Chapter 1: History of Psychology Flashcards
Define Psychology
the scientific study of the intangible mind and physical behaviour
Define Psychological Explanations
thoughts, emotions, and internal motivations
Define Biological Explanations
genes, hormones, and physiological processes
Define Environmental Explanations
external physical and social surroundings
Explain Greek Roots of Psychology
Greek philosophers pondered about morality, the mind, and human nature. They believed that the brain is connected to the behavior.
What is The Mind-Body Problem?
How can we study the mind if it is unobservable? What is the relationship between the body (behavior) and the mind?
Define Dualism & Rene Descartes
Dualism: the mind is tangible and non-physical while the body is physical and a separate identity, but linked in some way
Rene Descartes: knew intentions could make physical things occur through the pineal gland
Define Philosophical Dualism and Materialistic Dualism
Philosophical Dualism: the mind and body are two different things
Materialistic Dualism: the mind and body are different things, the body is specifically physical
Define Monism & Thomas Hobbes
Monism: they are the same thing, not separate entities.
Thomas Hobbes: the mind is not a separate, intangible entity. It is the PRODUCT of the brain’s physical actions.
Define Philosophical Idealism and John Locke
Philosophical Idealism: perception of the world around us comes from how the brain interprets incoming sensory information. We see things based on existing knowledge that shape what we are currently experiencing.
Immanuel Kant: believed we were born with some innate knowledge of the world and our experiences add to that understanding.
Define Nativism
Our knowledge of the world is innate, present from birth.
Define Philosophical Realism and John Locke
Philosophical Realism: perception of the world around us is produced by information sent from sensory organs
John Locke: believed in understanding the abilities and the extent of the human mind
Define Empiricism
Our knowledge of the world is gained entirely through experience.
Define Structuralism & Wilhelm Wundt/Edward Titchener
Structuralism: focused on analyzing the basic elements of the mind and determining what those elements are
William Wundt: Father of Modern Psychology, believed in scientific study techniques to determine the human mind
Edward Titchener: Student of Wundt, applied empirical observations, used introspection, and focused on sensations (considered the basis of consciousness)
Define Functionalism and William James
Functionalism: focused on the adaptive significance of mental processes and influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Wiliam James: interested in the purpose and function of consciousness. What does the mind do?
Define Introspection
The process of “looking within” allows for self-observation and self-reflection
Cultural Psychology
Interested in how culture influences behavior through shared experiences, values, and beliefs within particular groups
Neuroscience Psychology
Interested in brain function.
Cognitive Neuroscience: study of the brain and the mind
Behavioural Neuroscience: study of the relationship between brain and behaviour
Evolutionary Psychology
Interested in how natural selection has shaped the human mind and its abilities
Define Cognitive Psychology
Interested in the internal, mental processes such as thought, reasoning, memory, and perception. Viewed humans to be governed by thought. D
Define Cognitive Behaviourism
The idea that learning experiences and the environment affect our behavior by giving us the information we need to behave effectively
Define Social Psychology & Kurt Lewin/Solom Asch & Gordon Allport
Social Psychology: the branch of psychology that deals with social interactions, including their origins and their effects on the individual. People make assumptions that influence their actions, people’s behavior can influence others’ behavior, and people are reactive.
Kurt Lewin: interested in school behavior in group settings. Argued against the environment being the driving force of behaviors because individuals’ subjective perception of the environment is more important in driving a reality.
Solomon Asch and Gordon Allport: interested in how people come to make inferences about others and how those inferences affect their behavior toward those individuals. Interested in interactions and the influence of these interactions.
Define Developmental Psychology & Jean Piaget
Developmental Psychology: abilities are not static they change with age. Patterns of development are fairly stable across individuals
Jean Piaget: interested in understanding the mistakes children made as they grew up. The types of mistakes made can provide insight into their mental abilities and how they think
Define Gestalt Psychology & Max Wertheimer/Sir Fredric Bartlett
Gestalt Psychology: how the mind organizes and combines stimuli to create a wholistic perceptual experience. The whole being is more than the sum of its parts, perception is subjective.
Max Wertheimer: interested in perceptional errors in our interpretations that distort sensory reality
Sir Fredric Bartlett: interested in false memory, errors in recall show memory is not a simple recording device, and how expectations can affect recall.
Define Psychoanalysis & Jean-Martin & Pierre Janet/Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalysis: therapeutic approach to giving patients insight into their unconscious mind. Focused on the unconscious mind that influences behavior.
Jean-Martin & Pierre Janet: sought to treat patients with symptoms that had no physical cause (hysteria)
Sigmund Freud: focused on treating hysteria and nervous disorders. Founded psychoanalytic school of thought: the unconscious influences thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in hidden ways
Define Behaviourism & Ivan Pavlov/John B. Watson/ B.F Skinner
Behaviorism: focused on the influence the environment has on physical observable behavior. The mind and the other internal conscious components are considered irrelevant.
Ivan Pavlov: interested in classical conditioning
John B. Watson: thought psychology should focus on observable behavior, not unobservable inner consciousness. Interested in predicting behavior by understanding stimulus-response relationship (link between the environment and the response)
B.F Skinner: interested in active, rather than passive behavior. No account of what is happening inside the human body, no matter how complete, will explain the origins of human behavior. Internal cannot explain the human, simply the ACTIVE participation of behavior. Believed in operant conditioning.
Define Classical Conditioning
Experience in the environment can elicit a physical response
Define Operant Conditioning
Through experience, an organism can modify its behavior based on the consequences of having carried out those in the past
Define Radical Reorientation
Physical Response
