Exam 1 Flashcards
(95 cards)
Wilhelm Wundt
Structuralism
Structuralism
- Studied the mind by breaking it down into its most basic components.
- Asks “how”?
- e.g. which brain structure is associated with sleep?
- Uses introspection
Introspection
Technique where a mental process is examined to gain insight into how it works. (examination of one’s conscious thoughts and feelings)
William James
Functionalism
Functionalism
- A school of thought that studies the functions of consciousness.
- Asks the question of “why”?
- e.g. why is it adaptive to sleep at night instead of the day?
Sigmund Freud
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic
Unconscious wants/desires dictate behavior.
- Repressed memories, unresolved conflicts, etc. control our behavior even though we are not aware of them
- Behaviour reflects unconscious, inevitable conflict between impulses and defenses. Since this conflict is dynamic in nature, the name is psychodynamic.
Psychoanalysis
Therapeutic method that aims to understand the unconscious mind. For example, techniques like hypnosis, dream journals, ink blot studies are used to gain insight on what’s bothering a patient. This information can be used to diagnose and treat a patient.
Humans have strong inborn sexual and aggressive drives.
Psychodynamic, Freud (the human’s job is to kill to survive (food) and reproduce (sex))
Adult personality is largely determined by childhood experiences.
Psychodynamic, Freud
Defense mechanisms help us cope with anxiety.
Psychodynamic, Freud
Behavioral Perspective
- Behavior is caused by stimuli in the environment.
- Knowledge is gained empirically (factual, e.g. I eat lemon and it is sour)
Ivan Pavlov
Behavioralism (classical conditioning)
Classical Conditioning
- Environment shapes behavior through association of events with one another
- Pavlov’s dogs would start salivating when the delivery guy would walk by, as they associated it with a sign of food.
John Locke
Behavioralism, Empiricism
Empiricism
The mind is a blank slate at birth, so you gain knowledge from experiences in the environment that surrounds you.
John Watson
Behavioralism, operant conditioning
- e.g. Little Albert
Edward Thorndike
Behavioralism, instrumental conditioning (same thing as operant conditioning)
- Thorndike’s Law of Effect (1911)
Operant Conditioning
Voluntary behaviors are modified by association with reward or adverse stimuli.
- I clean my room to avoid being punished for not cleaning
- I set the table because I get allowance if I do it.
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
- Behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to recur.
- Behaviors followed by unsatisfying consequences are less likely to recur.
B. F. Skinner
Behavioralism, operant conditioning.
Cognitive Perspective
- The cause of your behavior is due to your thought process.
- Opposite of structuralism, (the whole is more than the sum of its parts)
- Studies how we perceive, organize and store information
- View brains as information processors, computers
- e.g. different people respond to alarm clock differently – variability between thoughts, mood, and person influences processing of stimuli and therefore behavior.
Humanist Perspective
- The cause of behavior is from the innate human tendency to grow for the better.
- Emphasizes free will and the attempt to find meaning in one’s existence
- Humans are not controlled by unconscious processes, and humans do not merely react to the environment
Gestalt Psychology
- Cognitive perspective, looking at the big picture
- The whole is more than the sum of it’s parts