Exam 1 - Ch. 1 Flashcards
Ch. 1
Psychology
scientific study of mind, brain and behaviour
Mind
The mental activity results from biological processes within the brain. (e.g. perception, thoughts, memories, feelings).
Behaviour
observable actions (human or animal)
Nativism
knowledge is innate
Plato
Empiricism
All knowledge is acquired through Experience
Belief in “Tabula rasa”, “blank slate”
(Aristotle)
Nature or Nurture? Which affects psychological development more?
Both nature and nurture interact in psychological
development
Dualism
The mind and the body are separate but intertwined
- Suggested that mind was unique to humans, who are the only animals with one (soul)
(Renee Descartes)
Mind or Body? Are the distinct?
Modern psychologist reject dualism
• The mind arises from brain activity.
• Cannot separate the mind and the brain
Phrenology
specific characteristics and knowledge are in specific regions of the brain
- Each section has different behaviours and traits
• e.g. mechanical ability, talent for poetry, love of
property, colour perception, language, affection
Franz Joseph Gall - Creator
Discredited as theory
Wilhelm Wundt
Founder of Psychology as a discipline
• Opens a first psychology lab
- Uses reaction time as method
- Deveolped Introspection
Reaction time
how quickly people can respond to events
- faster when the task is easier
- slower when the task if harder
consciousness
a person’s subjective experience of the world and the mind
Introspection
systematic examination of
mental experiences that require people to
think about and report the content of their
thoughts
Structuralism
the analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind - like chemical elements
Edward Titchener developed it; was Wundt’s student
Used introspection as well
Introspection flaws?
- Experience is subjective
2. Reporting changes the experience itself
Functionalism
the study of how mental processes enable people to
adapt to their environments
Inspired by evolutionary theory; traits are adaptive and naturally selected by fitness
Functionalism argued that mental abilities must have evolved because they were adaptive. • Therefore, psychologists should study how the mind operates in the context of human evolution
William James
Founder of Functionalism
Criticized structuralism - mind is not that simple
Believed single moment of consciousness is impossible to capture
Stream of consciousness
mind consists of continuous
series of thoughts that cannot be broken down
G. Stanley Hall
• Functionalist
• His work focused on development and education
as informed by evolutionary thinking
• As children develop, they pass through stages
that repeat the evolutionary history
Sigmund Freud
Father of psychoanalytic theory • Found that some of his patients with neurological disorders had few medical reasons. • Built on the idea of unconscious
Unconscious
the part of the mind that
operates outside of conscious awareness
but can influence conscious thoughts,
feelings and actions
Psychoanalytic theory
Understand how unconscious thoughts can lead
to psychological disorders
approach that emphasizes importance of unconcious in shapping feelings, thoughts, and behaviour
Psychoanalysis
therapeutic method that focuses on bringing
unconscious material into conscious awareness
Behaviourism
emphasizes environmental effects on observable
behaviour
idea that environmental stimuli predicts behaviour - “skinner baby”
Inspired by Ivan Pavlov