Unit 1 : Scientific Foundations of Psychology Flashcards
Who is Wilhem Wundt? Why is he important?
-Known as the father of Psychology
-Established the first formal psychological laboratory in Leipzig Germany (1879) where he designed an experiment testing how quickly ppl reacted to hearing a noise
-Important b/c his lab was the starting line of Psychology as a science (separated it from philosophy)
- His was the first attempt to bring objectivity and measurement to psychology
Who is Edward Titchener?
- He was one of Wilhem Wundt’s students
- Took many of Wilhem Wudnt’s ideas to the United States and invented the term ‘structuralism’
What is Structuralism and who is associated with it?
-studies the mind by trying to look at what its made of.
-the study of how our minds make meaning through small step by step cognitive processes.
-this approach breaks down mental processes into their smallest possible components (structures) and analyzes them.
- Important people : Wilhem Wunt & Edward Titchener
What is Introspection?
- A research method that involved looking inwards to examine one’s own emotional states.
-relies on people describing their thoughts and feelings - Used by Wilhem Wudnt to study sensation and perception, where participants were asked to describe their experiences when presented with a set of stimuli.
-Used in both Structuralism and Functionalism
-was a very limited research technique; it was impossible to study complex subjects like learning and personality.
-Cannot always be reliable, accounts of people explaining their own experiences cannot be confirmed
Who is William James?
-The first American psychologist
-wrote the first psychology textbook
-One of the main founders of functionalism
-considered the father of AMERICAN psychology (not to be confused with Wilhem Wundt who was based in Germany)
What is Functionalism and who is associated with it?
-the study of what the mind does or its function
-focuses on how our behaviors serve us, claiming that certain behaviors were used for survival (heavily inspired by the evolutionary Approach)
-describes the mind as a functional tool that allows us to adapt to our environments
-Important people : William James
If a structuralist and a functionalist came across a modern computer, how would each study the machine?
(metaphor for the mind)
- Functionalist would want to press the keys and turn it on, to see what it can do
- Structuralist would take apart the computer, to see what its made of and the structures in it
What are approaches or perspectives in psychology?
- interpretations of psychology that help psychologists understand an individual
- basically the different ways psychology is looked at and studied
-approaches/perspectives in psychology can answer many questions, but no single approach answers all questions well
State the different approaches/perspectives
-Psychodynamic/analytic
-Behavioral
-Cognitive
-Humanistic
-Biological
-Socio-cultural
- Biopsychosocial
What is the Psychodynamic Approach? Who is associated with it?
-one of the oldest approaches in psychology and is still used today
-delves deeper into the UNCONSCIOUS mind of individuals to understand why people act a certain way
- developed by Sigmund Freud and was originally called the psychoanalytic theory
BUZZWORDS : unconscious drives/desires, free association, traumas leas to repression into unconscious
What is the Behavorial Approach? Who is associated with it?
-Mainly focuses on observable Reflexes and behaviors that can be measured, counted and recorded to understand humans and animals
-very opposed to invisible ideas like thoughts, emotions, the “unconscious”.
-Ivan Pavlov, John B Watson and B.F Skinner are all behavioral psychologists
-emphasis on learning through conditioning (classical and operant)
BUZZ WORDS : learning, punishment, reinforcement, increase/decrease of behavior
What is Classical Conditioning? Who are the psychologists associated with it?
- a learning process involving a NATURAL stimulus that brings about a NATURAL response being PAIRED with a NEUTRAL stimulus enough times so that the NEUTRAL stimulus ALONE is enough to bring about the NATURAl response
- (confusing ik)
- accidentally started by Ivan Pavlov when he was studying digestion in dogs and discovered that the dogs would salivate (natural) )at something other than food(natural) , if that thing (nuetral) was routinely presented before food.
What is Operant Conditioning? Who are the psychologists associated?
- a learning method in which a specific behavior is associated with either a positive or negative consequence.
- B.F Skinner is known for Operant Conditioning
Explain the difference between Classical and Operant Conditioning.
Classical Conditioning involves learning through the connections of a stimuli.
Operant Conditioning involves learning through rewards and punishments.
What is the Cognitive Approach?
- attempts to explain human behavior by focusing on thought processes.
- In this approach it is believed that an individual’s behaviors or responses are most likely results of the way they perceive and interpret the situation around them
Psychologists involved are Jean Piaget
BUZZZ WORDS : Thinking, reasoning, processing, thought process
What is the Biological Approach?
- according to this approach, most thoughts and behavior are inherited and/or heavily influenced by hormones, genetics, and neurotransmitters
BUZZ WORDS : Anatomy - references to any part of the brain or nervous system, damages to those parts
What is the Humanistic Approach?
-emphasizes the importance of looking at individuals as their own unique selves
-this is a very optimistic and positive approach
-claims that each person has a motivation or drive to achieve their full potential and self improvement
Psychologists associated are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow
BUZZWORDS : self-actualization, self-anything (concept,esteem etc)
What is the Sociocultural Approach?
-Considered external factors like society, environment, and culture to study the effect it has on an individuals mentality and behavior
-According to this approach,a persons behavioral can be influenced by the way they interact with their social or cultural groups.
-Things like social norms and standards can also play a role in how a person thinks, feels, and behaves
BUZZWORDS: neighborhood, friend group, ethnicity, socio-economic status/background, cultural/social impact
Who is Dorthea Dix? Why was she Important?
- She advocated for the mentally ill, opening up the first asylums and hospitals to treat them
-Dix’s extensive investigations into asylums revealed deplorable conditions, leading her to advocate for better care and treatment facilities.
Dorothea Dix’s work transformed the landscape of mental health care, moving away from inhumane treatment to a more compassionate and medical approach.
Who is Stanley Hall? Why was he important?
- He was the first to receive a PHD in psychology in the United States
- He was the first president of the American Psychological Association (APA)
- opened the first psychological laboratory in the U.S
Who was Mary Calkins? Why was she important?
- taught under William James
- the first female president of the APA
Who was Margaret Washburn? Why was she important?
- the first woman to earn a PHD in psychology
- the second female president of the APA
What is the Evolutionary theory? Who is associated with it?
- looks at behavior as adaptations of natural selection
BUZZWORDS : natural selection, gene pool, reproduction
Talk therapy is derived from which approach to psychology?
The Psychodynamic Approach
What is free association? Who was it used by?
-when a word or image signals or summons other words and thoughts in our head
- a technique used by Sigmund Freud in psychoanalysis
- involved the presentation of a word/image/phrase then the patient saying whatever comes to mind about that
EX: “what comes to mind when you hear the word mother?”
What is the difference between Basic Research and Applied Research?
Basic Research: work on building psychology’s knowledge base through research and experiments
Applied Research use/apply the research to take on issues in the world
State the APPLIED Research Domains :
Industrial/Organizational Psychologists
Counseling Psychologists
Educational Psychologists
Clinical Psychologists
State the BASIC Research Domains :
Biological Psychologists
Developmental Psychologists
Cognitive Psychologists
Personality Psychologists
Social Psychologists
What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?
Psychiatrists are medical doctors, psychologists are not.
Psychiatrist : can prescribe meds, has a medical degree,
Psychologists : has a degree in psychology, can offer a variety in talk therapy,
A person has depression. They go to both a psychologist and psychiatrist. How would each serve the patient?
The psychologist would offer the patient talk therapy
The psychiatrist would give the patient medicine for their depression
What is Gestalt Psychology?
What is natural selection? What approach to psychology uses this concept?
- theory proposed by Charles Darwin
- traits that are useful to survival are more likely to be passed down to future generations, while traits that are useless will die off
- The evolutionary approach to psychology uses this concept to explain behavior
What would a BIOLOGICAL Psychologist do? Are they in the basic research or applied research domain?
- in the basic research domain
- studies the connection between the mind and body
