Coceptual and historical issues in psychology (lesson 1) Flashcards
Define Psychology
The application of scientific methods to study human behaviour and processes of the mind
Which contemporary psychological questions have also occupied philosophers?
The Nature vs. Nurture Argument
The Mind-Body Problem
What was Plato’s (428-347 BC) theory on nature vs. nurture?
That certain types of knowledge are innate (inborn)
What is the word to describe the theory that certain types of knowledge are innate?
Nativism
What was Aristotle’s (384-322 BC) theory on nature vs nurture?
That all knowledge is acquired through experience/ this is perhaps a more modern way of thinking
What is the word to describe the theory that all knowledge is acquired through experience?
Empiricism
What is the mind body problem?
The philosophical question of whether the mid is part of the body or separated from it.
Who first formulated the mind-body problem?
Renes Descartes
What did Renes Descartes believe? give the term for this.
That the mind and body were separate, this is known as Cartesian dualism.
Although Descartes believed the mind and body were separate, what did he believe?
That they could influence each other.
Descartes singled out the ______ gland thinking this was the locus of mind/body interaction.
pineal
What was the scientific revolution?
When the Geocentric model of the universe was challenged by heliocentrism.
Who tested the heliocentric model and provided evidence through their telescope observations?
Galileo
Galileo’s ideas were strongly opposed by the ____
Roman Catholic Church
Who explained the physical order of the universe?
Newton
Why was the scientific revolution important?
It was the emergence of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in maths, physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry transformed views of society and nature.
How did developments in physiology influence psychology?
Donders used Helmholtz’s method of measuring the speed of nerve impulses in frog legs (S=D/T) in order to measure the speed of metal processes
Donders measured simple ____ ____ to a single stimulus and then to a subsequent task with 2 _____ but subjects had to only react to ___ stimulus.
Reaction Time(RT)
Stimuli
1
On what occasion was RT longer?
RT was longer for the more complex “discrimination” task
____ method provides difference between RTs and a measure of the mental act of discrimination.
Subtractive
Define Mental Chronometry
The time taken to perform mental tasks and their components.
Beginnings of scientific psychology in Europe:
the first psychological ___ was established by Wilhem ___, University of Leipzig 1879
what was this age known as?
lab
Wundt
the brass age of psychology
What did the opening of the first lab lead to?
rapid establishment of numerous psychology institutes including 20 in the USA, as classes were attended by large numbers of young researchers from around the world
Psychology is the application of the ____ method to study ____ processes
Scientific
Mental
What was the aim of introspection?
to access psychological processes and experience directly
what did introspection train people in?
self observation
If you carefully and objectively analyse the contents of your own thoughts and feelings, what is this known as?
self observation
What was introspection consistent with?
Descartes’ claim that mental states are more “real” than physical states and can be accessed directly through reflection
Wundt’s introspective method is _____ and ______
vigorous and arduous
Name 3 things Wundt’s introspective method required?
- Long periods of time
- Very large number of trials
- Long period of training
Introspective research depends on quite ____ numbers of _____ ______ participants
small, highly trained
Introspective method allows ____ observation of ____ processes
direct, mental
What experience is important in the introspective method?
subjective
The introspective method is consistent with long intellectual tradition, emphasising the importance of ____-______
self-reflection
____ of introspective method survive in some branches of psychology today
values
How did the psychology of James (William James) differ from that of Wundt?
He emphasised practical functions of the minds, this is known as functionalism and advocated introspection as a primary means of studying mental life
who was James influenced by?
Influenced by Darwins theory of evolution
A criticism of the introspective method, what do subjective reports lack?
They lack objectivity and cant be independently verified. eg If 2 observers experiences differ then who is right?
During the introspective method, what 2 activities does the subject have to do at once?
Both experiencing and analysing
Many psychological functions take place below the level of ____ and are too ____ or ____ for introspection.
consciousness, complex, fast
define confabulation
misinterpreted memories
What 3 things are mental processes subject to a range of?
Biases, attributions and confabulation
we often don’t have true ___ into our mental processes and causes of our _____
insight, behaviour
name 4 subject types that introspection cannot be applied to which limits its applicability
children, insane people, people with language difficulties and animals
Who’s concept of the “unconscious mind” demolishes the idea of introspection?
Freud’s
What type of motives, behaviours, experiences and processes cant be assessed/accessed through introspection?
unconscious ones
what is the alternative to the introspective method?
To study people’s behaviour, not their mental states
Human testimony is ____, ____ and incapable of _____. It lacks scientific ____.
unreliable, unverifiable, quantification, rigour
What does behaviourism propose?
That psychology is about understanding, explaining and predicting people’s behaviour, therefore the subject matter of psychology should be behaviour.
Unlike subjective experience (introspection), behaviour is ______ and ______.
Objective, measurable
What type of methods can be used to investigate behaviour?
Scientific methods
What is behaviourism influenced by?
Studies of animal learning
The behavioural approach has remained at the ____ of psychological enquiry ever since.
heart
Define Behaviourism
The theory that animal and human behaviour is best explained in terms of conditioning, without appeal to thoughts or feelings.
what does behaviourism strongly oppose?
Mentalism
