Prologue Vocab Flashcards
Socrates
(469-399 B.C.) philosopher-teacher; believed the mind is separate from the body, knowledge is innate
*derived principles from logic
Psychology
The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes
Plato
(428-348 B.C.) Socrates’ student
Aristotle
(384-322 B.C.) believed the souls not separable from the body and knowledge is not pre-existing but grows from experiences stores in our memories
*derived from observation
Rene Descartes
(1595-1650) “Father of Modern Psychology”
believed abnormal behaviour was caused by abnormalities in the brain instead of supernatural causes
mind and body are distinct and separable
Francis Bacon
(1561-1626) introduced the scientific method
John Locke
(1632-1704) adapted the theory of tabula rosa– humans are born as a blank slate
formed empiricism
Empiricism
The view that knowledge comes from experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
Wilhelm Wundt
Created the first lab in Leipzig, Germany
Worked with two men to measure reaction time
Structuralism
An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind
Edward Titchener
Wundt’s student
Trained people to report elements of their experience
Introspection
Looking inward
Functionalism
A school of psychology that focused on how mental and behavioural processes function– how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish
William James
Philosopher-psychologist who considered evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings
Wrote Principles of Psychology
Mary Calkins
Taught by William James
Out scored male students
Harvard refused to give her the Ph.D. she deserved
Memory researcher
Margaret Floy Washburn
First female to get a psychology Ph.D.
Wrote The Animal Mind
American Psychological Association’s 2nd female president
Humanistic psychology
Historically significant perspective that emphasised the growth potential of healthy people; used personalised methods to study personality in hopes of fostering personal growth
Nature-nurture issue
The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviours
Natural selection
The principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to the reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Levels of analysis
The differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to socio-cultural, for analysing any given phenomenon
Evolutionary perspective
How the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes
Behaviour genetics perspective
How much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences
Neuroscience perspective
How the body and brain enable emotion, memories, and sensory experiences
Psychodynamic perspective
How behaviour springs for unconscious drives and conflicts
Behavioural perspective
How we learn observable responses
Cognitive perspective
How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information
Socio-cultural perspective
How behaviour and thinking vary across situations and cultures
Basic research
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Applied research
Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
Biological psychologists
Exploring the links between brain and mind
Developmental psychologists
Studying our changing abilities from womb to tomb
Cognitive psychologists
Experimenting with how we perceive, think, and solve problems
Personality psychologists
Investigating our persistent traits
Social psychologists
Exploring how we view and affect one another
Counselling psychology
A branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being
Clinical psychology
A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders
Psychiatry
A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy
