chapter 1 Flashcards
psychology definition
scientific study of behaviour, thought, and experience, and how they can be affected by physical, mental, social, and environmental factors.
psychology is concerned with
individual behaviour although some exceptions in social psychology
psychology is the behaviour
of ALL individuals
the biopsychosocial model
is a means of explaining behaviour as a product of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
psychology spans a number of
different perspectives
biological perspective focus
Genes, brain anatomy and function, and evolution
biological perspective examples
- genetics of behaviour and psychological disorders
- brain-behaviour relationships
- drug effects
psychological perspective focus
behaviour, perception, thought, and experience
psychological perspective examples
- language
- memory
- decision making
- personality
sociocultural perspective focus
interpersonal relationships, families, groups, societies, and ethnicities
sociocultural perspective examples
- attraction
- attitudes and stereotypes
- conformity
developmental psychology
study how thought and behaviour change and remain stable across the life span
biological psychology
study of the underlying physiological mechanisms, including neurotransmissions, relating to the expression of thought and behaviour
personality psychology
study of what makes people unique and the consistencies in peoples behaviour across time and situations
and how different personality characteristics can influence how we think and act
social psychology
study of how a group influences behaviour of people or how one person can change people’s behaviour, also in workplaces
clinical psychology
study of the assessment and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioural disorders and the promotion of psychological health
defining behaviour
the observable actions by which an organism adjusts to its environment
the study of behaviour recognizes
- the importance of the individual within broader context
- the role of mental processes in behaviour (the unobservable)
things to be aware of when studying behaviour
- being aware of when you are making assumptions to what you actually see and hear
- you can’t just look at someone and decide what’s going on
- are you reacting to a situation or are you reacting to your interpretation
goals of psychology (what are psychologists trying to do?)
- describing behaviour
- explaining what happens (should be testable)
- predicting what will happen (putting two and two together
- controlling what happens (controlling what you do with items and testing
what is behavioural data?
- the context of that behaviour, what lead up to the behaviour, why
- reports of observations about behaviour and the conditions under which they occur
- interpretation should be separate from simply describing data
measures of behavioural data must be
objective
every topic in psychology could be examined
from a biological, cognitive, or sociocultural perspective
the scientific method
is a way of learning about the world through collecting observations, developing theories to explain them, and using the theories to make predictions
the scientific method involves a dynamic interaction between
hypothesis testing and the construction of theories
hypothesis
a testable prediction about processes that can be observed and measured
a hypothesis can be-
a hypothesis cannot be-
supported or rejected
- cannot prove because a future experiment could show its wrong
for a hypothesis to be testable it must be falsifiable, meaning
the hypothesis is precise enough that it could be proven false
pseudoscience
an idea that is presented as science but does not actually utilize basic principles of scientific thinking or procedure
theories can be
supported or proved false with new evidence
critical thinking
Involves exercising curiosity and skepticism when evaluating the claims of others and with our own assumptions and beliefs
empiricism
a philosophical belief that knowledge comes through experience
determinism
the belief that all events are governed by lawful, cause and effect relationships
the ancient greeks believed
that four humours or fluid flowed throughout the body and influenced both health and personality
the four humours included
blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm
blood (four humours) meant a tendency
to be impulsive, pleasure-seeking and charismatic
yellow bile (four humours) meant a tendency
to be ambitious, energetic, and a bit aggressive
black bile (four humours) meant a tendency
to be independent, perfectionistic, and a bit introverted
phlegm (four humours) meant a tendency
to be quiet, relaxed, and content with life
zeitgeist
refers to a general set of beliefs of a particular culture at a specific time in history
materialism
the belief that humans, and other loving beings, are composed exclusively of physical matter
dualism
belief that there are properties of humans that are not material (a mind or soul separate from the body)
Psychophysics
The study of the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world
(relationship between physical and psychological worlds)
darwin’s theory suggested that
behaviour is shaped by natural selection, just as physical traits are
phrenology
the practice of examining bumps on a persons skull to determine that persons intellect and character traits.
psychoanalysis
is a psychological approach that attempts to explain how behaviour and personality are influenced by unconscious processes
1889
first canadian psychology laboratory established by james mark baldwin in toronto
nature and nurture relationship
the inquiry into how heredity (nature) and environment (nurture) influence behaviour and mental processes
who suggested the nature vs nurture
sir francis galton
nature vs nurture
are we a product of our genetic make up or our environment?
introspection meaning
“to look within”
structuralism
attempt to analyze conscious experience by breaking it down into basic elements and to understand how these elements work together
structuralism is concerned with
“what?”
structuralism examines
the contents of the mind through introspection
functionalism
the study of the purpose and function of behaviour and conscious experience
functionalism is concerned with
“why?” and “how?”
functionalism examines
the function of thoughts and behaviours
learning
a process by which behaviour or knowledge changes as a result of experience
classical conditioning
learning that occurs when two stimuli are paired together and become associated with each other
explains how we learn involuntary actions
what is classical conditioning associated with
ivan pavlov and his drooling dog
classical
used for involuntary responses
operant
used for voluntary responses
behaviourist perspective
focus on observable behaviour that can be objectively recorded
- experience is what shapes a person
watson believed
all behaviour could ultimately be explained through conditioning
operant conditioning
learning that responses are associated with outcomes
your behaviour matters
skinner view, known as radical behaviourism
the foundation of behaviour was how an organism responded to rewards and punishments
theory
is usually a complex explanation based on findings from many experimental studies
and leads to new hypotheses
humanistic psychology
focuses on the unique aspects of each individual human, each persons freedom to act, their rational thought, and the belief that humans are fundamentally different from other animals
key figures in humanist perspective
carl rogers and abraham maslow
humanist perspective emphasizes
the individuals inherent capacity for making rational choices for making rational choice and developing to their full potential
humanist perspective focus
on self-actualization and a holistic approach and sought to understand the meaning of personal experience
carl rogers and Abraham maslow focuses on
the post it ice aspects of humanity and the factors that lead to a productive and fulfilling life
humanistic psychologists believed
people could attain mental well-being and satisfaction through gaining a greater understanding of themselves, rather than by being diagnosed with a disorder or having problems labelled
hebbs law demonstrates
that memory is actually related to activity occurring at the cellular level
gestalt psychology
an approach emphasizing that psychologists need to focus on the whole of perception and experience, rather than its parts
gestalt is a german word that refers
to the complete form of an object
gestalt psychology studied
“organized wholes” rather than individual components
eg. water is wet but neither H or O2 are “wet”. missing something in the combination when you break it down
cognitive psychology
a modern psychological perspective that focuses on processes such as memory, thinking, and language
cognitive perspective
human thought and knowledge in attending, thinking, remembering and understanding is important
cognitive personality: envious is more than
stimulus and response
cognitive perspective focus
on subjective reality and higher mental processes and how behaviour occurs
social psychology
the study of the influence of other people on our behaviour
functionalism focuses on
why the mind works the way it does rather than on individual elements that make consciousness
cross cultural psychology
the field that draws comparisons about individual and group behaviour among cultures
crops cultural psychology helps us understand f
the role of society in shaping behaviour, beliefs and values
positive psychology
to help people see the good in their lives by promoting self acceptance and improving social relationships with others
