Slide Week 1 Flashcards
1
Q
The term psychology comes from which two Greek Words?
A
psyche - Meaning the soul or spirit
logos - meaning the study of . . . . (a certain subject)
2
Q
What is Psychology?
A
A science dedicated to the study of mental processes or behaviour
3
Q
Define Behaviours
A
- Behaviours can be directly observed
- Things we do
- The way we act
4
Q
Define Mental Processes
A
- Experiences that can’t be observed directly
- thoughts
- feelings
- memories
5
Q
A
- Wilhelm Wundt
- 1832 - 1920
- Established the first research laborotory in 1879
- known as the father of pyschology
- Studied the Structure of the mind
- Used Introspetion
6
Q
Structuralism
A
- Analysed the basic structure and elelments of consiousness
- focused on purpose and function of the consciousness
7
Q
A
- Sigmund Freud
- 1856 - 1939
- Austrian
- Developed psychoanalysis
8
Q
Psychoanalytic Theory
A
- emphasised the unconscious determinates of behaviour
- also focused on the importance of sexuality in the unconscious
*
9
Q
A
- John B. Watson
- 1878 - 1958
- Argued that psychologist should only study observable behaviour.
- Redefined pyschology as the science of behaviour
- developed Behaviourism
10
Q
A
- B. F. Skinner
- 1904 - 1990
- Argued that organisms repeat responses with positive consequences
- also argued they don’t repeat responses with negative or neutral consequences
- Said that “free will was an illusion”
11
Q
Modern Psychology Approaches
A
Emergence of:
- Humanistic Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Positive Psychology
Now: An eclectic approach to research and practice
12
Q
Psychoanalysis
A
- Principle contributors were Freud, Jung and Adler
- unconscious experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders
- Unconscious affects motives and motivation
13
Q
Behaviourism
A
- Principle Contributors - Pavlov, Skinner, Watson
- Only observable stimulus-response relations can be studied scientifically
14
Q
Humanistic Psychology
A
- Principle contributors Rogers & Maslow
- humans are free
- people are rational beings
- people have the potential for personal growth
- people are fundamentally different from animals
15
Q
Cognitive Psychology
A
- Principle Contributors - Piaget, Chomsky, Simon
- Human behaviour cannot be understood without examining how we acquire, store and process information
16
Q
Biological/Neuroscience
A
- An organism’s functioning can be explained in terms of the bodily structures and biochemical processes that underlie behaviour
17
Q
Sociocultural Perspective
A
We can observe, describe and predict behaviours and mental processes based upon:
- Social Setting
- Culture
- Ethnicity
- Gender
18
Q
Seven Unifying Themes in Psychology
A
- Psychology is Empirical
- Psychology is Theoretically Diverse
- Psychology is Evolving in a sociohistorical context
- Behaviour is determined by multiple causes
- Behaviour is shaped by Cultural Heritage
- Heredity and Environment jointly influence behaviour
- People’s experience of the world is subjective
19
Q
Psychology is Empirical
A
- Empiricism is the idea that we should collect knowledge by observing the world
- Psychology requires that we use
- accurate data
- documentation
- critical inquiry
20
Q
Psychology is theoretically diverse
A
- Theories are systems of related ideas
- Theories are used to explain a set of observations
- Sometimes more than one theory is right
- Diversity gives us a more complete understanding of behaviour
21
Q
Psychology Evolves in a Social and Historical Context
A
- Trends and values influence psychology’s evolution
- The history of psychology teaches us why an eclectic perspective is important. eg:
- Behaviourism ignores free will and is deterministic
- Positive psychology rejects determinism and gives back individuality and recognises mental processes again
22
Q
Behaviour is determined by multiple causes
A
- People try to think of single causes of behaviour
But
- behaviour is motivated by multiple interacting factors
Chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire
23
Q
Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage
A
- Culture is shared beleifs, values and norms
- Understanding behaviour requires knowledge of personal history and background
- making up for the omissions of psychology in the past
24
Q
Heredity and Environment jointly influence behaviour
A
- Nature vs Nurture
- Are people born or made?
Both are correct and influence behaviour
25
People's experience of the world is subjective
* We see what we ***want*** to see
* We see what we ***expect*** to see
* Pychology research and practice needs to account for a subjective bias
26
Defining Psychology
* Dedicated to the study of behaviour and Mental Processes
* uses scientific methods to observe, describe, predict, and explain Behaviour and Mental Processes
* Behaviours are actions that can be observed
* Mental Processess are experiences and cannot be observed directly
* Mental Processess are thoughts, feelings and experiences
27
Seven Unifying Themes of Psychology
1. Psychology is empirical
2. Psychology is theoretically diverse
3. Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context
4. Behaviour is determined by multiple causes
5. Our behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage
6. Heredity and environment jointly influence behaviour
7. People’s experience of the world is highly subjective
28
Psychoanalytic
| (1900 – present)
* Principle Contributors - Freud, Jung, Adler
* Unconscious determines behaviour
* Unconscious motives and experience in early childhood determine personality and mental disorders
29
Behavioural Perspective
* Principle Contributors - Ivan Pavlov, BF Skinner, John Watson
* The environment affects behaviour in humans and animals
* Only observable events can be studied scientfically
* focus on stimulus-response relationships and on associations
30
Humanistic Perspective
* Principle Theorists - Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow
* Unique aspects of human experience
* Humans have free will
* People are rational and have the potential for human growth
* People are fundamentally different from animals
31
* Principle Theorists - Jean Piaget, Noam Chomsky, Herbert Simon
* Studies thoughts and mental processes
* Behaviour can't be understood without examining how we acquire, store and process information
32
Biological/Neuroscience Perspective
* Principle Theorists - James Olds, Roger Sperry, David Hubel, Torsten Wiesel
* Behaviour has a physiological base in humans and animals
* The way an organism functions can be explained by studying biological and biochemical processes.
* The body affects behaviour and behaviour affects the body
33
Socio-cultural perspective
* Principle Theorist - Soloman Ash, Stanly Milgram, Phillip Zimbardo
* Studies the social and cultural causes of human thoughts and behaviours
* Studies social setting, culture, ethnicity, and gender and their effects on
* describing, predicting, and explaining behaviours and mental processes
34
Evolutionary Perspective
* Principle Theorists - David Buss, Leda Cosmides, John Tooby
* Patterns of behaviour in a species are the products of evolution
* Natural selection favours behaviours that encourage reproductive success and survival
35
Positive Psychology
* Principle Theorist - Martin Seligman
* Positive aspects of human well being can explain thoughts and behaviours
* Scientific Study of well being moves psychology from a disease model to a health model
