Module 1: What is Psych? Flashcards
1
Q
How long has psych existed?
A
Less than 150 years
2
Q
Psychology
A
Scientific study of mind and body
3
Q
What philosophy and which philosophers started the ideas behind psychology?
A
Plato and Aristotle. Aristotle started the idea of the tabula rasa, which describes the mind as a blank slate at birth
4
Q
What was one of the first publications to describe the brain’s neuroanatomy, mental illness and treatments?
A
“The Complete Art of Medicine” in the 10th century
5
Q
Empiricism
A
Knowledge is obtained from experiences
6
Q
Mind
A
The unobservable aspects of conscious experience (e.g. sensations, perceptions, thoughts and emotions)
7
Q
Behaviour
A
- Observable action/activity that can be repeated, measured or affected by a situation
- Used to make inferences about the mind
8
Q
Dualism
A
Philosophical belief that the mind and body are separate entities (not believed by most psychologists)
9
Q
René Descartes
A
- 17th century french philosopher
- The mind is not physical and can’t be observed
- Mind can influence body through the pineal gland
- Reflex is the body acting unconsciously and is controlled by the spinal cord
- All animals behave unconsciously but human conscious behaviour is evidence of a mind/soul
10
Q
Definition of the mind according to most psychologists
A
All brain activity
11
Q
Main areas of work
A
Basic research, application and clinical work
12
Q
Basic research
A
Work done in order to understand the fundamental aspects of behaviour and mind (how and why of behaviour)
13
Q
Abnormal psych
A
The study of the development of unusual behaviours, emotions nad thoughts
14
Q
Behavioural genetics psych
A
Studying genetics to explain behavioural differences
15
Q
Cognitive psych
A
Study of mental processeses
16
Q
Comparative psych
A
Studying animals and sometimes trying to find similarities w/ humans
17
Q
Developmental psych
A
Study of how and why behaviours change throughout one’s life
18
Q
Behavioural neuroscience psych
A
Study of how behaviour patterns are linked to underlying physical components/activities in the brain
19
Q
Personality psych
A
Studying the differences between people and how these influence behaviour
20
Q
Social psych
A
Study of how behaviour is influenced by social factors (communities, peers, other people, societal expectations)
21
Q
Applied psych
A
Solving practical problems using psychology to influence behaviour or change the environment. Can be divided into research and practice
22
Q
Applied research
A
Process of discovering new/more effective ways of approaching a problem
23
Q
Applied practice
A
Applying research to solve problems
24
Q
Translational research
A
Taking basic findings and turning them into solutions for problems
25
Clinical psych
Form of applied psych that focuses on identifying, preventing and relieving distress/dysfunction that originated psychologically
26
What is the difference between someone with a PhD or a PsyD in clinical psychology?
PhD = more research focused
PsyD = more practice focused
27
Psychiatrist
MD that assesses and treats psychological disorders, including through the prescription of drugs
28
Counselling psychologist
Psychologist that helps people deal with everyday life problems using applied psychology
29
Difference between counselling and a clinical psychologist?
Clinical typically = more severe mental illnesses
Counselling typically = everyday life issues
30
Scientific assumption
Physical entities must follow the natural laws of physics and can be understood, specific and used to for future predictions
31
Animism
Giving objects a soul
32
Cartesian dualism
Notion that humans are made of a separate machine and soul
33
John Locke
Believed that humans are completely machine and without a soul
34
Rationalism
Gaining knowledge by thinking hard enough through the issue
35
James Mill
Believed in materialism
36
Materialism
Everything in the universe, including humans, are biological machines that obey the natural laws
37
Luigi Galvani
Frog experiment that showed that, although dead, the frog's legs were still able to move with an electric shock
38
Johannes Muller
Observed the nervous system and how fast messages could travel through someone's body
Saw nerves as wires in a machine
39
Pierre Florens
Believed specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific behaviours
Practiced ablation studies
40
Ablation studies
Observing changed behaviour after destroying parts of the brain
41
Paul Broca
Discovered Broca's area, which is where meaningful speech is produced. His patients could understand phrases but not create ones that made sense
42
Nature vs. nurture
Nature = human behaviour is the result of biological/physiology/genes
Nurture = human behaviour is the result of how we are raised and our experiences
43
Nativism
Notion that some knowledge is innate
44
Biological determinism
Notion that all behaviour is controlled by genetics and biology
45
Theory of evolution
Created by Charles Darwin and states that advantageous traits for survival are passed down throughout generations because those without these traits die off ("survival of the fittest")
46
Adaptive traits
Traits that are advantageous for survival
47
Natural selection
Traits that contribute to survival and reproduction are more likely to be passed down
48
Most psychologists' opinion on the nature vs nurture debate
Human behaviour is the result of both nature and nurture, but not sure to what extent
49
Phenology
The pseudoscientific study of the skull and how its different parts affect one's characteristics, thoughts and abilities. (Brain area = specific function)
50
Willhem Wundt
Known as the father of psychology b/c he established the first psych lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig, Germany. He was interested in sensation and perception
51
Edward Titchener
Wanted to reduce mind to fundamental parts by breaking down conscious experience into basic elements and studying how they combine
52
Introspection
Self-reports of one's thoughts, feelings and mental images to observe the aspects of mental processes
53
Systematic introspection
Standardized the way people reported their experiences
54
Structuralism
- Created by Wilhem Wundt (father of psych)
- Breaking down conscious experiences into all of their parts
55
Voluntarism
Wundt's school of thought that focused on the role of free will in organizing conscious experience
56
Argument against structuralism
Studying the pieces of the brain but won't tell us its function
57
Functionalism
Belief that understanding one's behaviours and functions will help us understand its operation/what it's used for
58
What do structuralism and functionalism have in common?
Explore immediate conscious experience
59
Behaviourism
Believes that observable behaviour should be the only evidence studied, which ignores conscious experience
60
John B. Watson
- Perspective behaviourism: Study of observable behaviour
- Believed that the mind and mental states can't be studied w/o studying behaviour
61
B.F. Skinner
Operant conditioning: Study of how behaviour can be changed through rewards and punishments
62
The cognitive revolution
Advancements in methodology and measurement that caused a major shift from the rigid behaviourist approach
63
Sigmund Freud
- Psychoanalysis: Helping clients gain insight into their unconscious find through psychotherapy
- Developed the earliest methods and analyzing and treating mental illnesses
- Influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution and focused on unconscious sexual frustration and aggression
64
Humanistic psychology
- Places emphasis on peoples' ability to make choices and realize their own potential
- Focuses on creativity, choice and potential for growth
65
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Self-actualization
Esteem
Love/belonging
Safety
Physiological
66
Humanistic approach vs psychoanalysis
Humanistic = listen and support
Psychoanalysis = analyze and direct
67
Abraham Maslow
Influential humanist that focused on one's need to satisfy their basic necessities, fulfill psychological needs and reach self-actualization
68
Positive psychology
- Created by Martin Seligman
- Focuses on specific strengths and virtues of human experience
69
History of psychology (1800s-today)
- 1800s: Structuralism and functionalism
- 1900s: Behaviourism and psychoanalysis
- 1950s: Cognitive revolution and humanistic psych
- Today: Combines physiology and modern tech w/ past beliefs
70
Psychophysics
Rules of the inner world
71
Weber fraction
The difference in weight divided by the OG weight = constant ratio
72
Introspection
When patients self-report their subjective mental experiences, which funded the structuralist approach
73
Apprehension and apperception
Apprehension: The entrance of some content into conscious awareness
Apperception: Process of focusing attention on content
74
Hermann Von Ebbinghaus
Tested and studied memory by graphing how well he could remember a sequence of CVCs (consonant, vowel and consonant) twice afte a certain period of time
75
Eclectic approach
Approach to clinical psych that uses different therapeutic techniques based on effectiveness for current situation
76
Define the levels of explanation and list them
- Levels of explanation: Idea that different approaches to a problem can compliment each other
- Ultimate explanations: Role of evolution in in traits, behaviours or mental processes
- Proximate explanation: Describes immediate causes of traits, behaviours or mental processes. Includes functional and process-oriented explanations
- Functional explanation: Type of proximate explanation that identifies a specific problem as the cause
- Process-orientated explanation: Kind of proximate explanation that focuses on specific mental/physical processes
77
Evolutionary psychology
Believes that mental processes developed from natural selection to solve adaptive problems over the course of evolution
78
Behavioural immune system
Behaviours in response to environmental and emotional cues that reduce risk of disease transmission
79
Culture
Shared set of beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and customs belonging to a speicifc group/community
80
Feminist psychology
Critically analyzes cultural influences of gender and gender differences in behaviour
- The role that gender plays in their development and behaviour
81
Intersectional approach
How multiple social identites intersect to develop individuals' experiences
82
Cognitive psychology
Examines how info is processed and tries to give prior context for behaviours
