History of Psychology

Question 1

What is the mind-body problem?

Answer 1

The debate concerning whether the mind is separate from the body or part of it

Question 2

What other questions are included in the mind-body problem?

Answer 2

Can the mind and body exist separately?
Is the mind something more than just physical?
Is the mind a metaphor we use to describe the functions of the brain?
What is the exact relationship between the mind and the body?

Question 3

Describe Descartes’ ideas

Answer 3

He saw that certain actions were reflexive and so didn’t need to be explained by the introduction of a human mind
This led him to believe that the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to physical laws
He thought that the mind and body are completely separate (dualism) but can interact

Question 4

Where did Descartes think that the interaction between the mind and body occurs?

Answer 4

In the pineal gland - this was because he thought that it could not be separated into two hemispheres (however we now know this is not the case)

Question 5

What is the problem with Descartes’ ideas?

Answer 5

If the mind is non-physical then it cannot be studied through physical means, and therefore psychology cannot be scientific

Question 6

What is monism?

Answer 6

The idea that the mind and body are one

Question 7

Who are some notable monists?

Answer 7

Thomas Hobbes
John Locke

Question 8

What did Thomas Hobbes say?

Answer 8

“The mind is not a separate spiritual entity but simply a product of physical events in the brain”

Question 9

What is empiricism?

Answer 9

The pursuit of truth through observation and experience
The idea that all knowledge comes from our interaction with the world through our senses

Question 10

Why is monism a more conducive view for the development of psychology as a science?

Answer 10

Because it states that the brain is physical and part of the body, and therefore it can interact with its environment, allowing it to be observed and studied
Also, the emphasis on empiricism is beneficial as it is more reliable than the use of reason - even if our individual senses are deceived, the same empirical evidence is observable to everyone

Question 11

What developments in the field of psychology took place in the 19th century?

Answer 11

Advances in physiology and medicine, for example, electrically stimulating the brains of animals and mapping the areas that controlled body movements
Understanding that damage to specific areas of the brain are linked with certain behavioural and mental impairments

Question 12

What is psychophysics?

Answer 12

The study of how the experience of sensations depends on the characteristics of physical stimuli
It measures how much a physical stimulus has to change before someone is able to detect the change
It allowed us to map the relationship between the physical world and out internal understanding of it

Question 13

What did Wundt do?

Answer 13

He modelled psychology after the natural sciences, believing that the mind could be studied by breaking it down into its basic components
He also created the first laboratory in 1879

Question 14

What is structuralism?

Answer 14

The first school of thought in psychology, started by Edward Titchener
It emphasised the fundamental need to identify the basic building blocks of the mind using introspection

Question 15

What is introspection?

Answer 15

Participants were presented with various kinds of sensory stimuli and trained to describe their inner experiences of them - they would express the different components they were thinking about, how these are separate from each other and how they interact

Question 16

Why was introspection criticised?

Answer 16

Different people can differ in their introspection of the same stimulus
The same person can differ in their introspection between different times
It is not verifiable as we can never know if a participant is telling the truth
This is not what we do in the real world - instead we experience each stimulus as part of a bigger picture
This all means it is too unreliable

Question 17

What was Darwin’s theory?

Answer 17

Behaviours can best be explained by understanding their role in the adaptation of an organism to its environment
Just as our physical bodies change in order to survive and reproduce, so do our behaviours - they can be inherited and evolve

Question 18

What is functionalism?

Answer 18

The next major school of thought, influenced by Darwin’s work
Argued that the function of the mind is more important than its structure, and placed emphases on observable behaviour rather than private mental sensations

Question 19

What is the psychodynamic perspective?

Answer 19

Developed by Freud, who focused on the idea of a dynamic unconscious that influences our behaviour and personality

Question 20

How did Freud devise psychoanalysis?

Answer 20

His patients often had medical symptoms with no obvious physical cause, leading him to argue that they instead had unknown psychological causes
When he used free association, patients would reveal painful and long-forgotten experiences, and after doing so, their symptoms would improve

Question 21

What is the behavioural perspective?

Answer 21

It focuses on the role of the external environment on behaviour
Argues that behaviour is jointly determined by our previous experiences and stimuli in our immediate environment

Question 22

What did Watson think?

Answer 22

Psychology should stick to observable events and not use mentalistic terminology
Human beings are products of their learning experiences

Question 24

Describe Skinner’s ideas

Answer 24

He believed that the causes of human behaviour reside in the outside world - “a person does not act upon the world, the world acts upon him”
He argues that behaviour is shaped by rewarding and punishing consequences

Question 25

What is Skinner’s approach known as and why is it controversial?

Answer 25

Radical Behaviourism
Because he completely rejects the idea of free will and focuses too heavily on external environments

Question 26

What is cognitive behaviourism?

Answer 26

Argues that our expectations and thoughts interact with learning and the environment to affect how we behave

Question 27

What is the humanistic perspective?

Answer 27

Emphasises personal responsibility, personal growth and finding meaning in one’s own existence - this is linked to positive psychology and therapeutic techniques

Question 28

What is the cognitive perspective?

Answer 28

The study of mental processes, how they develop and how they influence behaviour

Question 29

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 29

Uses sophisticated electrical recording and brain-imaging techniques to examine brain activity while people engage in cognitive tasks

Question 30

What is social constructivism?

Answer 30

Maintains that what we consider reality is largely our own mental creation, from a shared way of thinking among members of social groups

Question 31

What is a culture?

Answer 31

The values, beliefs, behaviours and traditions shared by a large group of people and passed down over generations

Question 32

What are individualistic cultures?

Answer 32

They are driven by individuals and people taking personal responsibility
They are often present in Western countries

Question 33

What are collectivist cultures?

Answer 33

They are driven by groups and people valuing group responsibility rather than individual responsibility
They are often present in Eastern countries

Question 34

What is the sociocultural perspective?

Answer 34

Examines how the social environment and cultural learning influence our behaviour, thoughts and feelings

Question 35

What is the process of socialisation?

Answer 35

All cultures develop their own social norms, existing for all types of social behaviours. For cultures to endure, each new generation must internalise the norms and values of their group - this is socialisation

Question 36

What is cross-cultural psychology?

Answer 36

Explores how culture is transmitted to its members
Examines psychological similarities and differences among people from diverse cultures

Question 37

What is the biological perspective?

Answer 37

Examines how brain processes and bodily functions regulate and influence mind and behaviour
Addresses the role of genetics and evolution

Question 38

What are the two fields of the biological perspective?

Answer 38

Behavioural neuroscience
Evolutionary psychology

Question 39

What is behavioural neuroscience?

Answer 39

Emphasises the role of brain processes and physiology on behaviour, sensation, emotion and thought

Question 40

What is evolutionary psychology?

Answer 40

The idea that many human mental abilities and behavioural tendencies are by-products of millions of years of evolution