History and Approaches Flashcards
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes.
Define behaviour as it relates to psychology.
Observable actions.
_________ are defined as internal experiences, including feelings and thoughts.
Mental processes
Why is psychology a scientific study?
- Uses empirical data to disprove hypotheses
- Describes, predicts, and explains behaviour and mental processes
- Systematic collection and observation of data
An example of the nurture vs. nature controversy is whether intelligence is _____ or derives from _____.
1 Inherited; experience
Define dualism as it relates to psychology.
The view that the mind and body both exist as separate entities
What is monism?
The idea that the brain and the mind are one and the same; every mental state is reducible to an identical brain state
Plato and Descartes, believers in dualism, are on the side of ________ in the nature vs. nurture controversy.
Nature - Descartes believed knowledge was innate and the pineal gland was considered the mind.
Which side in the nature vs. nurture controversy are Aristotle and Locke, believers in monism, on?
Nurture - Locke’s “tabula rasa” translates to “blank slate” suggesting that knowledge is learned through experience.
Psychology grew out of which discipline(s) in Ancient Greece?
Philosophy, physiology, and biology.
Who is credited with the foundation of scientific psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt, who performed the earliest studies in 1879 in Germany, is considered the father of the discipline of psychology. He created the first lab dedicated to psychological research, and wanted to measure consciousness.
_____ examines the structure of the mind and basic elements of consciousness. Proponents of this system felt that consciousness should be the data of psychology and the best way to research was by using individuals who were trained in introspection.
Structuralism
Introspection
Introspection is the process whereby observers look inward and objectively analyse their sensory experience.
Name the first president of the American Psychological Association (APA).
G. Stanley Hall.
Who was Edward Titchener?
Titchener, a researcher at Cornell University, was one of the earliest structuralists. He felt that psychology should study the structure of consciousness, and that meant studying sensations, images, and affections, or, emotions.
__________ was the first woman to receive her Ph.D. in psychology.
Margaret Floy Washburn.
Define functionalism as it relates to psychology.
- Functionalism was the school of thought that was a reaction to structuralism.
- Functionalism studies how the mind adapts to its environment.
- Functionalism was interested in individual differences, whereas structuralism was interested in groups of people.
Who was Mary Whiton Calkins?
The first female president of the American Psychological Association, or, APA.
Name three of the earliest functionalists.
- William James
- James Cattell
- John Dewey
How did William James contribute to functionalism?
James published psychology’s first textbook, called “The Principles of Psychology”, from a functionalist perspective.
Which psychological approach does this statement reflect?
Behaviour results from learning through experience.
Behavioural
What is behaviour modification?
A set of techniques to help individuals unlearn habits that have led to psychological problems.
Describe Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning experiments.
Pavlov, an early behaviourist, in his famous classical conditioning experiment, trained dogs to salivate in response to the sound of a bell.
What did John Watson believe psychology should study?
Watson, as one of the earliest behaviourists, felt that psychology should be the science of overt behaviour and reject the study of mental processes.
Who is the psychologist behind operant conditioning of rats and pigeons?
B. F. Skinner
Define: Operant conditoning
Trainining organisms to repeat responses that lead to rewards and not to repeat responses that lead to punishment.
What is the key premise in Gestalt psychology?
Gestalt psychology stresses that the whole process should be studied, rather than specific parts.
- Gestalt psychology was a reaction to structuralism
- While structuralism seeks to study the elements that makes up consciousness, Gestalt psychology stresses the idea that “whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts”
Max Wertheimer was a _____ psychologist.
Gestalt
What are the ABCs of behaviour according to the behavioural approach?
- Antecedent environmental conditions
- Behavioural actions
- Consequences of behaviour
Where do behavioural geneticists believe behaviour comes from?
Particular behaviours are attributed to genetically-based psychological characteristics.
Who is the father of psychoanalysis?
Sigmund Freud
According to psychoanalysis, early life experiences are related to the development of one’s ______ later in life.
Personality
Other than Sigmund Freud, name four psychologists who associate with the psychoanalytic perspective.
- Carl Jung
- Alfred Adler
- Karen Horney
- Heinz Kohut
The ______ approach studies unconscious motives, while the biological approach studies chemical processes.
Psychoanalytic
What is the difference between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind?
The conscious mind is readily accessible, while the the subconscious mind is inaccessible but influences behaviour.
Define: Repression
Psychoanalytic term for burying information in the subconscious
________, unlike behaviourists, believe free will guides behaviour and leads to personal growth.
Humanists.
Define: humanism
Humanism is the psychological perspective that believes humans have unique qualities of behaviour that differ from other organisms.
Name two psychologists who associate with the humanistic approach.
- Abraham Maslow
2. Carl Rogers
Technological advances and physiological research formed the basis of the _________ approach.
biological; The biological approach is also known as biopsychology or neuroscience
According to the biological perspective, behaviour is related to the ________ processes within the nervous and endocrine systems.
chemical
Which psychological approach does this statement reflect?
Behaviours that contribute to survival and reproduction are naturally selected.
Evolutionary
Who was the inspiration behind the evolutionary approach to psychology?
Charles Darwin
Darwin’s theory of natural selection said all creatures have evolved over tie in order to survive and reproduce.
Which psychological approach focuses on thinking, language, and how humans receive, store, and process information?
Cognitive
Who first studied the cognitive development of children?
Jean Piaget
The structuralists studied consciousness, thinking, and memory. This area of psychology is currently known as _____.
Cognition
Which psychological approach does this statement reflect?
People from different cultures, interpret gestures, body language, and verbal language differently.
Sociocultural — These psychologists study how cultural differences affect behaviour.
Organise in chronological order from earliest to latest, based on when each became popular:
- Sociocultural approach
- Behavioural approach
- Humanistic approach
- The behavioural approach became popular in the early 20th century with Pavlov’s research
- The humanistic approach came about in the mid-20th century in opposition to Behaviourism
- Lastly, the sociocultural approach grew toward the end of the century as there were more interactions between different cultures
Instead of calling themselves bio-cog-socio-humanists, these psychologists would identify as being _________ psychologists.
Eclectic
Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals evaluate and treat mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders.
Clinical psychologists
What do counseling psychologists specialise in?
Counseling psychologists help people make changes in their lifestyles.
What do developmental psychologists study?
Developmental psychologists study psychological development over an individual’s lifespan.
_______ psychologists study the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
Educational
Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals study how humans improve technology and consumer products
Engineering psychologists — Engineering psychologists are also known as human factors psychologists.
Forensic psychologists study the relationship between psychology and ___________.
Legal issues.
Health psychologists study the biological, social, and psychological factors surrounding health and __________.
Illness
What do industrial/organizational psychologists specialize in?
Industrial/organizational psychologists focus on improving productivity in the workplace
Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals examine the relationships between the brain, nervous system, and behavior.
Neuropsychologists are also known as:
- biological psychologists
- biopsychologists
- behavioral geneticists
- physiological psychologists
- behavioral neuroscientists
__________ psychologists explore attitudes, traits, and goals of individuals.
Personality
Identify the type of psychologist:
These individuals examine methods for discovering and interpreting psychological data.
Psychometricians — Psychometricians are also known as psychometric psychologists and measurement psychologists.
Identify the type of psychologist:
These individuals assist patients with mental disabilities, developmental disabilities, and disabilities from physical trauma.
Rehabilitation psychologists
What do school psychologists specialize in?
School psychologists focus on counseling students, educators, and parents.
What do social psychologists study?
Social psychologists study how an individual’s thoughts and behavior are related to his or her interactions with other people.
Identify the type of psychologist:
These individuals assist athletes in narrowing their focus on goals, increasing motivation, and coping with the fear of failure.
S:ports psychologists
