Development of Psychology Flashcards
What is structuralism?
The idea that the job of psychology is to analyze consciousness into its basic elements and investigate how they are related
What did many structuralists work concern?
Sensation and perception of vision, hearing, and touch
What did structuralists depend on to examine consciousness?
Introspection
What is introspection?
The careful, systematic self-observation of someones own conscious experience
What is functionalism?
The belief that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness rather than the structure
What did functionalists want to understand?
The stream of consciousness
Structuralist’s gravitated towards the lab, functionalists we’re more interested in?
How people adapted their behavior to the demands of the world around them
What did functionalists begin to investigate?
Patterns of development in children, the effectiveness of educational practices, and the behavioral differences between the two sexes
What is behaviorism?
The premise that scientific psychology should only study observable behaviour
What is behaviour?
Any overt or observable response or activity by an organism
What did behaviourists view psychology’s mission as?
To relate overt behaviors called responses to events in the environment called stimuli
What did Freud’s approach to psychology come from?
His efforts to treat mental disorders
According to Freud, what is the unconscious?
Contains thoughts, memories, and desires that people are not aware of that still have a big influence on behaviour
What does psychology study?
Everything from psychological disorders, how people perceive colour, how hunger is regulated by the brain, whether chimpanzees can use language to communicate, how to study, why we procrastinate, what causes bullying, and if gut bacteria can affect your health
What did psychology develop from?
Philosophical speculations
What was the original subject matter of psychology?
The study of consciousness
What did Freud believe psychological disturbances were caused by?
Personal conflicts at the unconscious level
What is humanism?
A theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth
What do humanists believe psychological disturbances are caused by?
Thwarting uniquely human needs (freedom, personal growth)
What is humanists greatest contributions to psychology?
Innovative treatments for psychological problems and disorders
What is cognition?
The mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge, invokes thinking and the conscious experience
What do cognitive theorists argue?
That psychology must study inter mental events to understand behaviour and focusing on overt behaviour gives an incomplete picture on why people act the way they do
What do advocates of behavioral neuroscience believe?
Most of our behaviour can be explained in terms of structures and processes in the brain
What is evolutionary psychology?
The belief that patterns of behaviour seen in species are products of evolution
What do evolutionary psychologists examine behaviour in terms of?
Their adaptive value for members of a species over the course of many generations
What is positive psychology?
Use of theory and research to better understand the positive, adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human existence
What does the founder of positive psychology think the field of psychology spends too much time studying?
Pathology, weakness, damage, and ways to heal suffering
What are the main areas of interest in positive psychology?
The study of positive experiences, positive individual traits, and positive institutions and communities
What are cultural psychologist striving to understand?
The unique experiences of culturally diverse people from the point of view of those people
What is clinical psychology?
Branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders
Broad psychology covers a variety of specialities including?
School psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and counseling psychology
What is a more modern definition of psychology?
The science that studies behaviour and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, it is also the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems
What are the nine research areas in psychology?
Developmental psychology, social psychology, experimental psychology, behavioral neuroscience psychology, cognitive psychology, personality, psycho metrics, educational psychology, and health psychology
What is psychiatry?
Branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders
What are the differences between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?
Psychologists go to graduate school and get a doctoral degree and psychiatrists go to medical school where they receive a general education and then specialize by completing a residency program
