Introduction to Psychology Flashcards
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Psychology
Meaning of “psyche”
Soul
Meaning of “logos”
study
He wrote about the relationship of
the soul to the body (with the
two being aspects of the same
underlying structure).
Aristotle
He felt the soul could exist
separately from the body, a
view that has become
known as dualism.
Plato
He agreed with Plato and believed
that the pineal gland
(a small organ at the base of
the brain involved in sleep) was
the seat of the soul
Rene Descartes
Father of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
He created Structuralism
Edward Titchener
He created Functionalism
William James
He created Gestalt Psychology
Max Wertheimer
He created Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud
He created Behaviorism
Ivan Pavlov
Leader of Behavioral Perspective
B.F. Skinner
This is a reaction to both psychoanalytic theory and behaviorism. People have free will and strive for self-actualization.
Humanistic Perspective
A motivational theory that outlines the stages individuals must fulfill to reach self-actualization
Hierarchy of Needs
Proposed the Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow
Developed person-centered therapy, emphasizing empathy,
unconditional positive regard, and active listening
Carl Rogers
Interest in studying the processes of thought; focus on memory, intelligence, perception, thought processes,
problem solving, language, and learning
Cognitive Perspective
Examines the physical workings of the
brain and nervous system during cognitive activities like
memory, thinking, and decision-making.
cognitive
neuroscience
the
study of groups, social roles, and rules of social actions and
relationships
social psychology
the study of
cultural norms, values, and expectations.
cultural psychology
Combines social psychology and cultural psychology
Sociocultural Perspective
The presence of other people actually lessened
the chances that a person in trouble would receive help; the tendency to feel that someone else is responsible for
taking action when others are present
Bystander Effect
Human and animal behavior is seen as a direct result of events
in the body; study of the physical
structure, function, and development of the nervous system
Biopsychological Perspective
focuses on the biological bases for universal mental characteristics that all humans share
Evolutionary Perspective
no medical training but has a
doctorate degree
Psychologist
has a medical degree and is a
physician who specializes in the diagnosis and
treatment (including the prescription of medications)
of psychological disorders
Psychiatrist
trained in the area of
social work and usually possesses a master’
s degree
in that discipline, focus more on the environmental
conditions that can have an impact on mental
disorders
Psychiatric Social Worker
research for the sake of gaining
scientific knowledge (e.g., how many“things” a
person can hold in memory at any one time)
Basic Research
Research aimed at answering
real-world, practical problems
Applied Research
Steps in the Scientific Approach
Perceiving the Question, Forming a Hypothesis, Testing the Hypothesis, Drawing conclusions, Report your Results
Descriptive Methods
Naturalistic Observation, Laboratory Observation, Case Studies, Surveys
Allows researchers to get a realistic picture of how behavior occurs because they are actually
watching that behavior in its natural setting
Naturalistic Observation
sometimes observing behavior in animals or people is just not practical in a natural setting
Laboratory Observation
One individual is studied in great detail
Case Studies
can be conducted in person in the form of interviews or on the telephone, the Internet, or with a
questionnaire
surveys
some people deliberately give the answer they think is more socially correct rather than their
true opinion so that no one gets offended in a process
Courtesy Bias
tell researchers if there is a relationship between the variables, how strong the relationship is, and in
what direction the relationship goes
Correlations
Only method that will allow researchers to determine the cause of a behavior
Experiment
specifically names the operations (steps or procedures) that the experimenter
must use
Operationalization
variable that is manipulated, independent of anything the participants do
Independent Variable
response of the participants, always the thing (response of subjects or
result of some action) that is measured to see just how the independent variable may have
affected it
Dependent Variable
The phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can
influence their behavior
Placebo Effect
tendency of the experimenter’
s expectations for a study to unintentionally
influence the results of the study; they see what they expect to see; it’
s possible that the
researcher could give the participants clues about how they are supposed to respond — through
the use of body language, tone of voice, or even eye contact
Experimenter Effect
focus of study was
the structure of the mind ; every experience could be broken down into its individual
emotions and sensations
Structuralism
Importance of consciousness to everyday life rather than just its
analysis ; how the mind allows people to function in the real world
Functionalism
psychological events such as perceiving and sensing could not be
broken down into any smaller elements and still be properly understood ; “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”
Gestalt Psychology
Stressed the importance of early childhood experiences, believing
that personality was formed in the first 6 years of life ; all behavior stems from unconscious motivation
Psychoanalysis
showed that a reflex (an involuntary reaction)
could be caused to occur in response
to a formerly unrelated stimulus
Behaviorism
include the unconscious mind and its influence over
conscious behavior and on early childhood experiences, but with
less of an emphasis on sex and sexual motivations and more
emphasis on the development of a sense of self, social and
interpersonal relationships, and the discovery of other
motivations behind a person
’
s behavior
Psychodynamic Perspective
behavioral responses that are followed by
pleasurable consequences are strengthened, or reinforced
Operant Conditioning
