Chapter 1 - Introduction to Psychology Flashcards
psychology
the scientific study of the mind and behavior
- use the scientific method to acquire knowledge
- parts of psych are biological, other parts are social
when the science of psychology originated and why
- became its own academic discipline in the late 1800s
- was considered philosophical before this
empirical method
process to acquire knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on logical argument/previous authorities
critical thinking
the active application of a set of skills to information for the understanding and evaluation of that information (used in psychology with the scientific method)
human psychology ____, but ___.
has been around since the dawn of humanity
psychology as a science is fairly young
Wilhelm Wundt
first person to be referred to as a psychologist, helped make psych a science
introspection
process by which someone examines their own conscious experience as objectively as possible, making the mind like any other aspect of nature
- used by Wundt to observe psych
structuralism
focuses on the contents of the mental processes rather than their function (components of the human mind)
functionalism
- adopts Darwinism idea of adapted “best” traits of an organism
- est. by William James, focused on how the whole mind helps an organism fit into its environment
Sigmund Freud
- theorized getting access to the unconscious mind was crucial to solve people’s problems
- ex. dream analysis, first word that comes to mind, etc.
psychoanalytic theory
- therapy technique that focuses on the role of a person’s unconscious, as well as early childhood experiences
- dominated clinical psychology for decades, popularized by Freud
Gestalt psychology
- created by escaped Nazi Germany scientists
- focusing how sensory parts relate to each other as a WHOLE, often how/why an individual responds to something
behaviorism
- influence by John B. Watson, believe objective analysis of the mind impossible
- approach of observing and controlling behavior
- made psychology more of a science
humanism
- a perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good within all humans
the cognitive revolution
- the focus being put back on the mind as a focus of scientific inquiry (partially due to humanism)
- Noam Chomsky was very influential in movement
- helped est. communication between European/US psychology
feminist psychology
- early psychology was primarily white males, so that’s what studies focused on
- looks at gender equalities of sexes
- women have been contributing to psych since its birth as a science
mind-body problem
- problem of how the mind is connected to the body
- i.e. how do emotions go from being neurons to experience to emotion?
psychodynamic
- Freud approach to the mind
- systematic study of the psychological forces underlying human behavior