lec 1 story of psych and critical thinking Flashcards
what is psychology defined as?
scientific study of behaviour and mental processes
what is behaviour defined as?
observable, recordable events/actions
what are mental processes defined as?
unconcious states
what are the 3 components of a scientific attitude?
curiosity, skepticism and humility
what are the 4 main goals of psychology?
- describle
- explain
- predict
- change
what is the focus of each of the main goals of psych?
- describle- “what” occurred
- explain- “why” behaviour or mental process occured
- predict- “when”- conditions under which future process/behaviour is likely to occur
- change- prevent unwanted behaviour/ bring about wanted behaviour
what are the two subject ‘roots’ of psych?
philosophy and natural science
what did each of these roots provide?
philsophy- ideas about how knowledge can be aquired
natrual science- understanding nervous system, senses, etc
What idea did Aristotle bring about? (4th century bc)
Empiricism- environment+upbringing shape cognitive abilities
what was john locke’s theory? (17th century)
tabular rosa- blank mind. We aren’t born with inate knowledge, everything we are and become is because of sense perceptions
knowledge derived from experience
wilhem wundt (1832-1920) is considered the ‘father of psych’ with respect to his work, what is a significant event that established psychology as a science?
established first psych lab in Leipzig, Germany in 1879
he added measured observations and experiment which established psych as a science
what was the wundt experiment?
wundt asked participants to hit a telegraph key when they;..
a) hear a ball drop
AND
b) when they’re aware that they are hearing the ball (perceiving)
who founded, and what was the main focus of the early approach of structuralism?
Edward Titchener (1867-1927)
identify basic components/structures of consious experience
what did structuralism examine, how? what are the limitations of this approach?
sensation+perception via introspection (self-observation)
limitations- no independant variable
-objective observations
-many variables
Who founded the early approach of functionalism, what was its purpose?
William James (1842-1927)
- focused on conciousness, NOT structure
-interaction b/w mind and environment (adapt to world)
What was James’ belief about mental processes?
thinking, feeling and cognitions due to adaptation
What important step did James make with respect to gender equality within the field of psychology? what noteable step did the woman make?
Accepted Mary Caulkins into the program, despite the opposite wishes of the university.
Caulkins went on to be first female president of the American Psych Association (APA)
who pioneered the modern behavioural approach? what was the focus of it?
watson via skinner (1960’s)
objective, observeable environmental influences on behaviour
what are some limitations of the behavioural approach?
- can’t study conscioussness b/c can’t be directly observed
-must be able to prove claims thru observations
what was watson’s notable experiment?
little albert; unethical study in mid-20th century, seen as evidence of human conditioning
white rat + loud bang repeatedly to create association between the two unrelated stimuli, little Albert began fearing the white rat without the noise.
what was skinner’s notable experiment?
Project Pigeon aka Project Orcon, short for Organic Control
pigeons trained to peck at a target, and were rewarded with food when task completed correctly
who pioneered the psychoanalytical approach? what is the focus?
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
unconscious mind+effects on human behaviour
unlearned biological instincts
who founded the humanistic approach? what is the focus?
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) and Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
optimistic view on human behaviour
focus:-free will
-self-actualization
-positive, growth seeking human nature
what is the cognitive approach? what does it focus on?
renewed intrest in cognition + biology behind it
focus:-thought perception
-info processing
