Intro Chapter Flashcards
What does Psychology seek to do?
Psychology is a science that seeks to answer such questions as: how and why we think, feel, and act as we do.
How is psychology a science, and why is it the “rat is always right”?
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What is an empirical approach?
An empirical approach is an evidence-based method that draws on observation and experimentation.
What are the the key elements of the scientific attitude, and how do they support scientific inquiry?
What is critical thinking?
Smart thinking, called critical thinking, examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
Further, critical thinking does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.
It asks:
How do they know that? What is this person’s agenda? Is the conclusion based on anecdote, or on evidence? Does the evidence justify a cause-effect conclusion? What alternative explanations are possible?
What were some important milestones in psychology’s early development?
Before 300 B.C.E., the Greek naturalist and philosopher Aristotle theorized about learning and memory, motivation and emotion, perception and personality.
What is structuralism?
An eearly school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.
What is functionalism?
An early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.
Who was Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920)?
Wundt established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany.
Who was Edward Bradford Titchener (1867–1927)
Titchener used introspection to search for the mind’s structural elements.
What event defined the start of scientific psychology?
Scientific psychology began in Germany in 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory.
Why did introspection fail as a method for understanding how the mind works?
People’s self-reports varied, depending on the experience and the person’s intelligence and verbal ability.
The school of ___________ used introspection to define the mind’s makeup; ___________ focused on how mental processes enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.
structuralism; functionalism
What is behaviorism?
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
What is humanistic psychology?
historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential.
From the 1920s through the 1960s, the two major forces in psychology were ___________ and ___________ psychology.
behaviorism; Freudian
What is cognitive psychology
the study of mental processes, such as occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems.
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).
Wha is the definition of e psychology?
the science of behavior and mental processes
What are nature–nurture issues?
the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.
natural selection
the principle that inherited traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.
evolutionary psychology
the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.
behavior genetics
the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
How did the cognitive revolution affect the field of psychology?
It recaptured the field’s early interest in mental processes and made them legitimate topics for scientific study.
