Unit 1 Flashcards
Identify the origins of the word psychology.?
Psychology comes from Greek words Psyche meaning soul and logos meaning study of subject. Psyche means soul, spirit and mind distinguished from the body. stated using word psychology in 18th century. “The study of the mind
- Summarize Wundt’s accomplishments and contributions to the field of psychology.
Wundt made a campaign to make psychology separate from philosophy and physiology.
He had the first psych lab at University of Leipzig.
Psychology “date of birth” after Wundts first journal about psych. He declared that psych was a science like bio or chem and its primary focus was contentiousness awareness of immediate experience. wrote 54,000 pages of psych.
- Compare structuralism and functionalism and discuss their impact on the development of psychology.
What it is: Structuralism is like trying to break down the mind into its basic building blocks. Imagine you’re studying a car by taking it apart and analyzing each part—engine, wheels, doors, etc. In psychology, structuralism focuses on breaking down conscious experiences into smaller parts (like sensations, thoughts, and emotions).
What it is: Functionalism, on the other hand, is more focused on how the mind works rather than what it’s made of. It looks at how mental processes help us adapt to our environment. Think of it as focusing on the purpose of the mind—like asking, “How does this help someone survive or function?”
- Describe Watson’s view of psychology with special reference to the nature-nurture issue and animal research.
Watson’s view of psych was to only study observable behavior not thoughts (behaviorism) nature vs nurture (environment vs experience) ex is a criminal born or made? Watson argued a criminal was made not born meaning he learnt how to be a criminal based on his experiences. Animal research (Pavlov’s dog) many psychologists started studying animals instead of humans because it was easier to control animals then humans.
- Why did the Gestalt psychologists take issue with the behaviorist school?
Gestalts theorists were primarily concerned with perception and wanted to study continuous behavior rather then behavior.
- Why did Freud’s psychoanalytic theory encounter resistance within psychology?
There was resistance in psychology because he argued that behavior is governed by unconscious thoughts. psychoanalytic theory was expensive, and effectiveness was questioned.
- Who was B. F. Skinner? Describe Skinner’s viewpoint with regard to private events and free will. Describe the influence that Skinner had on psychology and more widely outside of academia.
Pavlov’s dog. classical conditioning. Skinner acknowledged that there were private, unobservable events. However, he was more interested in the influences that private events exert on subsequent behaviour(s) He created radical behaviourlism this represented earlier forms of behaviourlism and neo behaviourlism.
Skinner did not deny existence of internal mental events but redefined them as private events and did not think that they should be given special status when explaining behaviour. Says private events were hard to study and most of his science was based on observable behaviour. people tend to repeat responses that ended positively and not negatively. Trained pigeons to play ping pong. thinks people are controlled by their environment not by themselves. He said that free will is an illusion. He had many best selling books, was in magazines and radio which influenced not only academia but general population.
- Describe humanistic psychology, and briefly discuss its contribution to psychology.
Did not believe that behaviour was based on sexual urges. Behaviourlism criticized for studying simple animal behaviour. Both were criticized for believing that people did not control their own destiny. humanistic psychology is the complete opposite of both behaviourlism and psychoanalytic theory. Emphasized uniqueness of human’s freedom and personal growth. ( Carl Rogers and Maslow) believed humans and animals were different. Humans have seance of self while animals do not. Humans want to reach their full potential.
- Behavioral Perspective
What it focuses on: This perspective emphasizes the role of learning and environmental factors in shaping behavior. It suggests that all behaviors are learned through interactions with the environment, like rewards and punishments.
Example: A child learning to be afraid of dogs after being bitten, or a person rewarding themselves with a treat after exercising.
- Psychodynamic Perspective
What it focuses on: This perspective, developed by Freud, emphasizes unconscious processes and early childhood experiences. It suggests that behavior is influenced by unconscious desires, fears, and past experiences.
Example: Analyzing how unresolved childhood conflicts affect an adult’s relationships or behavior.
- Humanistic Perspective
What it focuses on: Humanism focuses on personal growth, self-actualization, and the idea that people have the ability to make choices that lead to fulfilling lives. It’s about human potential and finding meaning in life.
Example: Therapy focused on helping individuals realize their potential and achieve personal goal
Behavioral Neuroscience
This perspective looks at how the brain, nervous system, hormones, and genetics influence behavior. It emphasizes the role of physical processes in the body, such as how brain chemistry affects mood, memory, and decision-making.
Example: Studying how neurotransmitters like serotonin impact depression.
- Cognitive Perspective
What it focuses on: Cognitive psychology focuses on mental processes like thinking, memory, problem-solving, and perception. It looks at how people process information, how they learn, and how they remember things.
Example: Examining how a person solves a puzzle or how memories are formed and retrieved.
Evolutionary
10.Discuss how psychology developed in Canada, from the first departments to the establishment of the Canadian Psychological Association.
First course in psychology offered at Dalhousie University 1838; teaching became most common in 1850s at McGill & University of Toronto; often taught in philosophy department.
University of Toronto had Canada’s first psychological lab founded by James Mark Baldwin in 1891.
First psychology department at McGill in 1924, then University of Toronto in 1926, University of Western Ontario 1931, University of Manitoba 1936. John Wallace Baird the first Canadian to be president of the APA in 1918. CPA formed in 1939.
Women are the majority of undergraduate & MA programs in psychology; led to an increase in focus on guidelines for practice, counselling, & therapy w/ women.
11.Describe two recent trends in psychological research that reflect a return to psychology’s intellectual roots.
Renewed interest in consciousness, now called cognition; those studying decision making, reasoning, & problem-solving show that methods can be used to study cognitive processes scientifically.
Highlighting interrelations among mind, body, and behavior.
Hebb’s emphasis on importance of the brain in behavior; locus of behavior is the brain; cell assembly; set the stage for developments in neuropsychology & neuroscience.
- Why has Western psychology had scant interest in other cultures? Why has this begun to change?
(1) Cross cultural research is difficult, costly, & time consuming (2) some psychologists worry that cultural comparisons may cause stereotypes towards people who already have a history of being victimized (3) ethnocentrism
Realizing that neglect of cultural variables has diminished value of their work Change because:
- civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights movement
- globalization; advances in communication, travel, trade “shrunk” the world - ethnic make up the western world is becoming more diverse.
13.Describe the most recent theoretical perspectives in psychology. Evolutionary psychology; patterns of behavior seen in species are products of evolution and it favours behaviors & traits that increase reproductive success; human mind is the product of evolution
Positive psychology; psychology was too negative, focused too much on pathology, weakness, damage, & ways to heal suffering. Can cause psychology to neglect the
forces that make life worth living. Focuses on positive subjective experience; positive individual traits, & positive institutions & communities.
17.Describe the skills exhibited by critical thinkers.
- Understand & use principles of scientific investigation
- apply rules of formal & informal logic
- carefully evaluate the quality of information
- analyze arguments for soundness of the conclusion
- understanding how reasons & evidence support or refute conclusions, using principles of likelihood & uncertainty when thinking about probabilistic events, generating multiple solutions to problems & working systematically toward a desired goal, & understanding causation.
- List and describe the four professional specialties within applied psychology. Distinguish between clinical psychology and psychiatry.
(Figure 1.6) (1) Clinical psychology,
(2) counselling psychology
(3) education & school psychology
(4) industrial & organizational psychology
clinical psychologists go to graduate school and then earn one of several doctoral degrees; they do not prescribe medication.
psychiatrists go to medical school & specialize in psychiatry by doing their residency in psychiatry; they are a medical doctor & prescribe medication.
16.Discuss three important considerations in designing a program to encourage adequate studying.
Pleasant space, adequate lighting, free from unpleasant odours, & study materials within reach.
- Discuss evolutionary theory explanations for gender differences in spatial abilities.
-Originated in human evolution as a result of sex-based division of labour in hunting-gathering societies.
-Women have better memory for locations & defining colour for gathering food. -Men have better visual-spatial, tracking, and mental rotation abilities for hunting food.
