Unit 1 - Vocab D1-D4 Flashcards
What is psychology?
The science of behavior and mental processes.
What is empiricism?
Knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation.
Who was Wilhelm Wundt?
“Father of Psychology”; Started the first laboratory in psychology for studying humans.
What is introspection?
A scientific procedure to study feelings; is not a reliable way to gather information.
What is structuralism?
The structure of conscious experience could be understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts and sensations.
Who was William James?
Published the “Principles of Psychology”; first psychology textbook in the U.S.
He wanted to study the individual as a whole and developed functionalism.
What is functionalism?
Concerned with how humans use perception to function in our environment; how mind and behavior function - how organisms adapt to environment. Functionalism was influenced by Darwin, with William James creating a school of functionalism.
What is Gestalt psychology?
Emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes. Max Wertheimer founded Gestalt (whole) psychology as a response to structuralism. Involves closure, the tendency to fill in gaps (of patterns and memory).
What is psychoanalysis?
Sigmund Freud emphasized the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior.
What is behaviorism?
Psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). B.F. Skinner and John Watson were behaviorists.
What is the Neuroscience/Biological Perspective?
Brain and nervous system organize and control behavior; interested in how much our genes influence individual differences.
What is the evolutionary perspective?
Principles of evolution/natural selection (Darwin). Considers the behavior may have helped our ancestors survive long enough to reproduce successfully (survival).
What is the psychodynamic perspective?
Behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts and that early childhood experiences shape unconscious motivations (Sigmund Freud).
What is the behavior perspective?
Behavior based on experience or learning; conditioning (training).
What is the cognitive perspective?
How knowledge is acquired, organized, remembered, and used; (Piaget) Intellectual development and language.
