Prologue Flashcards
Plato
Student of Spcrates, teacher of Aristotle; derived principals by logic, concluded that mind is separable from body and continues after the body dies, knowledge is born within us
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes; describes and explains how we think, feel, and act
Socrates
Taught Plato; derived principals by logic, concluded that mind is separable from body and continues after the body dies, knowledge is born within us
Aristotle
Student of Plato; said that knowledge is not preexisting, it grows from experiences in our memories
Descartes
Agreed with Plato and Socrates; dissected animals and discovered nerve paths from muscles to the brain
Francis Bacon
Introduced the scientific method which implies drawing knowledge from the natural world through experimentation, observation, and testing a hypothesis; Fascinated by the human mind, it’s failings, and ability to perceive patterns
John Locke
Argues that the mind at birth is a blank slate on which experience writes
Empiricism
The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation
Wilhelm Wundt
Instructor of Edward Tichener; conducted psychology’s first experiment by testing the response time to various activities, opened first laboratory
Structuralism
An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind
Edward Titchener
Taught by Wunt; introduced and brought structuralism to the U.S. and opened the first U.S. laboratory at Cornell University (rose experiment)
Introspection
Looking inward, self-reflection
Functionalism
A school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioral processes function (William James)
William James
Taught Mary Calkins; founded functionalism, encouraged explorations of down to earth emotions, memories, will power, habits, and moment to moment streams of consciousness
Mary Calkins
Student of William James; earned a Harvard Ph.D. but denied the degree; became a distinguished memory researcher and APA’s 1st female president
Margaret Floyd Washburn
Earned 1st female psychology Ph.D.; became the 2nd APA president
Humanistic Psychology
The branch of psychology that emphasizes the growth potential of healthy people
Nature-Nurture Issue
Relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors
Natural Selection
Among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Levels of Analysis
Complementary outlooks of different systems
Evolutionary Perspective
How the natural selection of traits promotes the continuation of one’s genes
Behavior Genetics Perspective
An approach to psychology that studies observable behavior rather than hidden mental processes
Neuroscience Perspective
How the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences
Psychodynamic Perspective
An approach to psychology that studies how human behavior is determined by hidden or unconscious motives and desires
