and body, practiced systematic mediation
Founder of structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt
Main ideas and problems of structuralism
Consciousness-> introspection
Break things down into most basic elements
Experience> important with a concept (no experience=can’t break down)
The mind was passive (break complex into simple thoughts)
Each thought was the sum of other thoughts
problems:
Which was the right concept
No reliability
Founder of Functionalism
William James
Main ideas of functionalism
Proposed mental life is a unity that flows and changes
Concerned with how the mind works
Oppose structuralism
Stream of consciousness (functionalism)
Personal consciousness
Personal consciousness is changing (transitive)
Continuity of thought
Selectivity
Founders of Gestalt
Wolfgang Kohler
Kurt Koffka
Max Wertheimer
Main ideas of Gestalt
The whole is greater than the parts
Gestalt- shape or form (German)
Disagreed w/ structuralist (+later behaviorists) about how complex thoughts could be broken down
Element of meaning is left out when only looking at parts
Learning is active and purposeful
Clinical
Asses and treat people
Counseling
Advise on problems to improve people
School
Work with children
Educational
Similar to school except focus on course planning and methods
Developmental
Study things that take place throughout life (physical changes)
Personality
Characteristics traits and development
Social
Examine people’s interactions with either and the environment
Experimental/research
Study behavior of humans and animals
Industry/ orgabizational
Apply psychological principals to improve quality of work life
Environmental
Analyze how people influence and are influenced by physical environment
Forensic
Legal/crime justice system to help judges/ attorneys
