quiz 1 Flashcards
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Psychology has roots..
.. in philosophy and physiology (thoughts and body)
Plato
Believed we are born with complete knowledge within our soul; inborn=nature
Aristotle
Believed knowledge was acquired through experience; experience=nurture
Rene Descartes
Mathematician-logical thinking; dualism
Dualism
Mind and body interact as 2 separate entities
William Wundt
Father of psychology; from Germany. He was the first to be able to measure reaction times to stimulants; 1st psych lab
Structuralism
Focuses on the structure and most basic elements of the mind; Edward Titchener “What the mind and body are”
Functionalism
Followed the teachings of Darwin and focused on how thoughts, feelings, and behavior help us adapt to the environment; William James “How the mind and conscious work”
Goals of psychology
-Describe behavior
-Explain behavior
-Predict behavior
-Change (control) behavior
Psychoanalytical (Psycho dynamic)
Sigmund Freud; Behavior and personalities result from conflicts between inner desires (sexual/aggressive) and society’s expectations… conflicts occur in the unconscious/subconscious. Personality development set into motion early in life by caregivers. “Talk Therapy,” “Dreams”
Behavioral
John B. Watson; Scientific study of behaviors that can be seen and/or measured. BF Skinner; behaviors and their consequences, behaviors and personalities are primarily determined by learning, shaped by focus in the environment, classical and operant conditioning
Humanistic
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow; human nature is essentially positive and people naturally grow and change for the better; positive psychology focused around choice, self-determination, and self-actualization
Cognitive
George Miller; mental processes that direct behavior (connections between behavior and the human brain)
Evolutionary
Charles Darwin and David Buss; theory of evolution by natural selection… survival of the fittest. Behaviors and mental processes are shaped by the forces of evolution, inherited traits either increase or decrease I frequency because they are maladaptive
Biological
Numerous founders; Physiology used to explain behavior and mental processes. Hormones, genetics, anatomy, brain structure, etc.
Sociocultural
Lev Vygotsky; Importance of social and cultural factors on behavior: parents, teachers, peers, culture, etc.
Biopsychosocial
George Engel; examines the biological, psychological, and socio-cultural influences on behavior. factors don’t exist in isolation, factors constantly interact
Scientific method
-find a question
-form hypothesis (educated guess)
-design study and collect data
-analyze the data and draw conclusions
-report the findings to allow for replication of the study
-theory is tentative explanation that begins to develop
