Origins of Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

What was psychology once known as?

A

experimental philosophy

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2
Q

Who are three key people who influence early pyschology?

A
  • Rene Descartes
  • John Locke
  • Charles Darwin
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3
Q

What were most people’s beliefs about behaviour before Wundt?

A
  • all behaviour was governed & given by God
  • no need to study or question human behaviour as it was God’s will
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4
Q

What did Wudnt believe about how behaviour should be specifically studied?

A

should be broken down into its constituent parts & analysed systematically

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5
Q

What are 2 assumptions of the scientific method?

A
  • all behaviour has a cause & is determined
  • future behaviour is predictable
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6
Q

What did Wundt believed about psychology as a science?

A

psychology should be studied like “hard sciences” (eg. Bio, Physics, Chemistry) using a scientific method

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7
Q

What was so special about Wundt?

A
  • first person to call himself a psychologist
  • published first book about psychology (Principles of Physiological Psychology)
  • founded Institute for Experimental Psychology, first person to study behaviour in a lab
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8
Q

What idea in psychology did Wundt come up with?

A

introspection

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9
Q

What is introspection?

A

where participants reflect on their own feelings, emotions, sensations and mental states

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10
Q

What did Wundt use introspection as a method for?

A

learning more about mental processes (eg. memory, perception, sensation & reaction)

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11
Q

What are the 4 key principles for methods of introspection?

A
  1. participant must know when stimulus will be presented
  2. participant must be in state of strained attention
  3. process must be repeatable
  4. stimuli must be such that its strength & quality can be varied
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12
Q

What are 2 weaknesses of introspection?

A
  1. nuisbett & wilson criticise the use of introspection bc ptcpts are only able to report on conscious mental processes
  2. introspection could not be used to study children & animals, who are unable to use vocab to accurately explain their emotions
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13
Q

What are is a strength of introspection?

A

Wundt’s focus on the inner working mental processes paved the way for emergence of cognitive approach

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14
Q

Define objectivity.

A

basing finding on a fact, rather than an opinion

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15
Q

Define subjectivity.

A

basing findings on an opinion, rather than a fact

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16
Q

Define replicability.

A

the ability to repeat a study & achieve the same findings

17
Q

Define empirical methods.

A

= a phenomenon that can be observed & measured

18
Q

What are approaches?

A

different perspectives of approaches

19
Q

What are the 5 steps of the scientific method?

A
  1. ask a question
  2. state a hypothesis
  3. conduct an experiment
  4. analyse the results
  5. make a conclusion
20
Q

What are the 4 goals of psychology?

A
  1. description - tell us what has occurred
  2. explanation - tell us why a behaviour/mental process has occurred
  3. prediction - identifies conditions under which a future behaviour/mental proccess is likely to occur
  4. change - applies psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted behaviour & bring abt desired change
21
Q

What are the 5 approaches in psychology?

A
  1. psychodynamic approach
  2. Learning approach (behaviourist & social learning theory)
  3. cognitive approach
  4. biological approach
  5. humanistic approach
22
Q

What are all approaches based on?

A

assumptions

23
Q

What are assumptions?

A

beliefs, held without proof, that something is a fact