Perspectives in Psychology Flashcards
Definition of psychology
scientific investigation of mental processes (thinking, remembering, feeling), behaviour and interaction between them
Structuralist school of though
Titchener/Wundt. Uncover consciousness through introspection - how does the brain operate, what are the mechanisms behind behaviour?
Functionalist school of through
James. Explain psychological processes in terms of function/role they serve. Why do we behave the way we do? what is the purpose of this behaviour?
Who is responsible for the Psychodynamic Perspective?
Sigmund Freud
Psychodynamic Perspective
Unconscious forces drives human behaviour. To understand must get into unconscious - free association, insight oriented. Inner conflict and repression of memories
Behaviourist/Behaviourism Perspective
Scientific method of investigation. Behaviour observed without reference to internal states. Evidence/empirical data used. Focus on learning and stimulus-response
Who is associated to the Behaviourist Perspective
B.F Skinner - rat experiment. Stimuli becomes associated behaviour through conditioning
Humanistic/Humanism Perspective
People innately good - inherent drive for self-actualisation/potential. Response to psychodynamic and behaviourist views. Free will and agency - mindfulness, self-help, self-healing
Who is associated to the Humanistic Perspective?
Maslow. Hierarchy of needs. Self-actualisation
Cognitive Perspective
Need to know internal processes of the mind. Uses experimental methods to infer mental processes at work. Attention, perception, language, memory. Anxiety/depression related to function of brain
Evolutionary Perspective
Known behaviour explained on basis of evolutionary principles. Adaptive traits, behaviours biologically determined
Who is associated with Evolutionary Perspect
Darwin - theory of evolution by natural selection
What is biopsychology?
Understand the mind through biological activity
Behavioural neuroscience
