Lesson 2 Flashcards
Define behaviourism.
Theoretical orientation that scientific psychology should study observable behaviour. Relies heavily on the belief that human and animal behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without appeal to thoughts or feelings, and surround the belief that the best way to treat psychological disorders was through altering behaviour patterns. Used a lot of animal research.
What is the humanistic perspective?
Centered around the belief that humans were greater than other species, and emphasizes concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization. The goal is to help humans achieve their full potential. Does not have a lot of progress scientifically, and is not particuarly quantifiable. Deterministic in nature.
The humanistic perspective was primarily brought about by ______ and _____.
Carl rogers, abraham maslow.
Define the cognitive perspective.
The concept of measuring external behaviour in order to use it to make inferences about a person’s inner world and processes. Most psychologists brand themselves as cognitive psychologists. It was mainly derived from a new interest in behaviourism in the late 60s and 70s.
What is the biological perspective of psychology?
An emphasis on how physical/biological processes influence behaviour. Has been a part of psychology since the beginning.
Explain present day sociocultural psychology.
The idea that society/culture/environmental factors influence behaviour. Not rigourously studied in the past. Stresses the relationship and interaction between developing people and the culture that surrounds them.
What is the focus of developmental psychology?
Child development and emotional processes, as well as how individuals grow and change throughout the course of their lifetime.
What is applied psychology? How did it come about?
The concept of laboratory to real world science. Primarily drawn from recruitment of soldiers in world war III, with tests to determine mental capacity and therefore clinic diagnoses (clinical psychology)
Psychometrics is…
…the science of measuring mental capacities and processes, mainly through psychological tests. Currently attempting to develop more robust tests.
What is naive realism?
The belief that we see the world exactly as it is. However, it is a useful starting point for science.
What is the fundamental problem with common sense?
It is actually impossible to believe two contradictory things at the same time.
Describe the works of Ignaz semmelweis.
He worked at a hunagarian hospital with two separate maternity wards, one with a much higher mortallity rate. The only difference was one was run by doctors who would do autopsies in the early morning, and the other group who did not. Discovered that the doctors carried tiny particles transmitte dto the women giving birth, and that hand washing resulted in a noticeably lower mortality rate.
List the steps involved in the scientific method.
- Identify the question of interest
- Gather relevant information and formulate a testable hypothesis
- Analyze the data and draw tentative conclusions
- Report the findings and ask further questions
What is falsifiability?
A hypothesis is falsifiable if it is capable of being disproved.
Describe the concept behind science and induction.
A deductive argument/statement where it is assumed that if the premises are true, the argument’s conclusion must be as well. An inductive argument/statement claims that it is improbable that the conclusion is false because the premise is true.
