Chapter 1 Flashcards
1
Q
Psychology
A
Scientific study of the mind and behaviour
2
Q
Mind
A
Private inner experience of perception, thoughts, memories and feelings
3
Q
Behaviour
A
Observable actions of human beings and nonhuman animals
4
Q
Nativism
A
- Philosophical view that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn; born with knowledge
- supported by Plato
5
Q
Philosophical Empiricism
A
- The view that all knowledge is acquired through experience
- supported by Aristotle; believed that the child’s mind was a blank slate (tabular rasa) on which experiences were written
6
Q
Rene Descartes
A
- French philosopher who argued mind and body are different things=dualism
- body-material substance
- mind-immaterial/spiritual substance
- physical body is container for non-physical mind
7
Q
Thomas Hobbes
A
- English philosopher argued against Descartes and dualism
- mind and body aren’t different, mind is what the body does
8
Q
Franz Joesph Gall
A
- French/German physician who thought mind and brain are related
- examined brains of people who died from disease, healthy adults and children
- mental ability increases with larger brain size, decreases with damage to brain
- developed theory of Phrenology
9
Q
Phrenology
A
- developed by Franz Joesph Gall
- now discredited theory that specific mental abilities and characteristics, ranging from memory to capacity for happiness are localized in specific regions of the brain
10
Q
Structuralism
A
- Analysis of basic elements that constitute the mind
- based on presumption that all human experiences could be understood as the combination of basic complements
- developed by Wilhelm Wundt
11
Q
Hermann von Helmholtz
A
- physiologist who trained humans to respond when he applied a stimulus
- recorded patients reaction time
12
Q
Stimulus
A
Sensory input from the environment
13
Q
Wilhelm Wundt
A
- opened first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany
- physiologists who trained students but was more interested in the questions of the mind
- wanted to understand consciousness and basic processes of sensation and perception
- Used method of introspection
- developed structuralism
14
Q
Consciousness
A
A person’s subjective experience of the world and mind
15
Q
Introspection
A
Subjective observation of one’s own experiences
16
Q
Titchner
A
- trained by Wundt and also focused on consciousness
- one of first psychologists in the USA; Cornell University
17
Q
Functionalism
A
Study of how mental processes enable people to adapt to this environment
- in contrast to structuralism (examined mental processes) functionalism set out to understand the functions those mental processes served
- developed by William James
18
Q
William James
A
- coined term stream of consciousness
- thinking was inspired by Charles Darwin
- developed functionalism
19
Q
Hysteria
A
Temporary loss of cognitive and motor functions usually as a result of emotionally upsetting experiences
20
Q
Sigmund Freud
A
- developed unconscious, psychoanalytic theory and psychoanalysis
- believed that human actions stem from inherited instincts, biological drives and attempts to resolve conflicts between personal needs and societies demands
- influence diminished bc his vision of human nature was dark and focused on problems and limitations rather than possibilities and potential
21
Q
Psychoanalytic theory
A
Approach emphasizes importance of unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings, thoughts and behaviours
22
Q
Psychoanalysis
A
Therapeutic approach that focusses on bringing unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings, thoughts and behaviour
23
Q
Unconscious
A
Part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awareness but influences conscious thoughts, feelings and actions
24
Q
Humanistic Psychology
A
- Approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of humans
- Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
- focused on individual aspirations rather than considering them prisoners of the past
- viewed individuals as free agents who have needs to grow and develop
- offered a more positive view of human nature
25
Behaviorism
- An approach that advocates that psychologist restrict them selves the scientific study of objectively observing human behaviour
- AKA stimulus response psychology
- developed by John Watson and B.F. Skinner
- behaviourists examined how stimuli influenced responses
26
John Watson
- believed that environment was most important influence on behaviour
- applying principles of stimulus and response that had been examined in animals he taught an infant Albert to develop a strong fear of white rats and other furry white animals
- behaviourists should focus on what people do rather than what people experience
27
B.F Skinner
- believed animals act on environment in order to get what they want
- built Skinner Box- put mice in boxes with lever that whenever it was pressed, would dispense food, mice associated the lever with food
- saw evidence for what he called the principle of reinforcement
28
Reinforcement
Consequences of her behaviour determine whether it will be more or less likely to occur again
29
6 Branches of psychology
Behavioural/cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, cultural psychology, social psychology
30
Cognitive psychology
Scientific study of mental processes including perception, thought, memory and reasoning
31
Gestalt psychology
Psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceived the whole rather than the sum of the parts
32
Behavioural neuroscience
Approach that links psychological processes to activities in the nervous system into other bodily processes, developed by Karl Lashley
33
Cognitive neuroscience
Field of study that attempts to understand the links between cognitive processes and brain activity
34
Evolutionary psychology
An approach that explains mind and behaviour in terms of the adaptive value abilities that are preserved overtime by natural selection, developed by John Garcia
35
Social psychology
Study of the causes and consequences of suicidality, developed by Norman Triplett when he noticed that cyclist ride faster when they rode with others
36
Cultural psychology
- Study of how culture reflect and shape the psychological processes of its members
- Absolutism-culture makes little or no difference for most psychological phenomenon
- Relativism- Psychological phenomenon is likely to vary considerably across cultures and should be viewed only in the context of a specific culture
