Introduction Flashcards

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1
Q

What is psychology?

A

the scientific study of mind and behaviour
- psychologists study everything about the human experience from basic workings of the human brain to consciousness, memory, language, reasoning, personality and mental health

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2
Q

What does psychology mean?

A
  • psych = soul
  • ology = scientific study of
  • Psychology = scientific study of mind and behaviour
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3
Q

What is structuralism?

A

understanding the conscious experience through introspection

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4
Q

What is functionalism?

A

focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment

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5
Q

What is psychoanalytic theory?

A

focuses on the role of unconscious in affecting conscious behaviour

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6
Q

What is Gestalt psychology?

A

focuses on humans as a whole rather than individual parts

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7
Q

What is behaviourism?

A

focuses on observing and controlling behaviour

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8
Q

what is humanism?

A

emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans

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9
Q

Who is Wilhelm Wundt?

A
  • credited as one of the founders of psychology
  • created the first laboratory for psychological research
  • emphasises **structuralism **
    -> focused on understanding the structure and characteristics of the mind through introspection
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10
Q

What is introspection?

A

Process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its components

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11
Q

Who is William James?

A
  • the first american psychologist
  • druch from the functionality of cognitive processes
  • created functionalism(=emphasised how mental activities contributed to basic environmental survival)
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12
Q

Who is Sigmund Freud?

A
  • highly influental in psychology history
  • founded psychoanalytical theory -> perspective which dominated clinical psychology for decades
  • studied hysteria and neurosis
  • theorised that many of his patients’ problems arose from the unconscious mind
  • believed that on was the unconscious mind would be accessed through dream analysis
  • psychoanalytic theory focuses on the role of a person’s unconscious and early childhood experiences
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13
Q

Who are Kohler, Koffka and Wertheimer?

A
  • German psychologists who immigrated to USA (Nazi Germany)
    -** Gestalt Psychology** = based on the idea that although sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how those party relate to each other as a whole is often what the individual responds to in perception
  • Ideas of Gestalt still influence research on sensation and perception
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14
Q

Who is Ivan Pavlov?

A

-classical conditioning
- discovered classical conditioning
- studied conditioned reflexes in which an animal produced a reflex (unconscious) response to a stimulus and over time was conditioned to produve the response to a different stimulus that the experimenter associated with the original stimulus

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15
Q

Who is John B. Watson?

A
  • father of behaviourism
  • believed that objective analysis of the mind was impossible
  • focused on the observable behaviour and ways to control behaviour
  • today, used in behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapy
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16
Q

Who is B. F. Skinner?

A
  • concentrated on how behaviour was affected by its consequences
  • studied principles pf modifying behaviour through reinforcements and punishment which he saw as major factors in driving behaviour (operant conditioning)

eg when a mouse pushes a button to release food (reinforcement), when pu

17
Q

Who is Abraham Maslow?

A

humanism
– proposed a hierarchy of human needs in motivating behaviour
- asserted that so long as basic needs necessary for survival were met, higher level needs would begin to motivate behaviour
- Maslow hierarchy of needs (the pyramid )
5. self actualisation: inner fulfillment
4. esteem : self worth, accomplishment
3. social : family, friendship, intimacy
2. security: safety, employment
1. physiological: food, water, shelter, warmth

18
Q

Who is Carl Rogers?

A

humanism
- developed a client-centered therapy method that has been influential in clinical settings
- client-centered therapy involves the patient taking a lead role in therapy
- rogers believed that therapists need:
1. unconditional positive regard
2. genuineness
3. empathy

19
Q

What is the cognitive revolution?

A
  • by 1950s, new disciplinary perspectives in linguistics, neuroscience and computer science were emerging
  • mind became the focus of scientific inquiry
  • noam chomsky: very influential in the revolution -> believed that psychology needed to incorporate mental functioning into its focus in order to fully understand human behaviour
20
Q

Margeret Floy Washburn

A
  • first woman with doctorate in Psychology
  • researched on animal behaviour and published an authoritative text on the subject
21
Q

branches of psychology

A
  • biopsychology and evolutionary psychology
  • sensation and perception
  • cognitive psychology
  • developmental psychology
  • personality psychology
  • social psychology
  • health psychology
  • industrial-organizational psychology
  • sports and exercise psychology
  • clinical psychology
  • forensic psychology
22
Q

Biopsychology

A
  • study how the structure and the function of the nervous system generate behaviour
  • research include:
    sensory and motor system, sleep, drug use/abuse, ingestive behaviour, reproductive behaviour, neurodevelopment, plasticity of nervous system, biological correlates of psychological disorders
23
Q

Sensation and perception

A
  • focuses on both physiological aspects of sensory systems and the psychological experience of sensory information
  • Sensory = sensory information (sight, etc)
  • Perception = experience of the world which is influenced by where we focus our attention, our previous experiences and our cultural backgrounds
24
Q

Developmental psychology

A
  • studies the physical and mental attributes of aging and maturation
  • include various skills that are acquired throughout growth -> moral reasoning, cognitive skills and social skills
  • Jean Piaget -> theories regarding changes in cognitive ability that occur as we move from infancy to adulthood
25
Q

personality psychology

A
  • focuses on behaviours and thought patterns that are unique to each individual
  • studies include unconscious and conscious thinking, identifying personalty traits
  • five factor model
26
Q

social psychology

A
  • how individuals interact and relate with others and how such interactions can affect behaviour
    -> prejudice, attraction, interpersonal conflicts, obedience
27
Q

health psychology

A
  • focuses on how individual health is directly related or affected by biological, psychological and sociocultural influences.
  • The biopsychosocial model suggests that health/illness is determined by an interaction of these 3 factors
28
Q

clinical psychology

A
  • focuses on diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and problematic patterns of behaviour
  • study involves clinical therapy and counseling
29
Q

industrial - organisational psychology

A

applies psychological theories, principles and research to industrial and organizational settings

30
Q

sports and exercise psychology

A

focus on psychological aspects regarding sports and physical performance -> study includes motivation, performance related anxiety, general mental well being

31
Q

forensic psychology

A

deals with justice system
- includes assessment of individual’s mental competency to stand in trial, sentencing and treatment suggestions, advisement regarding eyewitness testimonies
- required a strong understanding of the legal system