Prelims Flashcards
is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, according to the American Psychological Association. ________ is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human
development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes
PSYCHOLOGY
Human beings are complex living systems, they have biological, psychological and social dimensions. Trying to understand
behavior from one or two dimensions will not give a complete view of what may have caused the behavior.
The Nature and Goals of Psychology
As Mayer stated, “Psychology is an old subject but a young science.” Its inception dated back to the early Greek philosophers in the persons of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and the others whose advance thinking led to a search for answers on the nature of being, the mind,
body and experiences.
Brief history of Psychology
This attempt to understand the structure or characteristics of the mind was known as
WUNDT AND STRUCTURALISM
was a German scientist who was the first person to be referred to as a psychologist. His famous book entitled Principles of Physiological Psychology was published in 1873. He established his psychology laboratory at the University at Leipzig in 1879.
Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920)
was the first American psychologist who espoused a different perspective on how psychology should operate. He was introduced to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and accepted it as an explanation of an organism’s characteristics.
William James (1842–1910)
focused on how mental activities helped an organism fit into its environment.
JAMES AND FUNCTIONALISM
three German psychologists who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century to escape Nazi Germany.
Max Wertheimer (1880–1943), Kurt Koffka (1886–1941), and Wolfgang
Köhler (1887–1967)
The word ____roughly translates to “whole;” a major emphasis of ____ psychology deals with the fact that although a sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how those parts relate to each other as a whole is often what the individual responds to in
perception.
WERTHEIMER, KOFFKA, KÖHLER, AND GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
Perhaps one of the most influential and well-known figures in psychology’s history. An Austrian neurologist who was fascinated by patients suffering from “hysteria” and neurosis.
Sigmund Freud
focuses on the role of a person’s
unconscious, as well as early childhood experiences, and this particular perspective dominated clinical psychology for several decades.
FREUD AND PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
was an influential American psychologist whose most famous work occurred during the early 20th century at Johns Hopkins University.
John B. Watson (1878–1958)
this approach of observing and controlling behavior. Learned behavior and its interaction with inborn qualities of the organism.
WATSON AND BEHAVIORISM
