Problem 4: Psychology in the 20th century

Question 1

behaviourism

Answer 1

-you can only observe behaviour

Question 2

watson

Answer 2

-psychology is too focused on humans –> rats (biology)
-reductionist
-not heredity/genes but environment!
-behaviourist!!!
-did not focus on experiments but more on methods and concepts

Question 3

logical positivism

Answer 3

everything can be explained logically, everything we perceive can be traced back to 1 thing

Question 4

behaviourism + functionalism

Answer 4

looking only at something’s function to define it (everything that filters blood is a kidney)

Question 5

tollmann’s model

Answer 5

Stimulus - organism - response
-latent learning (onbewust leren) through cognitive maps

Question 6

difference between skinner and hulls behaviourism

Answer 6

-skinner is more a-theoretical and reinforced (no focus on internal events)
-hull focused more theoretical and deductive, focussing on mathematical concepts

Question 7

the decline of behaviourism

Answer 7

-organisation of behaviour problem: behaviourism states that everything is S-R and associative conditioning but this is too simple
-return of instincts: some behaviours cannot be learned + heredity + experiments on diff animals showed that not every animal learns in the same way

Question 8

gestalt psychology: focus + main concepts

Answer 8

-focus on mental concepts
-field theory: the brain is a field of electromagnetic forces, that precede sensory stimulation
-isomorphism: sharing a common structure
-prägnanz: psychological phenomena are always organised in the neatest/most meaningful way (2+2=5)

Question 9

laws of prägnanz

Answer 9

-figure ground distinction (vase thing)
-contrast and closure (differences are exaggerated and small errors are overrode because of closure)
-constancy (face will remain the same no matter from what angle you look at it)
-transposition (relationships>parts, same word, different font)

Question 10

difference behaviourism and gestalt

Answer 10

-gestalt can explain aha moment in monkey experiment, behaviourism can’t
-behaviourism = only behaviour, gestalt includes the mind
-gestalt is a holistic view (top down), behaviourism is bottom up

Question 11

after the invention of the electronic computer, three central ideas about cognition emerged

Answer 11

-information
-feedback (positive increase output, negative causes relapse into the same state)
-programming (hardware and software level of processing

Question 12

cognitivism vs behaviourism

Answer 12

-human = computer (Cogn)
-behaviourism: brain responds to specific isolated events
-cognitivism: constant information processing machine, much more complex

Question 13

Hixon symposium + why did cognitivism work as a movement

Answer 13

how does the nervous system influence our behaviour? got discusses with loads of cognitivists, they had very similar ideas and could work well together –> big movement

Question 14

lashley

Answer 14

-tried understanding brains physical structures and psychological processes
-disregarder behaviourism –> cognitivism with focus on language and localisation of brain functions

Question 15

mead

Answer 15

social construction of self

Question 16

turing

Answer 16

-came up with the first computer = Turing machine
-turing machine test: if not able to distinguish = computer passed the test (can a machine show human intelligence)

Question 17

effect of the war on the development of cognitive psychology

Answer 17

many people suffered brain damage –> investigations into the brain –> all over the world the same brain damage problems were encountered –> brain is a structured system