HPS111-T1-Topic 1-The Science of Psychology-2016 Flashcards
Define psychology and indicate what levels of behaviours it incorporates.
Psychology is the study of mind and behaviour. It incorporates biological, Psychological, and environmental levels.
List and describe the central goals of psychology.
Description, Explanation, control, and application.
Psychology is an empirical science based on
Testing and observation.
Describe how nature and nurture are inextricably entwined.
It incorporates biological/genetic (nature) with environmental/social (nurture).
Understand that the mind is adaptive.
The mind is adaptive in two ways; 1) As we learn new things new neural pathways grow. 2) In brain injured people, parts of the brain can adapt to do what the damaged part can no longer do.
Describe the various ways that psychological science crosses levels of analysis.
Behaviour can be examined at biological, psychological, and environmental/social levels.
At the biological level of analysis we can
Study behaviour and it’s causes in terms of brain functioning, hormones and genetic factors shaped over the course of evolution.
At the psychological level of analysis we might look to
The cognitive perspective and analyse how thought, memory, and planning influence behaviour. Borrowing from the psychodynamic and humanistic perspectives, we can examine how motives and personality traits influence behaviour.
At the environmental level of analysis the
Behavioural and sociocultural perspectives lead us to examine how stimuli in the physical and social environment shape our behaviour, thoughts and feelings.
Explain the multiple influences on how we think, feel and act.
Biological, psychological and environmental/social.
Discuss psychology’s philosophical and scientific roots.
Early philosophers held the belief that the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to physical laws that govern the body.
Descartes proposed that
Descartes proposed that the mind and body interact through the brain’s tiny pineal gland.
Monism held that
Monism held that the mind is not a separate entity. Monism helped set the stage for psychology because it implied that the mind could be studied by measuring physical processes.
British Empiricism held that
British empiricism held that all ideas and knowledge is gained through the senses.
Describe the psychodynamic perspective, highlighting Freud’s psychoanalytic theory.
The psychodynamic perspective dominated thinking about personality, mental disorders and psychotherapy. Modern psychodynamic theories continue to explore how unconscious and conscious aspects of personality influence behaviour.
Describe the behavioural perspective.
Behaviourism is a school of thought that emphasises environmental control of behaviour through learning.
Watson argued that
Watson argued that the subject matter of psychology was observable behaviour.
Skinner believed that
Skinner believed that the real causes of behaviour reside in the ‘outer world’. ‘A person does not act on the world, the world acts upon him’.
According to Thorndike’s law of effect
According to Thorndike’s law of effect, responses followed by satisfying consequences become more likely to recur, and those followed by unsatisfying consequences become less likely to occur.
Pavlov revealed how
Pavlov revealed how learning occurs when events are associated with one another.
Describe the humanistic perspective.
Humanism emphasises free will, personal-growth and the attempt to find meaning in one’s experience.
Maslow called ‘belongingness’ a
Basic human need for social acceptance and companionship.
Rogers identified
Key aspects of psychotherapy that led to constructive changes in clients.
Describe the cognitive perspective
The cognitive perspective is a view that emphasises humans as information processors and problem solvers, and that focusses on the mental processes that influence behaviour.
