UNIT 1: History & Approaches

Question 1

Socrates & Plato

Answer 1

used logic to decide that the mind is separate from the body, and that knowledge is innate (born with us)

Question 2

Aristotle

Answer 2

believed that knowledge comes from observing experiences

Question 3

Rene Descartes

Answer 3

he was interested in how the physical body and non-physical mind work together; he dissected animals to view their brains and nerves

Question 4

Francis Bacon

Answer 4

used the scientific method to conduct experiments; called the father of modern medicine

Question 5

John Locke

Answer 5

wrote that people are born with minds that are a “blank slate”; this created the birth of modern empiricism

Question 6

Empiricism

Answer 6

knowledge comes from experiences

Question 7

Wilhelm Wundt

Answer 7

created the first psychology lab in Germany; measured the time it took people to hit a switch as soon as they heard and perceived a sound

Question 8

Gestalt Psychology

Answer 8

the whole is greater than the individual parts

Question 9

Psychoanalysis

Answer 9

Freud’s idea that childhood and the unconscious drives a person’s behavior

Question 10

Edward Bradford Titchener

Answer 10

the first structuralist; encouraged introspection (looking inward)

Question 11

Structuralism

Answer 11

the structure of the mind

Question 12

Instrospection

Answer 12

looking inward; had problems, such as it was unreliable and that people often don’t know what or why they feel what they feel

Question 13

William James

Answer 13

began functionalism; allowed Mary Calkins (first APA female president) to enter Harvard grad. school

Question 14

Functionalism

Answer 14

interest in the functions of things- the function of the nose, the brain, etc.

Question 15

Margaret Floy Washburn

Answer 15

earned the first Ph.D for a woman and was the 2nd female APA president

Question 16

Psychology

Answer 16

the scientific and systematic study of people’s behavior and mental processes

Question 17

Scientific and Systematic

Answer 17

refers to the scientific method (experiments) and to a logical, orderly way to gather and analyze information

Question 18

Behavior

Answer 18

refers to something observable, like laughing or fidgeting one’s hands

Question 19

Mental Processes

Answer 19

refers to the biology of thinking, analysis, judgments, and subjective (internal things like feelings, perceptions, beliefs.)

Question 20

Nature-nurture Issue

Answer 20

which influences a person the most, their heredity and biology (nature) or their upbringing and surroundings (nurture)

Question 21

Charles Darwin

Answer 21

developed the theory of evolution - from chance genetic mutations, he theorized that nature selects those traits that best allow a species to reproduce and survive

Question 22

Biopsychosocial Approach

Answer 22

encompasses (1) biological, (2) psychological, and (3) socio-cultural influences

Question 23

Biological Approach

Answer 23

Olds, Sperry - the body and brain are the dominant influences of behavior and thinking

Question 24

Evolutionary Approach

Answer 24

Darwin - nature selects traits that allow a species to survive

Question 25

Psychodynamic Approach

Answer 25

Freud - the unconscious drives peoples’ behavior

Question 26

Behavioral Approach

Answer 26

Watson, Skinner - behavior is due to reinforcement, like rewards and punishment

Question 27

Cognitive Approach

Answer 27

Piaget, Chomsky - focuses on how we store, process, and use information, like a computer

Question 28

Humanistic Approach

Answer 28

Rogers, Maslow - environmental influences, especially love and acceptance, determine if we become all we can in life

Question 29

Socio-cultural Approach

Answer 29

behavior and ideas are different depending on the culture

Question 30

Psychometrics

Answer 30

the study of our abilities, attitudes, and traits

Question 31

Clinical Psychologists

Answer 31

treat disorders

Question 32

Psychiatrists

Answer 32

medical doctors (M.D.s) and thus can prescribe medicine to treat biological disorders