General psychology lecture 1 Flashcards
Who introduced the concept of introspection?
Socrates
Who believed in separation of mind and body (dualism)
Plato
Who emphasized the observation and idea that knowledge comes from sensory experience?
Aristotle
What did hinduism discuss?
Concepts of self and consciousness
What did buddhism explore?
Nature of mind and suffering
What did confucianism focus on?
Moral development and human relationships
Which idea did Descartes propose?
Idea of dualism
Wo introduced the theory of tabula rasa?
John locke
Who emphasized the importance of experience and observation?
David Hume
Who argued that human perception shapes our reality?
Kant
Who established the first psychology lab?
Wilhelm Wundt
Who were involved with structuralism?
Wundt and Titchener
What did Wundt and Titchener analyze?
The structure of the mind through introspection
Who advocated studying the functions of mental processes? (functionalism)
William James
Who was interested in the assessment of individual differences?
J M Cattell
What does a Gestalt perspective mean?
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
What does Gestalt psychology serve as a precursor of?
Rise of cognitive psychology
Law of Prägnanz
We tend to perceive complex or ambiguous images in the simplest form possible
Law of similarity
Objects that look similar are perceived as part of a group or pattern
Law of proximity
Objects that are closer are perceived as a group
Law of continuity
Lines are seen as following the smoothest path
Law of closure
We fill in the missing elements to complete a figure
Law of figure-ground
We separate objects from their background to focus on the central figure
Applications of Gestalt psychology
Perception studies
Design and art
Human-Computer interaction
Criticism of Gestalt psychology
Lack of empirical evidence
Cultural bias
Overemphasis on visual perception
Who introduced the concept of the unconscious mind and importance of early childhood experiences?
Freud
Components of the psyche that regulates behavior
Id, Ego and superego
According to freud what are defense mechanisms?
Strategies used by the ego to protect against anxiety
Who founded behaviorism?
John B. Watson
Who expanded on Watsons work and intorduced positive and negative reinforcements?
B.F. Skinner
Who is known for classical conditioning?
Pavlov
Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning:
Shows extinction when the unconditioned stimulus stops occurring
What is operant conditioning?
Method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior
What is the importance of operant conditioning?
Helps understand how behavior is acquired and maintained
Who is known for the law of effect?
Edward Thorndike
Key concepts of operant conditioning
Reinforcement: increases likelihood of behavior
Punishment: decreases likelihood of behavior
Positive and negative: terms refer to the addition or removal of stimulus
What is continuous reinforcement?
Rewarding a behavior every time it occurs
What is partial reinforcement?
Rewarding a behavior only some of the time
Fixed ratio reinforcement?
Rewards given after set number of responses
Variable ratio reinforcement?
Rewards given after random number of responses
Fixed interval reinforcement?
Rewards given after a fixed amount of time
Variable interval reinforcement?
Rewards given after varying amounts of time
Applications of operant conditioning
Education
Parenting
Animal training
Employee motivation
Performance management
Criticism of operant conditioning
Overemphasis on external behavior
Ethical concerns
What is classical conditioning?
A learning process that creates associations between a neutral stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus
What does classical conditioning explain?
How some behaviors are learned
What led to the discovery of classical conditioning?
Pavlov’s experiments with dogs
What is unconditioned stimulus (US) in classical conditioning ?
Stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers an response (ex food)
What is unconditioned response (UR) in classical conditioning?
Unlearned response that offers naturally to unconditioned stimulus (ex. salivation)
What is conditioned stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning ?
Neutral stimulus that after becoming associated with the unconditional stimulus eventually triggers response (ex. bell)
What is conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning ?
Learned response to previously neutral stimulus (ex. salivation to the bell)
What is acquisition in classical conditioning?
Initial stage when the neutral stimulus is paired with the unconditioned stimulus
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
The diminishing of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the conditioned stimulus
What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?
Reappearance of a conditioned response after a pause, following extinction
What is generalization in classical conditioning?
Tendency to respond in the same way to stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus
What is discrimination in classical conditioning?
Ability to distinguish between the conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that don’t signal an unconditional stimulus
Therapeutic use of classical conditioning?
Treatment of phobias through systematic desensitization
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences (reinforcement and punishment)
Limitations in classical conditioning?
Oversimplifies complex human behaviors to stimulus-response relationships
Ethical concerns
Limited scope
What is Jean Piaget known for?
Theories of cognitive development in children
Who measure the speed of the neural impulse int he 1800’s?
Hermann von Helmholtz
What is psychophysics?
The relationship between the mental experiences of the senses and the material (external reality)
What is applied psychology?
The application of psychology to everyday life
Who developed the modern intelligence tests?
Alfred Binet
What does the experimental method allow researchers to establish?
Cause and effect relationships
What does experimental method involve?
Manipulating one variable and seeing its effect/change in another variable
Key components of experimental method
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Control group
Experimental group
The placebo effect
Is based on the physiological component that accompanies each drug therapy
What can prevent confounds from affecting results of experiment ?
Double blind procedure
A double-blind clinical trial
It is one in which both participants and study personnel do not know which participant is receiving the real drug or a placebo
The placebo effect is mediated by what?
The secretion of endogenous opioids
What is the most important thing about experiments?
Random assignment
What does the observational method involve?
Observing subjects in their natural environment without intervention
2 types of observation
Naturalistic observation (natural context, no interference)
Participant observation (researcher is part of group being studied to observe behavior from within)
Disadvantages of survey method
Self reported bias
Lack of depth
What does the case study method involve?
In-depth study of a single individual or group (useful in unique/rare cases)
Advantages of case study method
Detailed info
Useful for rare conditions
Disadvantages of case study method
Not generalizable
Time-consuming
What is longitudinal study?
Studies same participant over a period of time
Identify long-term effects and development trends
What is a cross sectional study?
Studies participants of different ages at one point in time to compare differences
Quick but can be affected by cohort effects
What are qualitative methods?
Involving non-numerical data
In depth insight into human behavior and experience
What are quantitative methods?
Involving numerical data
Allow objective analysis and comparison
Key ethical principles
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Debriefing
Right to withdraw
Application of psychological methods
Clinical psychology
Educational psychology
Industrial-organizational psychology
