UNIT 1: Discovering The Science of Behavior Flashcards
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes (both in animals and humans)
Observance of the outward and over actions with their mental processes.
Importance of Psychology
DESCRIBE
EXPLAIN
PREDICT
CONTROL
DESCRIBE
What, where, to whom, and under what circumstance will it happen?
Observe overt behavior.
EXPLAIN
Why does it happen?
Explain why this phenomenon is happening.
PREDICT
When will it happen again?
Predict the the likelihood for the behavior to happen again.
CONTROL
How can it be changed?
Identify how you are able to change and control the behavior.
Enduring Issues in Psychology
NATURE - NURTURE
STABILITY - CHANGE
DIVERSITY - UNIVERSALITY
MIND - BODY
NATURE - NURTURE
**Nature: **Behind a person’s behavior is the product of genetics.
**Nurture: **Behind a person’s behavior is the sum of their experiences caused by their environement and upbringing.
STABILITY - CHANGE
Stability: Are learned behaviors from childhood* permanent for a person’s entire life?*
**Change: ** Do learned behaviors from childhood change from childhood to adulthood?
DIVERSITY - UNIVERSALITY
Diversity: ** How are people unique from one another?
**Universality: ** How are people similar to one another?
MIND - BODY
Relationship between the mind and the body.
mindset contributes to our behavior.
Contributers to the Growth of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
Granville Stanley Hall
Edward Titchener
William James
Wilheim Wundt
Father of (Experimental) Psychology
Established the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany
Objective Introspection
Our level of awareness can be classified to: thoughts , exp, emotions, etc.
**Experiment: ** Conciousness could be broken down to bits of info.
**Aim: ** To study the structure of the human mind.
Obejctive Introspection
Wundt: Obejctively examining one’s thoughts and mental activities.
Titchener: Research method to understand one’s conciousness and its functions.
Granville Stanley Hall
Classmate of Wilheim Wundt
1st American w/ a doctorate in Psychology
Established the first psych lab in John Hopkins University.
Founded and was the first president of the American Psychological Association.
Edward Titchener
Structuralism: Expanded Wundt’s Idea
Experiences can be broken down: emotions, sensations, etc.
Conciousness could be briken down to basic elements of mental life. W/o these elements, the person would cease to exist.
**Believed: ** For an individual to understand and connect to who they are and their conciousness, they need to go through objective introspection.
William James
**Functionalism: ** Why do people do what they do?
* Noted the importance of conciousness in everyday life, while trying to explain why people behvae the way they do.
* Focus on how the mind allows people to function in the real world.
* Analyzes the mental state and behaviors in terms of their purpose.
**Opposite of Structuralism: ** The scientific study of consciousness is not possible because conscious ideas are ever changing.
Emphasizes the capability of the human mind.
Influential Approaches in Psychology
Gestalt Psychology: Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka
**Psychodynamic/Psychanalytic Psychology: ** Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Karen Honey
**Behaviorism: ** Ivan Povlov, B.F. Skinner, John B. Watson
Gestalt Psychology
Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka
Gestalt = “configuration”/”form”
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
* Everything is connected
Emphasizes the organization of mental processes.
* We need to look at the whole aspect of the human behavior, together, to understand the totality of people.
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Psychology
Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Karen Horney
Behavior is from forces that were repressed in our unconscious level of awareness.
The motivating force that frives us are the forces that have been suppressed in the unconscious.
Id, Ego, Superego
Behaviorism
Ivan Povlov, BF Skinner, John B Watson
The Science of Studying Human Behavior:
* Focuses on observable (overt) behavior.
* Because we can observe behaviors, they are quantifiable and more evidence can be given and becomes more specific.
Disagrees w/ Psychoanalytic Perspective
* “how are we supposed to conceptualize the unconscious processes? can we measure it? does it exist?”
* Introspection lacks the concrete scientific evidence to explain human behavior and mental processes
Came up with different experiments on how human behaviors can be learned, unlearneed, conditioned, and unconditioned.
Modern Approaches “Perspectives” to Human Behavior
Behavioral Perspective
Cognitive Perspective
Psychodynamic Perspective
Humanistic Perspective
Biological Perspective
Sociocultural Perspective
Evolutionary Perspecte
These perspecitves can explain human behavior differently through their own individual lenses.
Behavioral Perspective
Explains human behavior in terms of conditioning and reinforcement.
Focuses on how we learn certain behaviors.
We are more likely to do things with positive outcomes.
**SITUATION: **A person may fear public speaking because they associate is with negative responses from the audience
Cognitive Perspective
Our behavior and decisions is influenced by how we think and interpret a situation.
**SITUATION: **People may fear public speaking because of irrational or obsessive thoughts (eg. What if I fall?, What if my zipper is open?)
Psychodynamic Perspective
The unconscious mind controls our thought and actions.
Unconscious mind:
* May be filled with repressed memories of our childhood that are too traumatic/distressing to think about.
* Have primitive drives that go against societal norms.
**SITUATION: **Fear of public speaking may stem from a deeper underlying issue in the unconscious. It may be the fear of rejection from a repressed experience with being belittled by a teacher or parent.
Humanistic Perspective
Developed as an alternative to the behavioral and psychodynamic perspective. Aka “Third Wave”
Has a more positive approach to human behavior.
We can choose our own path and make individual choices to strive for personal growth.
SITUATION: Fear is a motivator, not a weakness. People seek difficult tasks (like public speaking) to overcome their fears.
Biological Perspective
Biological processes control our thoughts and actions.
* Neurotransmitters, Hormones, and Genes.
**SITUATION: **Fear of public speaking is from the body’s key actors in the production of fear and anxiety. The amygdala alerts the body of a threat OR neropenephrine and cortisol are taking effect.
Sociocultural Perspective
People’s thoughts and actions are influences by cultural factors, like stereotypes, cultural norms, media, and racial differences.
**SITUATION: **Fear of public speaking may be caused by cultural norms. Every cultural has implicit societal roles, like in Asain cultures, people feel more pressured to succeed on their own.
Evolutionary Perspective
People’s thoughts and actions are advantageous for survival
Developed by Charles Darwin
**SITUATION: **Fear of public speaking is caused by our brain perceiving this situation as actual, real-life, danger, so it send our body to fight or flight mode.
