Chapter 1: Evolution Of A Science Flashcards

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1
Q

Old Psychology

A

The study of the mind

Example: Sigmund Freud was a pioneer in the field of old psychology.

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2
Q

Philosophers

A

Argued psychology for thousands of years and used informal observation instead of scientific method

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3
Q

Ancient Philosophers needed answers to:

A
  • where does the content of mind come from?
  • why do people have different levels of intelligence?
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4
Q

Philosophical Nativism

A

Philosophical view that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn

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5
Q

Philosophical Empiricism

A

Philosophical view that all knowledge are acquired through experience

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6
Q

Plato

A

Was a nativist that believed people are born with some knowledge

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7
Q

Aristotle

A

Believed that the mind is like a blank page that can be filled with experiences

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8
Q

Nature

A
  • our genetics determines our behaviour
  • our personality traits and ability are in our nature
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9
Q

Nurture

A
  • our environment, upbringing and life experiences determine our behaviour
  • we are “nurtured” to behave a certain way
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10
Q

The Mind-Brain

A

Many religions and philosophical approaches believe that the mind is separate from the body

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11
Q

Dualism

A

The belief that the mind arises from non physical process or the mind/body are not identical

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12
Q

If dualism was true how can changes in our body affect the mind?

A
  • consuming alcohol affects thinking/emotions
  • damage to the brain affects many aspects of the brain
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13
Q

Pierre Broca

A

Found that the damage to the left front brain eliminates the ability to speak (turn thoughts to speech)

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14
Q

Wihlem Wundt

A

Psychologist that conducted some of the earliest experiments at Leipzig, Germany in 1879

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15
Q

Birth of Psychology

A

1879

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16
Q

Wundt experiment

A

Used both objective measures like reaction time and introspection to study mental processes

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17
Q

Reaction time

A

The time it took to respond to a stimulus

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18
Q

Inspection

A

The subjective observation and report of one’s own conscious experience

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19
Q

Defining early psychology

A

the goal of psychology is:
- to study and understand consciousness
- a person’s subjective experience of the world
- their private inner experience of perception, thought and memory

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20
Q

1920’s Psychology

A

“The science of mental life” AKA consciousness

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21
Q

Titchener

A
  • Found structuralism movement of “school”
  • relied on introspection to study conscious experience
  • aimed to discover “the element of mind”
22
Q

Structuralism

A

attempted to break down the adult’s mind (experiences from birth to present) into most basic parts

23
Q

William James

A

American philosopher who had large impact to early psychology
- adopted a functionalist approach to studying the mind inspired by Darwin theory and

24
Q

Functionalism

A
  • the mind’s main job is to help people fit in with their surroundings
  • focuses on how the brain works as a whole to meet realistic goals instead of looking at each parts individually.
25
Q

Charles Darwin theory of Evolution

A

development of adaptive traits that allow organisms to survive in their environment

26
Q

Sigmund Freud

A

Physician that developed psychoanalysis

27
Q

Psychoanalysis

A

by bringing the unconscious into waking awareness, people can undergo emotions and remain understanding of their mental state.

28
Q

Unconscious

A

Parts of the mind that works outside of awareness but influences conscious thoughts, feelings and actions

29
Q

Hysteria

A

people experiencing physical symptoms (motor loss) that have a psychological cause (emotional upsetting)

30
Q

Psychoanalytic Theory

A

treating mental disorders by having the patient talk freely about themselves about dreams, problems and experiences.

31
Q

Problems with early psychology

A
  • psychologists were directly trying to investigate mental processes
  • Mental processes can’t be directly observed so they used introspection
  • but introspection is not a reliable scientific technique; results can change every time an experiment is conducted
32
Q

John Watson

A

unsatisfied with the limitation of introspection and poorly defined mental concepts used by psychologists, he proposed a new approach; Behaviourism

33
Q

Behaviourism

A

The scientific approach to only study observable behaviour since mental processes can’t be directly observed

34
Q

Marslow and Rogers

A
  • Psychology could improve people’s lives
  • rejected both Freud’s view of human nature and behaviourism
35
Q

Humanism

A

Focused on positive aspects of human nature and how an appropriate environment could help people

36
Q

Cognitive Revolution

A

Cognitive psychology that helped bring an end to behaviourism by demonstrating that objective techniques can be used to study internal mental processes that can’t be directly observed

37
Q

In order to understand complex behaviours we must:

A
  • measure observable behaviour
    -make conclusions about basic mind processes
  • conclusions are then confirmed by producing testable hypotheses.
38
Q

Neuroscience and Psychology

A

Psychology and neuroscience have maintained separate identities as independent disciplines until cognitive neuroscience

39
Q

Cognitive Neuroscience

A

Studies the relationship between cognitive processes and brain functions

40
Q

Modern Psychology

A

The study of behaviour and mental processes

41
Q

Mary Calkins

A

Became the American Psychological Associations (APA) first female president in 1905

42
Q

Cognitive Psychology

A

The study of mental processes like perception, thought, memory and reasoning

43
Q

Behaviour Neuroscience

A

The study of the relationship between the brain and behaviour

44
Q

Development Psychology

A

The study of how people develop over the course of their lives

45
Q

Personality Psychology

A

Study of individuals’ styles of behaviour, thinking and feeling

46
Q

Social Psychology

A

Study of how thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by other people

47
Q

Evolutionary Psychology

A

The study of how the human mind has been shaped by natural selection

48
Q

Cultural Psychology

A

The study of how culture influences mental life

49
Q

Absolutism

A

Culture makes little difference on psychology

50
Q

Relativism

A

the belief that there is no absolute truth, except the truths that an individual or culture happens to believe.

51
Q

Clinical Psychology

A

Studies, assess and treats troubled people with psychotherapy (PhD)

52
Q

Psychiatrists

A

Medical professionals who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically unhealthy patients
(M.D.)