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PSYCH 101 > Introduction to Psychology > Flashcards

Introduction to Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

Psychology

A

The scientific investigation of behaviour and mental processes

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2
Q

Testing out hunches and intuitions, careful observations and rigorous measurement and analysis

A

Scientific

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3
Q

anything we do - observable phenomenon

A

Behaviour

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4
Q

internal, subjective experiences - sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings

A

mental processes

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5
Q

Psychology is characterized by

A

historical questions (who are we? or why are we who we are?)

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6
Q

Philosophical Origins:

“An unexamined life is not worth living”

A

Socrates quote

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7
Q

Philosophical Origins:

Socrates and Plato (400 BCE) believed

A

-The mind is separate from the body
-Mind endures after death
-Knowledge is born within us (innate) and who we are as people are predetermined

-Believed the mind existed before and after death
-mind existed in heavens

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8
Q

Philosophical Origins:

Socrates and Plato are both -

A

Mind-body dualists

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9
Q

Philosophical Origins:

Aristotle believed

A

-Mind and body are connected (mind does not exist until the body exists)
-Knowledge is acquired through experience
-Mind as a blank slate (tabula rasa) - John Locke

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10
Q

Philosophical Origins:

Avicenna (980-1037 CE) believed

A

Human intellect at birth is a Blank Sheet

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11
Q

Philosophical Origins:

Avicenna (980-1037 CE) believed that knowledge comes from

A

Knowledge comes from “empirical familiarity with objects in this world”

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12
Q

Philosophical Origins:

What two things did Ibn Tufail (1105-1185 CE) do

A

-Demonstrated this idea through an allegorical tale in his book Hay ibn Yaqzan
-Influenced John Locke’s later formula of tabula rasa

Ibn Tufail demonstrated his philosophical ideas through an allegorical tale in his book Hayy ibn Yaqzan (Alive, Son of Awake). The story explores themes of self-discovery, knowledge, and the nature of human reason. It follows a boy, Hayy, who grows up alone on a deserted island and, through observation and reason, comes to understand the natural world, spirituality, and the existence of God without external guidance.

This work influenced later European thinkers, including John Locke, particularly in developing the concept of tabula rasa (the mind as a blank slate) and the idea that knowledge comes from experience and reason rather than innate ideas.

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13
Q

The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700)

Copernicus

A

-Copernicus - On the revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres

-On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium) is a groundbreaking work in astronomy written by Nicolaus Copernicus and first published in 1543. The book marked a transformative moment in the history of science, as it introduced the heliocentric model of the universe, which posited that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the center of the solar system.
-direct observation

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14
Q

The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700)

Newton and the discovery of gravity

A
  • a force acting on falling objects
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15
Q

The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700)

Vesalius’ work on dissection - anatomical view of human body

A

-on dissection - anatomical view of human body

-Andreas Vesalius’ work on human anatomy, particularly through his landmark book De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body), published in 1543, revolutionized the study of the human body and modern medicine. It is one of the most significant works in the history of anatomy and represents a critical shift in the scientific understanding of human physiology.
-direct observation

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16
Q

The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700)

Interest in finding natural laws through science - how can we do that with people?

A

-gives the impression that events occur by forces of nature
-are we influenced by the physical world?
-leads to the mind-body problem

17
Q

The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700)

3 major events

A

-Copernicus - On the revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres

-Newton and the discovery of gravity
a force acting on falling objects

-Vesalius’ work on dissection - anatomical view of human body

18
Q

The Mind-Body Problem? Who?

A

-How can a physical body and an immaterial mind interact?
-Mind and body are both distinct and connected
-Renee Descartes (1596-1650)
-Substance in the blood (“animal
spirits”) flows from the brain to
the muscles, producing movement

The Mind-Body Problem
“…it is necessary to believe that the spirits, flowing through the nerves into the muscles, and inflating them sometimes more and sometimes less, now some, now
others according to the different ways in which the brain distributes them, cause the movements of all the limbs; and that the little threads of which the internal
substance of the nerves is composed serve the senses.”

19
Q

The Mind-Body Problem

-John Locke proposed
that
-1632-1704

A

-the mind and the body could be
made of the same substance (all physical)
-wondered that if knowledge is innate, why don’t we know it all from birth?

20
Q

The Mind-Body Problem

-James Mill proposed that

-1773-1836

A

the mind may be entirely physical,
and therefore follow laws

21
Q

Physiology’s Input:

Hermann Von Helmholtz demonstrated

A

-nerves take time to transmit (1849)

-Stimulated frogs’ nerves at
varying lengths from the
muscle. When the stimulus
was further away, it contracted slower.
-measured the speed of the nerve impulses which was 1/10th the speed of sound

-proves that neural communication is not instantaneous -this was groundbreaking because it disproved the belief that nerve signals were instantaneous and showed that physical processes underlie thought and sensation

22
Q

Psychology’s Birth:

Structuralism

A

-Wilhelm Wundt & Edward
Bradford Titchener
-Examined the individual
structures of the mind
through introspection
-Reduce overall perception into
simple sensory constituents

Explanation: Structuralism, pioneered by Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener, aimed to break down mental processes into basic components. Using introspection, individuals analyzed their thoughts and sensations to identify the “building blocks” of perception. These elements were then organized into a table based on their structure, similar to a periodic table, to systematically understand the mind.

23
Q

Psychology’s birth was discovered through

A

structuralism and functionalism

24
Q

Psychology’s Birth:

Functionalism

A

-William James (influenced by evolution, said we act in a certain way due to the past, and was interested in consciousness)
-Focus on how mental and
behavioral processes function
-What purpose do the activities
of the mind serve? How can
this help us survive as a
species?

25
Q

Psychology’s 3 levels of analysis

A

-Biological Influences
-Psychological Influences
-Sociocultural Influences

26
Q

Psychology’s 3 levels of analysis:

Biological Influences

A

Genetic predispositions,
evolutionary adaptations, brain
anatomy and function

27
Q

Psychology’s 3 levels of analysis:

Psychological Influences

A

Perception, cognitive
processing, learned
expectations, motivation,
emotional responses

28
Q

Psychology’s 3 levels of analysis

Sociocultural Influences

A

Interpersonal relationships,
peer and group influences,
cultural, societal, and family
expectations

29
Q

BioPsychoSocial Approach: Applied

How would you explain this from the

A

-Biological perspective?
-Psychological perspective?
-Social perspective?

30
Q

BioPsychoSocial Approach: Applied

Biological perspective

A

Examples:
-addictiveness
-genetic predisposition
-neurotransmitters reward system, increase our energy levels

31
Q

BioPsychoSocial Approach: Applied:

Psychological (internal) perspective

A

Examples:
-coping mechanism (mask pain)
-motivation
-beliefs about alcohol

32
Q

BioPsychoSocial Approach: Applied

Social (environmental) perspective

A

Examples:
peer pressure
-norms
-environment growing up (parents are alcoholics)

33
Q

Assumptions of Psychology (and science):

Empiricism

A

Knowledge about the world is based on careful observation, not common sense

-direct observation
-have to see it to be true

34
Q

Assumptions of Psychology (and science):

Determinism

A

All events (including human behaviour) are governed by lawful, cause-and-effect relationships

-actions are predetermined from everything leading up to one moment (brain couldn’t have decided anything differently (hard determinism)
-everything happens as a result of past events and causes
-lots of factors that lead to events

-this theory increases compassion as people recognize it happened beyond people’s control

PSYCH 101 (5 decks)

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