Unit_allz Flashcards
What role do “chance encounters” play in shaping human lives according to Bandura?
Bandura asserts that “chance encounters” significantly influence the course of human lives, highlighting the role of fortuitous events in behavior.
Explain the Rationalism vs. Irrationalism perspective.
logical & intelligent = behavior
rational control (emotions or unconscious mechanisms)
What is the Nature vs. Nurture debate in psychology?
nature = human attributes are inherited
nurture = determined by experience
Discuss the “Mind and Body” perspectives in psychology.
Monists (Materialists and Idealists) explain everything in terms of one type of reality, while Dualists believe in both physical and mental events.
What is Non-determinism’s view on studying humans?
Non-determinism ≠ the scientific approach
emphasizing free will & individual choice
Explain the concept of Indeterminism in psychology.
human behavior
= determined
causes of behavior
≠ measured
What are the main paradigms in psychology?
Behaviouristic, Humanistic, Developmental, Psychoanalytic, Cognitive, and Psychobiological.
Describe Thomas Kuhn’s stages of scientific development.
The stages are Pre-paradigmatic (competing viewpoints), Paradigmatic (one viewpoint becomes dominant), and Revolutionary (an existing paradigm is displaced by another).
How does Karl Popper’s Principle of Falsifiability apply to scientific theories?
scientific theory
= refutable & risky
What are the different types of determinism discussed in psychology?
Biological-
Environmental-
Socioculturaldeterminism
Define Determinism in the context of psychology.
Belief that all behavior is caused/explained
=
-> sociocultural factors
-> environmental
-> biological
What principle did Karl Popper introduce in the philosophy of science?
Principle of Falsifiability
=> scientific theory
refutable & make risky predictions = strong
What are the main paradigms in psychology mentioned in the script?
Behaviouristic, Humanistic, Developmental, Psychoanalytic, Cognitive, and Psychobiological paradigms.
What are the two main components of science according to the script?
empirical observation
vs.
theory
How did Galileo and Kant view psychology as a science?
They believed psychology could never be a true science due to its concern with subjective experience.
Who was St. Thomas Aquinas and what was his key contribution?
Synthesized Aristotle’s works with Christian tradition, advocating the reconciliation of Faith and Reason.
What does the Renaissance signify?
„rebirth”
focusing on human-centered away from a God-centered
How did Galileo Galilei contribute to the understanding of reality?
objective reality
vs.
subjective reality
Describe the differences between Rationalism and Empiricism.
mental structures & truths
-> logical deduction
sensory information & the importance of experience
What is Rene Descartes’ famous statement and its significance?
Cogito ergo sum
I think, therefore I am
the mind-body distinction
What is the Bell-Magendie Law?
sensory ≠ motor nerves
Explain Paul Broca’s clinical method in psychology.
He linked behavior disorders in living patients to specific brain areas post-mortem, notably identifying Broca’s area related to speech.
What role did Islamic philosophers play in the Early Middle Ages?
They translated, studied, and expanded ancient Greek and Roman wisdom, contributing to medicine, science, and mathematics.
What were the key characteristics of the Scientific Revolution?
Advances by Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, focusing on objective observation and the establishment of natural laws.
How did the medieval period view the relationship between faith and reason?
reconcile faith & reason
St. Thomas Aquinas
What advancements occurred in the field of Physiology relevant to psychology?
- nerve conduction
- reflexive behavior
- sensory perception
- brain functioning
What was the primary outcome of the Roman Empire’s fall?
Feudalism
What major shift occurred during the Late Middle Ages?
separation between theology & philosophy
development of independent reasoning
Who was William of Occam and what did he propose?
A pioneer of the Late Middle Ages who advocated for parsimonious explanations (Occam’s razor) in explaining things/keeping explanations simple.
Describe the key themes of Renaissance Humanism.
Individualism, personal religions, intense interest in the past, and anti-Aristotelianism.
How did Galileo Galilei differentiate between objective and subjective reality?
Objective = independently of perception (shape and size)
Subjective = fluctuates & psychological
What are Isaac Newton’s principles of Newtonian Science?
Rejection of divine intervention, belief in natural laws and acceptance of Occam’s razor.
What did Rene Descartes contribute to Rationalism?
“Cogito ergo sum” & the idea of innate ideas
Describe John Locke’s view of the human mind.
He viewed the mind as a ‘tabula rasa’ or blank slate, filled by experience, challenging Descartes’ concept of innate ideas.
How did Charles Darwin influence psychology?
His theory of evolution and natural selection influenced developmental, animal, comparative psychology, and psychobiology.
What was Hermann von Helmholtz’s contribution to psychology?
nerve conduction
perception
color vision
audition
Theory
-> sensations are raw elements of conscious experience
-> perceptions are sensations after being given meaning by past experiences
Describe Franz Joseph Gall’s theory of Phrenology.
Gall proposed that mental faculties are housed in specific brain areas, evident as bumps or depressions on the skull.
What did Pierre Flourens contribute to understanding the brain?
His method of extirpation or ablation in brain research helped understand the localization of brain functions.
What role did Saint Augustine play in shaping views on original sin and free will?
He believed original sin damaged human nature and free will, with salvation possible only through divine grace.
How did the Scientific Revolution influence modern psychology?
It emphasized objective observation and the establishment of natural laws, significantly impacting modern psychological thought.
What is the significance of the Age of Enlightenment in psychology?
empirical evidence, rationality & the scientific method
Describe the impact of Physiology on psychology.
- nerve conduction
- reflexive behavior
- sensory perception
- brain functioning
How did Darwin’s „Theory of Emotions“ contribute to psychology?
human emotions are universal & evolved from animal emotions necessary for survival
What was the main contribution of Rene Descartes to Psychology?
He proposed a mechanistic analysis of reflexive behavior, influencing stimulus-response and behavioristic psychology.
What is Wundt’s view on Selective Attention and its role in apperception?
Selective Attention is the process by which individuals focus on specific aspects of perceptual experiences
Explain Wundt’s concepts of Perception, Apperception, and Creative Synthesis.
Perception = automatic awareness
Apperception = active interpretation
–> leading to creative synthesis
What are the principles of Wundt’s Tridimensional Theory of Feeling?
Pleasantness/Unpleasantness
Excitement/Calm
Strain/Relaxation
Describe Wundt’s Elements of Thought.
Sensations & Feelings
What did Ebbinghaus conclude about distributed vs. massed practice?
Distributed practice > massed practice
=> retention.
What was Ebbinghaus’s stance on meaningfulness in learning?
finding that meaningful material is learned and retained more effectively
Describe Oswald Külpe’s contributions.
imageless thoughts
What is the significance of the Forgetting Curve?
Forgetting = rapid soon after learning
+
slows down over time
Who was Hermann Ebbinghaus and what was his contribution?
Forgetting Curve
What were Wundt’s goals for experimental psychology?
Discovery of basic elements on thought
+
the laws by which mental elements combine into complex mental experiences.
What is the distinction between Wundt’s Pure and Experimental Introspection?
unstructured self-observation
vs.
structured technique
What is Wundt’s Völkerpsychologie?
focusing on higher mental processes deduced from cultural products & societal behaviors
Explain Wundt’s concept of Voluntarism.
Active role of the mind in organizing & interpreting sensory information (conscious will)
What is Fechner’s Law?
(mathematical) relationship between
physical stimulus
&
the subjective perception of that stimulus
Describe Weber’s Law.
relationship between
physical stimulus & JND
(the just noticeable difference
in perception)
What is Psychophysics and who are its key figures?
relationship between
physical stimuli & psychological sensations
Weber & Fechner
How did Wilhelm Wundt contribute to scientific psychology?
first experimental psychology lab
(studying consciousness and mental processes)
What is the Hierarchy of Sciences proposed by Comte?
sciences
-> from basic to complex, with psychology considered introspective analysis
Describe the Law of the Three Stages according to Comte.
Societies evolve through
Theo-> Meta->Scientific
(Theological/Magical
Metaphysical/Philosophical
Scientific/Positive)
What was the influence of Positivism on psychology?
scientific verification & empirical observations
—> observable phenomena
Who was Auguste Comte and what was his contribution?
Positivism, advocating for empirical observations as the basis of knowledge.
(French philosopher)
How does Wundt define psychology?
analytic study = mind
–> through introspection
What are the key aspects of Wundt’s Creative Synthesis?
mental process of integrating & organizing elemental sensations
–> complex perceptions & ideas
What is the distinction between Voluntarism and Materialism according to Wundt?
active role of the mind vs. consciousness
How does Wundt’s Völkerpsychologie differ from his experimental psychology?
collective mental life & behaviors of groups & cultures
vs.
individual consciousness & mental processes
What are the key differences between Structuralism and Functionalism?
structure of the mind => introspection
vs.
adaptation to the environment
Who founded Structuralism?
Titchener
What was Titchener’s approach to psychology?
mental experience
=> introspection & on cataloging basic mental elements
How did Functionalism begin?
William James
=> publication of “The Principles of Psychology”
What were the main goals of Functionalism?
Understanding the function of the mind ≠ provide a static description of its contents
How did Functionalism view the study of mental processes and behavior?
legitimate subjects
=> individual differences
What is William James concept of the “Stream of Consciousness”?
consciousness = flow
=> constantly changing & unable to be divided
How did William James view habits?
- functional
- simplifying movements
- increasing accuracy of behavior
- reducing fatigue
- diminishing the need for conscious attention
What was William James view on emotions?
emotions = from bodily reactions
<=>
emotion = perception of an event
What are the components of the „Empirical Self“ according to James?
- Material Self (body, family, property)
- Social Self (self as known by others)
- Spiritual Self (consciousness,emotions)
Describe James Ideo-motor theory of behavior.
action = action to occur
=> with ideas flowing automatically into behavior unless mental effort is made
Who was Granville Stanley Hall and what was his contribution?
Founded the first U.S. psychology laboratory
APA
What is Kurt Koffka known for in Gestalt Psychology?
developmental psychology & for his work in the perception of visual stimuli
What is Hall’s Recapitulation Theory?
Based on evolutionary theory
=> each individual reenacts all evolutionary stages of the human species in their lifetime
What led to the decline of Structuralism?
Unreliability of introspection
Refusal to seek practical applications
What was Titchener’s method of introspection in Structuralism?
basic raw elemental experiences
=> complex cognitive experience
How did Functionalism influence psychology?
- Promotion the scientific status of psychology
- Broadened research scope
- Led to the development of more rigorous research protocols
How did Structuralism view consciousness?
”=” mental experience
=> observable conscious events
Describe Titchener’s concept of mental elements.
Sensations
Images
Affections
Explain the Figure-Ground Relationship in perception.
Tendency of the visual system
=> simplify a scene into the main object
=> focus on and the background
What was Titchener’s Law of Combination?
Elements of thought combine to form complex mental processes
(=associationism)
What legacy did Structuralism leave?
experimental methodology, methodological rigor & paved the way for the establishment of psychology laboratories
What were the criticisms of Wundt’s approach by William James?
Search for
consciousness & experimentalism
How did Functionalism view the role of psychology?
Practical science
=> research on animals, children & abnormal humans
How did Functionalism contribute to the evolution of psychology?
It broadened psychology’s scope and influenced subsequent psychological schools, including behaviorism.
What was the relationship between Functionalism and Darwin’s theory of evolution?
=> function of mental processes in adaptation
How did Functionalism view individual differences?
Interested
=> Organisms different from each other
What role did motivation play in Functionalism?
„why“ of mental processes and behavior
What was the impact of Functionalism on the social demand for psychology professionals?
Social demand for psychology professionals & practical applications of psychological knowledge
How did Structuralism and Functionalism view research methods in psychology?
Introspection
introspection, animal behavior studies & the study of mental illnesses
How did Functionalism influence the study of abnormal psychology?
broad scope included the study of abnormal humans
=> clinical psychology & psychiatry
Who are the founders of Gestalt Psychology?
Wertheimer
Koffka
Köhler
What was the impact of Structuralism on psychology’s methodological rigor?
- Systematic research protocols
- Enhancing the scientific rigor
What is Gestalt Psychology?
A psychological approach emphasizing that we perceive and experience the world as organized wholes rather than as a collection of individual elements.
What does the term ‘Gestalt’ mean?
It means “configuration,” “form,” or “whole” in German.
What is the Phi Phenomenon?
continuous motion between separate objects
Wertheimer
How does Gestalt Psychology view human perception?
It views perception as a holistic process where the mind actively organizes sensory input into meaningful patterns and wholes.
What was Wolfgang Köhler’s contribution to Gestalt Psychology?
nature of learning
problem-solving in animals
contributing to the understanding of insight
What is Isomorphism in Gestalt Psychology?
psychological experience & brain activity
What is the Law of Prägnanz?
It states that psychological organization will always be as regular, simple, symmetrical, and precise as possible under the prevailing conditions.
What are the Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization?
similarity, proximity, closure & continuity
=> form larger ones
Explain the concept of Insightful Learning.
It is the idea that learning involves a sudden comprehension or understanding of the problem’s structure, leading to a solution.
What is the significance of Köhler’s research with chimpanzees?
problem-solving can occur through sudden insight rather than just gradual trial and error
How does Gestalt Psychology approach the study of learning?
It emphasizes the role of insight and understanding in learning, as opposed to mere associative or trial-and-error processes.
What is Transposition in Gestalt Psychology?
organism learns principles or relationships
not specific responses to specific situations
Describe Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory.
holistic approach
internal psychological states & external environmental factors
What is the Zeigarnik Effect?
The tendency to remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones.
How does Gestalt Psychology differ from Behaviorism?
Behaviorism
=> observable behaviors
Gestalt
=> mental processes
What is the relevance of Christian von Ehrenfels in Gestalt Psychology?
Gestaltqualitäten
=> qualities cannot be deduced from the sum of individual elements
What is Perceptual Constancy?
The ability to perceive objects as stable and unchanging despite changes in sensory input such as lighting, viewing angle, or distance.
How does Gestalt Psychology explain problem-solving?
Problem-solving is seen as a productive and insightful process, where an individual restructures the problem to find a solution.
What are the contributions of Gestalt Psychology to contemporary psychology?
cognitive psychology
=> perception & problem-solving
How did Gestalt Psychology impact the understanding of cognitive processes?
holistic & often based on the structural properties of the stimuli
How does Gestalt Psychology view consciousness?
dynamic & self-organizing system
=> actively configures sensory input into meaningful patterns
What is the role of the “whole” in Gestalt Psychology?
=> perception and cognition
What is the principle of closure in Gestalt Psychology?
Tendency to perceive incomplete figures
How does Gestalt Psychology approach visual perception?
visual perception as an active process where the brain organizes and interprets sensory information to form a coherent, whole image
What is the significance of the Principle of Similarity?
objects = similar are perceived as more related than objects that are dissimilar
How did Gestalt Psychology challenge earlier psychological approaches?
reductionist
=> Structuralism & Behaviorism
holistic view of mental processes
What is the impact of Gestalt Psychology on modern cognitive and perceptual research?
visual perception, memory & cognitive problem-solving
=> pattern recognition & mental restructuring
What are the main reasons to study the History of Psychology?
To gain perspective, a deeper understanding, recognize fads and fashions, avoid repeating mistakes, and satisfy curiosity about the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
