Chapter 1 Introduction & Research Flashcards
Define => PSYCHOLOGY
Science of mental processes & behavior.
Define => SCIENCE
Way of answering questions, relying on logic to reason about possible causes of a phenomenon & collecting new facts to test resulting ideas.
List the “Levels of analysis”
Biological (Brain & Genetic)
Personal (Beliefs, desires & feelings)
Group (Social interactions & cultural influences)
Define => PHILOSOPHY
Use of logic and speculation to understand the nature of reality and values.
Define => PHYSIOLOGY
Study of the biological workings of the body(including the brain).
Define => CONSCIOUSNESS
The state of being aware.
List the major schools of psychology.
- Structuralism
- Functionalism
- Gestalt psychology
- Psychodynamic theory
- Behaviourism
- Humanistic psychology
- Cognitive psychology
- Evolutionary psychology
- Cognitive neuroscience
Explain Structuralism
Names: Willhelm Wundt & Edward Tichener
The basic elements (building blocks) of experience & consciousness form mental structures.
Basic elements are sensations & feelings.
Explain Functionalism
Names: William James
The mind/consciousness helps us adapt/survive (function in) to the world around us.
Influenced by Darwin.
Explain Gestalt Psychology
Names: Wertheimer
The brain organizes material into overarching patterns/ perceptual units.
“The whole is greater than its parts”
Examples of perceptual units: Flock of birds, Marching Band
Explain Psychodynamic Theory
Names: Freud
The mind is made up of separate components.
Some mental processes are unconscious.
Conscious and unconscious thoughts, feelings and impulses drive our behaviour.
Explain Behaviourism
Names: B.F. Skinner, John Watson
Stimuli evoke responses and consequences of responses.
Mental processes and not useful, to understand behaviour, study behaviour.
Explain Humanistic Psychology
Names: Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow
People have free will, positive values and deep inner creativity.
Non-scientific approach.
People have an urge to self-actualize.
Explain Cognitive Psychology
Names: Simon, Newell, Neisser
Mental processes are like information processing on a computer.
Mental processes are software, the brain is the hardware.
Explain Cognitive Neuroscience
A mix of Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience
Aims to specify how the brain stores and processes information.