Chapter 1 Flashcards
What are the two major roots of psychology?
Natural sciences and philosophy
Biggest debate in early psychology
Did human behavior result from biological factors(nature) or environmental factors (nurture)
Argued nature affected human behavior
Plato-nativist; knowledge was innate/inborn
Believed the environment affected human behavior
Aristotle-empiricist; knowledge is gained from sensory experiences
John Locke-mind was “blank slate” at birth, knowledge gained through experiences
Hermann Von Helmholtz
Established the mind is something that can be studied scientifically
Takes time for the mind to process physical signals
Wilhelm Wundt
“First psychologist”
Conducted first psychological experiment (on reaction time)
Structuralism
Looking for smallest elements of mental experience
Founded by titchener
William James
Challenged titchener based on Darwin
Coined term “stream of consciousness”
Chief proponent of functionalism
What is psychology?
Study of the psyche
- affect(emotion)
- behavior
- cognition(thought)
Gestalt psychology
Believed breaking a “whole” into its building blocks would result in loss of important psychological information
Functionalism
Approach that saw behavior as purposeful and contributing to survival
Medical model of psychology
Emphasized physical causes of abnormal behavior and medical treatments, such as medication
Humanistic psychology
Belief that people are innately good, are motivated to improve themselves, and only behave badly when corrupted by society
Abraham Maslow
Client-centered psychology
Developed by Carl Rogers
People receiving treatment are called clients rather than patients
Behaviorism
The study and careful measurement of observable behaviors
John B. Watson
Blank slate
“Give me a dozen healthy infants…”
Used appealing images (women) for advertising
Biological psychology
Psychological perspective that focuses on the relationships between mind and behavior, as well as their underlying biological processes, including genetics, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology
Evolutionary psychology
Investigates how physical structure and behavior have been shaped by their contributions to survival and reproduction
Cognitive psychology
Investigates information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving
Social psychology
Psychological perspective that examines the effects of the social environment on the behavior of individuals
Developmental psychology
Psychological perspective that examines the normal changes in behavior that occur across the life span.
Clinical psychology
Psychological perspective that seeks to explain, define, and treat normal behaviors
