Origins of Psychology Flashcards
What is the definition of Psychology?
It is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behaviour in a given context.
What is the definition of Science?
It is a means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. The aim is to discover general laws.
What is the definition of Introspection
It is a systematic method used to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.
Who was Rene Descartes what did he research?
He was a French philosopher who suggested that the mind and body are independent from each other.
Mind - Thought
Body - perception, feeling, etc
Reflex actions
Who was John Locke what did he research?
Locke proposed empiricism, the idea that all experience can be obtained through the senses and that as humans we do not inherit our knowledge or instincts, we learn this from our direct experiences.
Who was Charles Darwin and what did he research?
He was a researcher who looked into how human and animal behaviour has changed over successive generations, so that individuals with stronger and more adaptive genes survive and reproduce ‘survival of the fittest.’
What did Wundt want to document?
Wundt wanted to document and describe the nature of human consciousness (your awareness of yourself and the world around you).
How did Wundt research the consciousness?
Wundt and his co-workers recording their own conscious thoughts, emotions and sensations when presented with a stimulus such as a problem to be solved or content to be memorised.
What is Structuralism?
Isolating the structure of the consciousness.
What were the weaknesses of Wundt’s experiments?
Reports could not be replicated and were therefore unreliable.
Their experiences were too subjective (based solely on one person’s opinion/viewpoint), thoughts, emotions and sensations cannot be measured or observed.
Why is Wundt so significant in the rise of psychology?
Wundt’s role in psychology is significant because he paved the way for psychology to be seen as a scientific discipline.
Whilst his research was not considered to be an ‘experiment,’ he attempted to use controlled methods in order to separate psychological inquiry from philosophic ideology.
Who founded the behaviourist approach?
John. B. Watson
What is the definition for the Behaviourist Approach
It is a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning (operant and classical conditioning).
What is the definition for social learning theory?
A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors.
What is the definition for the cognitive approach?
Focuses on how mental processes (e.g. thoughts, perception, attention) affect our behaviour.
What is the definition for the biological approach?
A perspective that emphasises the importance of physical approaches in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function.
What is the definition for the Humanistic approach?
An approach understanding behaviour that emphasises the importance of subjective experience and each person’s capacity for self-determination.
What is the definition for the Psychodynamic approach?
An approach that describes the different forces (dynamics) most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience.
What is one strength of Wundt’s experiment?
P: One strength is that some of Wundt’s methods are scientific.
E: For instance, he recorded the introspections within a controlled lab environment. He also standardised all of his procedures so that the participants received all of the information in the same way.
L: Therefore, Wundt’s research can be considered a precursor for the scientific approaches in psychology that were to come.
