chapter 1 Flashcards
What is psychology?
the study of behaviour and factors that influence it
What is behaviour?
includes directly observable activity and non-observable mental processes
What are the four goals of psychology?
1) describe behaviour and mental processes
2) explain/understand causes of these behaviours
3) predict how people will behave under certain conditions
4) influence/control behaviours through knowledge
Describe basic research
it is research done purely for the quest for knowledge
GOALS: describe how people behave and identify factors that influence or cause behaviour
Describe applied research
research designed to solve specific practical problems
often takes knowledge gathered from basic knowledge and attempts to apply them
What are the 6 perspectives on behaviour?
BIOLOGICAL: eg brain processes and genes
COGNITIVE: thought processes
PSYCHODYNAMIC: unconscious processes
HUMANISTIC: striving to achieve
BEHAVIOURAL: learned behaviour and affected by environment
SOCIOCULTURAL: beliefs and values of culture and social level
Explain mind-body dualism
Early biological perspective.
Viewed the mind as a spiritual entity not subject to physical laws ad therefore could not be studied
Explain monism
Came after mind-body dualism.
Mental events are a product of physical events and therefore can be studied
Who were the 2 early supporters of monism and what did they do?
LUIGI GALVANI: severed leg of frog moved when an electrical current was passed through it
KARL LASHLEY: studied learning and memory before and after specific, quantified, induced brain damage in rats.
Inspired studies of mapping brain areas
Explain structuralism and functionalism.
early schools of thought for the cognitive perspective that emerged with experimental psychology
STRUCTURALISM: analyzed the mind in terms of basic elements
FUNCTIONALISM: what structuralism developed into. The study of the functions of consciousness rather than the structure. Asks why’s not what’s.
influenced by darwin
What does modern evolutionary psychology emphasize?
the adaptability of behaviour.
Explain sociobiology in terms of modern evolutionary psychology.
complex social behaviours that increase one’s ability to pass on ones genes to the next generation are favoured
EX. aggression, competitions, dominance in males
cooperative, nurturing behaviour in females
What is behavioural genetics?
the study of how behaviour is influenced by genetic factors
What is the focus of the cognitive perspective?
how do mental processes influence motives, emotions, and behaviours
Who were the founders of structuralism? What did they manage to accomplish?
Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener
established psychology as its own branch of science
Who was the founder of functionalism? What did he accomplish?
William James
Wrote first psychology text book
What perspective did the gestalt psychology school of thought fall under?
the cognitive perspective
What is the gestalt psychology school of thought?
it examined how the mind organizes elements of experience into a unified or whole perception (gestalt means whole).
“whole is greater than the sum”
mind is studied in terms of large meaningful units instead of small units of structuralism
who was the leader of the gestalt school? What did he achieve/believe.
Kohler
defined intelligence as the ability to perceive relationships
defined insight as a sudden perception useful to a relationship or solution
His work led to a focus on perception, problem solving, and intelligence
What perspective did Piaget work under?
cognitive
What did Piaget’s theory entail?
theories differentiated children from adults and determined that specific stages of cognitive development unfold as children mature.
He was one of the 100 most influential scientists of the 20th century
How did the cognitive approach influence opinions on psychological disorders?
How we think affects dysfunctional behaviours such as depression, irrational thoughts, mental distortions.
ELLIS AND BECK
What are two fields of psychology that modern cognitive science has taken on?
artificial intelligence (memory and reasoning)
cognitive neuroscience (electrical recording and brain imaging that brings cognitive and biological perspectives together
Explain social constructivism.
Reality is our own mental creation
our world is our subjective interpretation of a shared world view among a social group
What perspective does the work of Freud fall under?
psychodynamic
What do Freud’s theories believe?
motives in the part of the mind we are unaware of are defined as unconscious thoughts
these can stem from unresolved past conflicts and develop defence mechanisms to cope
struggle between impulses and defence
What influence did Freud’s work lead to?
had influence on:
biological perspective: brain mechanisms which produce emotional reactions we are unaware of
cognitive perspective: aspects of information processing outside of our awareness (self-concept, social stereotypes influence behaviour)
Also led to the development of PSYCHOANALYSIS: analysis of subconscious psychological forces
Who led the way for the behavioural perspective and what theories did they develop?
WATSON AND SKINNER
- observable behaviour was important, not mental events. Therefore should only study behaviour
- behaviour is controlled by environment
- if you can control the environment you can control the behaviour
It was the beginning of behavioural modification therapy
Explain cognitive behaviourism.
believes human beings are thinking creatures that do not simply react to the environment.
new behaviours are gained by observing others, but it is 2 way; environment influences us, we influence the environment
it linked cognitive and behavioural perspectives
What does the humanistic perspective emphasize?
conscious motives
freedom
choice
self-actualization (reaching potential)
also concerned with questions of life and death and the views that people construct in order to shield themselves from the anxiety associated with it
What is culture?
enduring values, beliefs, behaviours, and traditions that are shared by a group of people and passed on to the next generation
What are norms?
rules that specify what behaviour is acceptable and expected for members of that group
What are the three things that the sociocultural perspective focus on?
the role of culture on behaviour
manner in which culture is transmitted
similarities and differences between people in different cultures
what are the two views that different cultures emphasize to different degrees?
INDIVIDUALISM: emphasize personal goals, self-identity based on one’s own attributes/achievements
dominant in north America and Europe
COLLECTIVISM: Individual goals subordinate to the group, identity defined by ties to family
dominant in Asia, Africa, and South America.
What are the three levels of analysis and what perspectives fall under each?
BIOLOGICAL level: biological perspective
PSYCHOLOGICAL level: Cognitive, psychodynamic, humanistic, sociocultural
ENVIRONMENTAL level: sociocultural and behavioural
