Study Guide 1 - Psychology's History, Foundations, Approaches Flashcards
Psychology
-A science that studies behavior and mental processes, and to apply that understanding to help humans
Biological Psychologist
- also called physiological psychologists
- study how bio. processes in the organs affect, and are affected by behavior and mental processes
- ex) “hear voices” = activity in the brain that process info about REAL sounds
Developmental Psychologist
- describe changes in behavior and mental processes that occur as one ages
- try to understand the causes and effects of those changes
- differences in where you would put a third eye in 9 and 11 year olds
Cognitive Psychologist
- study mental abilities like learning, memory, thinking, intelligence
- ex) these scientists have found that humans manipulate info we receive (Husband and Father in Law pic)
Personality Psychologist
- study similarities and differences among people
- ex) study characteristics of ppl who tend to be pessimistic or depressed
Clinical/Counseling Psychologist
- do research on the causes of mental disorders and offer services to help ppl overcome disorders
- CLINICAL treat disorders! More chronic conditions
- COUNSELING help ppl cope with more short term problems
ABD- Clinical and Developmental Psychology
- alike because they both study mental processes, and want to understand why mental processes change
- different because DEVELOPMENTAL study changes as a human grows, while CLINICAL study mental disorders
Educational Psychologist
- research and develop theories about teaching and learning
- ex) work applied in programs to improve school curriculums
Social Psychologist
- study the ways ppl think about themselves and others, and how ppl influence each other
- ex) study peer pressure, social persuasion for public health campaigns
Industrial/Organizational Psychologist
- study factors that affect workers and companies
- may study leadership, competition, pay scales, ways businesses work or don’t work
Human Factors Psychologist
- study human factors in the use of equipment
- ex) help designers create better versions of keyboards, TV remotes
ABD - Human factors and industrial/organizational psychology
- alike because both try to create things/settings that increase efficiency and help humans work better
- different because HUMAN FACTORS help design products, and INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL help workers and companies
Forensic Psychologist
- assist in jury selection
- deal with issues involving psych and the law
Wilhem Wundt
- established first psych lab in 1879, birth of modern psych (science of mental processes rather than philosophy)
- studied sensory-perception systems, focused on consciousness
- quality, intensity = essential parts of sensation, feelings described as dis/pleasure, tense/relax, excitement/depression
- wanted to describe parts of consciousness (studied speed of decision making)
- INTROSPECTION: looking inward, describe sensations stimuli made
Edward Titchener
- studied Wundt’s basic elements of consciousness, and other parts of the conscious experience
- result = “clearness” is a part of sensation
- STRUCTURALISM: define structure of consciousness
Max Wertheimer
- against Wundt’s efforts to break down consciousness into its parts
- GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY: whole not the sum of its parts
- ex) movies
Sigmund Freud
- was questioning his belief that all behavior/mental processes have physical causes
- came to believe that all behavior is motivated by psychological processes
- developed PSYCHOANALYSIS: had theory of personality and mental disorder & treatments
- controversial
William James
- founded psych lab at Harvard
- wanted to understand how mental events function to help us adapt to our surroundings
- FUNCTIONALISM: role of consciousness in guiding ppl ability to make decisions, solve problems etc.
- emphasized job of mental processes -> psychologists looking at how mental processes differ from person to person
Behavior
- observable action
- sit, laugh cry etc.
Mental Processes
- thinking, that leads to a behavior
- ex) emotions, decision making
Empirical
-quantitative research with data
Nature-Nurture
- Nature: we are born the way we are, genetics
- Nurture: how we are raised/our surroundings
ABD - Behavior and Mental Process
- alike because both are things humans do constantly, mental processes -> behavior, both have consequences
- different because BEHAVIOR is an action, MENTAL PROCESSES is things that go on inside one’s head
John Watson, Skinner, Pavlov
- observable behavior most important source of info for psych
- didn’t think consciousness was worth studying because it is private
- behavior the result of learning
- Skinner studied how rewards/punishments shape behavior (operant conditioning)
- BEHAVIORISM
Charles Darwin
- theory of evolution natural selection
- traits are favored in certain environments, and increase chances of survival and reproduction
- survival of the fittest individuals
- if all species evolved in similar ways, maybe behavior and mental processes of all species follow similar laws
Carl Rogers and Maslow
- observes how humans grow to reach their full potential
- human nature always changing
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- warm & fuzzy
- HUMANISM
Eclectic Perspective/Biopsychosocial/Levels of Analysis Model
-many psychologists blend methods/approaches to better understand mental and behavior
Biological Perspective
- behavior and mental processes are shaped by biological processes
- study effects of hormones, genes, and brain activity
- ex) studying thinking, look for patterns of brain activity associated with reading
Evolutionary Perspective
- behavior result of evolution through natural selection
- ex) aggression as territory protection
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Perspective
- behavior/mental reflect unconscious struggle within us
- conflict between satisfying instinct and following societies rules
- ex) anxiety/depression as signs of inner conflict
Behavioral Perspective
- learning experiences shape us
- try to understand behavior by looking at the person’s learning history
- ppl can change behaviors by developing new habits
Cognitive Perspective
- study mental events that accompany behavior
- how we take in, store, process, perceive information
- focus on mental processes to understand behavior
Humanist Perspective
- behavior determined by people’s capacity to choose how they think and act
- choices driven by each persons’s perception of the world
- try to understand how one’s unique experiences guide their thoughts/actions
- ppl are good, are in control, and will reach their highest potential
Social-Cultural Perspective
- how behaviors/mental processes are shaped by social groups and culture
- big differences in behavior/mental processes between cultures
- ex) Individualist cultures value personal achievement, and collectivist cultures focus on cooperative effort
ABD - Psychoanalytic and Behavioral Perspectives/Approaches
- alike because both believe that humans nature is influenced by the past (either by conflicts or learning)
- different because PSYCHOANALYTIC emphasizes unconscious struggle and BEHAVIORAL emphasizes behavior as a result of learning
Psychometric Psychologist
- psychological measurement of knowledge, abilities, and personality
- methods/techniques for designing experiments and analyzing data
Psychiatrist VS. Psychologist
- Psychiatrist is a physician who diagnosis, prevents, studies and treats mental disorders, can prescribe medicine
- Psychologist studies behavior and mental processes, focuses on therapy
Basic VS. Applied Research
- BASIC: do the research in labs, finding out new information
- APPLIED: applying information to new situations
