Exam 1 Flashcards
Philosopher that inspired Psychology
Descartes - explored how people think, reasons, and field content.
Physiologist that inspired Psychology
Helmholtz - Inspired the methods to explore psychology. First to measure neural activity.
Father of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt - First lab at the University of Leipzig 1879. Reaction time experiments. Study of the conscious.
Schools of thought after Psychology’s conception.
Structuralism and Functionalism. 1890s
Structuralism
Periodic Table. Use introspection to define basic units of psychological phenomenon
Functionalism
Comes from Darwin. Things cannot be broken apart because sum of parts is less than whole. We adapted behavior to meet demands of the real world. Women loved this.
Psychology
Psyche - soul. Logos - study
Consciousness
Awareness of immediate experience.
Main proponent of Structuralism
Edward Titchener. Principles of Psychology. Flow of consciousness
Main Proponent of Functionalism
William James.
James’ Accomplishments
First psych textbook. Mental testing, child development patterns, behavioral differences between sexes.
Stanley Hall
Functionalist. 1st lab in US. First Journal of Psychology.
Psychoanalysis
Invented by Freud. Study of the unconscious. Below surface of conscious exerts great influence.
Behaviorism
Invented by John B. Watson. Psychology can only be studied by observable behavior. Abandon consciousness and study behavior only. Verifiability is key. Behavior comes from environment only. Cool quote.
Rise of Psychoanalysis
20s, 30s, 40s.
When did Behaviorism gain the upper hand?
50s
B. F. Skinner?
Behaviorism god. Insisted that internal mental effects couldn’t be studied. Animals repeat actions that lead to positive outcome and opposite is true as well. Animals act in predictable ways.
Humanism
Behaviorism was dehumanizing. So, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers were like, LET’S BE OPTIMISTIC. Emphasis on what makes us human. Human behavior is governed by the sense of self.
Clinical Psych
After WWII. Veterans need to help PTSD guys and gun responsibility. First clinic in 1896. Psych testing was needed for war.
What is Cognition?
Mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge. Psychology must study internal mental events to fully understand behavior. Overt behavioral observations provide an incomplete picture of what’s going on.
Cultural Diversity
Psychology was western for most of history. Unable to verify findings for ALL humans.
Evolutionary Psychology
Examines behavioral processes in terms of adaptive value over generations. Natural selection favors certain behaviors.
Positive Psychology
Seligman. Research to better understand positive, adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human existence. Positive experiences, positive traits, positive institutions.
Psychology’s modern definition.
Science that studies behavior and physiological and cognitive processes that underlies behavior.