Psychology 102 Midterm #1 Flashcards
(269 cards)
What is psychology?
The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour.
Who is Wihelm Wundt?
- Developed the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany
- Marked the beginning of psychology as a science
- Research focused on mental experiences
- Heavily relied on a technique called introspection
What is introspection?
Method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences.
Examining conscious thoughts and feelings.
Ex. Put two students in a room with snakes and record the emotions, thoughts, and feelings – they may not say the same experience, it’s subjective.
Who is E.B. Titchner?
Founder of structuralism.
What is structuralism?
- School of psychology that aimed to identify the basic elements of psychological experience
- What am I thinking and feeling?
- Built on introspection, which Titchener believed could provide all of the information needed for a complete science of psychology
What are two major problem with Structuralism?
1) Highly subjective (snakes)
- Trained “introspectionists” could not agree on their reports
- Needs to be concrete, not subjective.
2) We can experience imageless thought
- This hindered structuralism because it showed that some important aspects of human psychology lie outside of conscious awareness
Who is William James?
Founder of American psychology.
Why is William James the Founder of American psychology?
- Major role in the development of psychology in the United States
- The first to teach a psychology course in the states
- Coined the saying “stream of consciousness”
What is the stream of consciousness?
- A person’s thoughts and conscious reactions to events, perceived as a continuous flow.
- We never stop thinking.
- One thought leads to another.
- Ex. one thought about class, the next about you wanting to take a vacation.
What is William James the founder of?
Functionalism.
What is functionalism?
School of psychology that aimed to understand the adaptive purposes of psychological characteristics
Who is Charles Darwin?
Founder of natural selection.
What is natural selection?
Organisms that possess adaptions, survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other organisms
What do functionalist believe?
- Functionalists believed that natural selection applied to psychological characteristics too
- Physical and mental attributes have evolved.
- Doesn’t exist today like it did then
- We have evolved over time.
Who is John B. Watson?
Founder of behaviourism
What is behaviourism?
School of psychology that focuses on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behaviour.
Who proclaimed that psychology should be as scientific as physics, chemistry, and other “hard” sciences?
- John B. Watson.
- John changed the way of psychology.
- This says it to be a science more than an art. (The first moment that people were not debating it as much.)
Who is Sigmund Freud?
Founder of psychoanalysis
What is psychoanalysis?
- School of psychology that focuses on internal psychological processes of which we are unaware
- Research focused on unconscious drives (i.e., sexuality and aggression)
- Ex. called another adult mom or dad when you are a child, reason being.. Unconsciously the adult reminded them of their parent.
Why is psychoanalysis controversial?
Very hard task to study without technology.
Who is Jean Piaget & Ulric Neisser?
Founders of cognitivism.
What is cognitivism?
- School of psychology that proposes that thinking is central to understanding behaviour
- Understanding how people evaluate and interpret information is a critical component of their behaviour
- Ex. take two students at random in class, watch how grades unfold during the semester. Both get a B, one is overjoyed and one is furious. Two separate behaviours. Why does the different behaviour occur? Maybe one wanted an A? Maybe on is used to D’s?
What is the thriving approach today?
- Cognitivism
- Most commonly used. But may not always be the best because the world is always uncovering new information and studies.
What is a clinical psychologist?
- Work in colleges and universities, mental health centres, or private practices
- Assess, diagnose, and treat mental disorders
- May also conduct research on people with mental disorders