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module 1 - history and scope of psych Flashcards

1
Q

modern definition:

psychology

A

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

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2
Q

definition:

behavior

A

anything an organism does / any action that can be observed and recorded

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3
Q

definition:

mental processes

A

internal, subjective experiences that can be inferred from behavior

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4
Q

example:

behavior

A

smiling, yelling, sweating, talking

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5
Q

example:

mental processes

A

dreams, beliefs, thoughts, feelings

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6
Q

what does psychology try to do?

A

attempts to describe and explain human nature by evaluating competing ideas with observations and rigorous analysis

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7
Q

where do the roots of psych trace back to?

A

India, China, the Middle East, and Europe

- the scholars were trying to understand how the mind works and the body’s relation to it

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8
Q

what did buddha and Confucius focus on?

A

powers and origin of ideas

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9
Q

who was Socrates?

A

a philosopher-teacher

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10
Q

who was Plato?

A

a student of Socrates

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11
Q

what did Socrates and Plato conclude?

A
  1. the mind is separable from the body and will continue after the body dies
  2. knowledge is innate (born within us)
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12
Q

who was Aristotle?

A

Plato’s student

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13
Q

what did Aristotle claim about knowledge?

A

knowledge is NOT preexisting (counters Socrates and Plato) but it grows from the experiences stored in our memories

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14
Q

what happened during the 1600s?

A

modern science began to flourish

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15
Q

who was René Descartes, and what are his thoughts on knowledge and the mind?

A

French philosopher and scientist

agreed with Socrates and Plato: mind is separable and knowledge is born within us

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16
Q

who was Francis Bacon, and what were his contributions to psychology?

A

one of the founders of modern science!

centered on experiment, experience, and common-sense judgement

viewed research findings abt how our noticing and remembering events confirm our beliefs

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17
Q

who was John Locke, and what did he think about the mind?

A

British political philosopher who wrote one of history’s greatest and latest papers, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, where he argued that the mind starts as a “white paper” at birth and experience writes on it.

This idea added to Bacon’s idea to form modern empiricism

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18
Q

definition:

empiricism

A

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science flourishes through observation and experiment

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19
Q

when was the birth of psychology?

A

December 1879

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20
Q

when and where was the first true psychology experiment done?

A

in Germany 1879, where Wilhelm Wundt ran the first experiment in psychology’s first lab

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21
Q

who was Wilhelm Wundt

A

a philosopher, physiologist, and teacher who is the founder of the first psychology laboratory @ the University of Leipzig (located in Germany)

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22
Q

definition:

structuralism

A

explores the basic elements of the human mind by using introspection

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23
Q

who is the founder of structuralism?

A

Edward Bradford Titchener (Wundt’s student)

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24
Q

definition:

functionalism

A

focused on how mental and behavioral processes function

how they help an organism adapt, surive, etc

25
who is the founder of functionalism?
William James
26
who was William James known for?
his discovery of functionalism, but also his Harvard teaching and writing
27
what book did William James write?
Principles of Psychology (still very popular and read today)
28
who was Mary Calkins?
James' student
29
what does the sentence "magellans of the mind" refer to?
pioneering psychologists that illustrate psychology's origin
30
who are apart of the "magellans of mind"?
``` William Wundt William James Ivan Pavlov Sigmund Freud Jean Piaget ```
31
how was psychology defined as in the 1920s?
"the science of mental life"
32
how was psychology defined as from the years 1920s to 1960s?
``` "the scientific study of observable behavior" American psychologists (initially led by John B. Watson and later B.F Skinner) refined psychology because they believe science is rooted in observation ```
33
what is humanistic psychology?
emphasized the importance of 1. current environmental influences on growth potential and 2. meeting our needs for love and acceptance
34
who discovered humanistic psychology?
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow
35
what happened to psychology in the 1960s?
it recaptured it initial interest in mental processes through studies of how the mind processes and retains info - cognitive revolution supported ideas by earlier psychologists, but expanded on those ideas - cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience expands the understanding and treatment of disorders
36
how has psychology been doing globally?
it has been growing and globalizing! | membership in psychological societies have been growing rapidly
37
what is the biggest and most persistent issue in psychology?
nature-nurture debate
38
what is the nature-nurture debate?
it concerns the relative contributions of biology and experience (i.e. how genes and experiences develop psychological traits and behavior)
39
what did ancient Greeks think about the nature-nurture debate?
Plato assumed that character and intelligence are mainly inherited, and certain ideas are inborn Aristotle countered
40
what did philosophers in the 1600s think about the nature-nurture debate?
Locke rejected inborn ideas and offered his idea of the mind is a blank sheet Descartes disagreed and believed some ideas are innate
41
who was Charles Darwin?
a voyager who argued that natural selection shapes behavior as well as bodies
42
what is Darwin's principle of Natural Selection?
nature selects those that are best at enabling an organism to survive and reproduce in a certain environment
43
what viewpoints/levels of analysis does the biopsychosocial approach integrate?
influences of biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors
44
why are psychology's varied perspectives complementary?
each perspective provides a valuable vantage point for looking at behavior, but if it is by itself then it is incomplete. SO combing the info from all the different perspectives, gives a better understanding of behaviors and mental processes
45
what are the subfields of psychology?
basic research applied research clinical applications
46
what is basic research and which types of psychologists often perform them?
science that is done to increase the scientific knowledge base biological, developmental, cognitive, personality, and social
47
what is applied research?
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems | (psychologists use concepts and methods to help organizations and companies select and train employees more effectively
48
what do counseling psychologists do?
helps people cope with challenges by recognizing their strengths and resources
49
what do clinical psychologists do?
assess and treat (using psychotherapy) mental, emotional, and behavior disorders
50
what do psychiatrists do?
prescribe drugs and treat physical causes of psychological disorders by providing psychotherapy
51
what is the difference between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?
psychiatrists are licensed medical doctors who can prescribe mental health related drugs
52
what are the effective study techniques?
1. SQ3R 2. distribute your time 3. in class, listen actively 4. overlearn 5. focus on the big ideas 6. be a smart test taker
53
what is the SQ3R acronym stand for?
survey - what you are reading (note a sections main topic to focus your reading) question - keep the learning objective / question in mind read - actively and critically review - rescan the module and marginal definitions reflect - study the Learning Outcomes at the end of each module and quiz yourself
54
how is distributing your study time effective?
spreading the material over several study periods will help you remember better (instead of studying for a straight hour)
55
how is active listening effective?
processing the info actively will help your understanding and help retain the material better
56
how is overlearning effective?
reviewing the material can help you learn the material and retain the knowledge longer
57
how is focusing on the big ideas effective?
helps you make connections
58
how can you become a smart test taker?
1. if a test has MC questions and an essay question, read and brainstorm the essay question first then complete the MC before writing the essay 2. in a MC, cover the answers, recall, then complete the sentence in your mind and choose the answer that best match your answer

AP PSYCHOLOGY (7 decks)

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