Lecture 1 - History of Psychology Flashcards
Definition of Psychology
The scientific study of behaviour and the mind
Psychologist
Scientists who use the scientific method to acquire knowledge on behaviour and the mind
Mind
The internal states and processes of the brain
Psychology goals (three B’s)
Describe behaviour, explain causes for behaviour, predict behaviour under certain conditions
Early Psychology
Pre 19th century; based in philosophy
Hippocrates
Ancient Greek physician - first person to explain illness based on science rather than supernatural
Theory of Humorism (Greeks/Romans)
- The body is made up of 4 principal humours
- Complex system of interactions
- good health = humours in balance
- Primary way of understanding biology and psychology
Humours
Black bile, blood, yellow bile, phlegm
Definition of humour
Explained the balance of life
Rene Descartes
(1596 - 1650) Philosopher and mathematician
- Minds are immaterial
- Bodies are material
- Substance dualism
- Mind-body problem
Substance dualism
Life possess both physical and metaphysical properties
Interactionism
The interaction between the physical and metaphysical
Mind-body problem
- how do minds and bodies interact
- how does the physical affect the mental vice versa
Reductive physicalism
Idea that life is comprised solely of physical matter
16th Century
Psychology’s beginnings as a science
Steven Blankaart
(1650-1704) Dutch physician who distinguished psychology as the study of the mind
Wilhelm Wundt
(1832-1920) German psychologist who established psychology as a distinct discipline. Study of the components of consciousness –> relies on introspection
- Structuralist
Structuralism
Focus on the components of consciousness, rather than function
William James
(1842-1910) American psychologist who coined functionalism.
- Influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution
Functionalism
Analysis of the function of consciousness; how behaviour impacts the life of an organism
- Operation of the whole mind, rather than individual parts
Psychodynamic theory
Freud’s theory to explain the reason behind human behaviour
- focus on the subconscious mind
Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939) Austian neurologist known for his outlandish psychoanalytic theory. His ideas helped revolutionize the field of modern psychology
Psychoanalytical theory
Focuses on the role of a person’s unconscious and childhood experiences as a cause to current behaviour and development of personality
Modern view on Freudian Theory
Research has identified brain mechanisms that produce unconscious emotional reactions
Occam’s Razor (1285-1347/49)
A principal of parsimony; practice of economy when it comes to choosing an explanation –> contains the fewest amounts of assumptions
John B. Watson
(1878-1958) American psychologist that is responsible for the shift of psychology from the study of the mind to the scientific study of behaviour (behaviourism)
- Obejective analysis of the mind is impossible
- Behaviour is a product of the subconscious, which is quantifiable
Behaviourism
The study of observing and controlling behaviour
B. F Skinner
(1904-1990) American psychologist that enhanced behaviourism; established a prominent role in psychology
- Discovered operant conditioning
Operant conditioning
A method of learning that involves positive and negative reinforcement for certain behaviours with the goal of the subject learning a certain behaviour in order to be rewarded and avoid punishment
Humanistic perspective
A perspective that emphasizes the potential for good which is innate in all human beings
- People are more than the sum of their parts
- Subjective
- Opposes fundamentalism and structuralism
Carl Rogers
(1902-1987) American psychologist who developed client centered therapy in which the patient takes a directive role in their healing process
Three elements needed for client centered therapy
Unconditional positive regard, genuineness, empathy
Abraham Maslow
(1908-1970) American psychologist who proposed a hierarchy of human needs in motivating behaviour (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs). Higher levels lead to self-actualization –> full potential
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Physiological 2. Security 3. Social 4. Esteem 5. Self-actualization
