W1 notes Flashcards
hub science
Discipline connected to many other scientific fields
voluntarism
An approach that emphasizes the role of will and choice in determining thoughts, perceptions and behaviours
structuralism
An approach in which the mind is broken into the smallest elements of mental experience
introspection
A personal observation of your own thoughts, feelings and behaviour
functionalism
An approach that saw behaviour as purposeful and contributing to survival
behaviourism
An approach that features the study and careful measurement of observable behaviours
what is psychology
The “objective study of the mind” is a combination of 2 Greek words: psyche or “soul” and logos meaning “the objective study of” Logos is the source of all our “ologies’ such as bio and anthropology
behaviour
Behaviour refers to any action that we can observe
What are Psychology’s Roots?
Psych family tree includes 2 major roots: philosophy and the natural sciences
Psychologists answer questions traditionally posed by philosophers by borrowing the methods of the natural sciences
aristotle
Philosophers like Aristotle (384-322 BCE) believed that all knowledge is gained through sensory experience
This idea flourished in the British philosophical school of empiricism
john locke
Empiricists like John Locke, viewed the mind as a “blank slate” at birth, which then was filled with ideas gained by observing the world
how were psychological disorders dealt with in the 1970s
During the 1970s, Romanian orphans adopted at young ages recovered from the effects of their seriously deprived social circumstances, but those who endured years of deprivation had more severe cognitive deficits
Ancient people might have attempted to cure headaches, seizures or psychological disorders by drilling holes in the skull
Bone growth around the hole shows that some patients survived the procedure
hermann von helmhotz
Hermann von Helmholtz helped establish the mind as something that could be studied scientifically
wilhelm wundt
Wilhelm Wundt → first experimental psychologist
First to believe that conscious experience could be studied scientifically and he conducted the first documented psychological experiment in his lab
Test of reaction time
Believed that humans were capable of deciding what to attend to and thus what is perceived clearly
His approach to psych, was known as voluntarism, which reflects this emphasis on conscious will and choice
structuralism
One of Wundt’s students expanded on his view to establish structuralism, in which the mind could be broken down into the smallest elements of mental experience
Believed that consciousness experience could be broken down into 3 types of mental elements: sensations, images and feelings
john baird
John Baird developed a program for the evaluation of army recruits that would serve as the first case of mass psychological testing anywhere in the world
max wertheimer
Gestalt Psychology - Max Wertheimer
Means form or whole
Psychologists believed that breaking a “whole” perception into its building blocks, as advocated by the structuralists, would result in the loss of some important psychological info
william james
William James and Functionalism
Functionalism viewed behaviour as purposeful because it led to survival
Instead of restricting themselves to exploring the structure of the mind, functionalists were more interested in why behaviour and mental processes worked in a particular way
An approach to the mind that viewed behaviour as purposeful
Stream of consciousness describes the flow of ideas that people experience while awake
Structuralists were interested in describing conscious experience and the functionalists were interested in explaining why we had such experiences
mary calkins
Mary Calkins wrote an article arguing for a reconciliation b/w structuralist and functionalist approaches to psychology
Contended that they were both concerned with understanding consciousness and should not be viewed as incompatible with each other
james baldwin
early psychology in Canada
James Baldwin founded the first psychology lab, experimental approach to studying psych
Canadian psychology association was focused on aiding the Canadian war effort during WW2 (e.g. developing tests that would help in the recruitment of soldiers)
Freud
Clinical Roots: Freud and the humanistic psychologists
“Supernatural approach”, according to this view, psychological disorders resulted from the actions of evil spirits or other external, magical forces
Gave way to 2 scientific approaches: a medical model and a psychological model
Medical model emphasized physical causes of abnormal behavior and medical treatments like meds
Psych model suggested that abnormal behavior can result from life experiences, leading to fear, anxiety and other counterproductive emotional responses
freud and humanistic approach
Freud’s ideas about the existence of the unconscious mind, the development of sexuality, dream analysis and psychological roots of abnormal behaviour influenced not just psych but also culture
-Developed techniques of psychoanalysis for treating mental disorders
-His theories were not scientific, based on observations of his patients
Humanistic psychology
-New ways of thinking about the human mind through an approach
-All believed that human behaviour was on a continuum with animal behaviour, which led to their assumption that humans naturally shared the aggressive impulses of animals
maslow
Maslow introduced a major theory of motivation and focused on the good in people instead of what’s wrong with people like Freud
carl rogers
Carl Rogers developed a new approach to therapy called client-centred therapy and people were called clients instead of patients
Reflected their equal standing with the therapist and their active role in the therapy process
When issues like capital punishment arise, the humanistic belief that there are no bad people, just bad societies that fail people, typically appears as part of the debate
the behaviourists
Concentration on observable, measurable behaviors
Drew parallels b/w their observations of animals and their assumptions about human behaviour
classical conditioning
law of effect
classical conditioning
Classical conditioning helps us understand the links that we make b/w environmental cues and our emotions
law of effect
Law of effect suggests that behaviours followed by pleasant or helpful outcomes would be more likely to occur in the future, whereas behaviours followed by unpleasant or harmful outcomes would be less likely to occur
cognition
Cognition covers the private and internal mental processes that the behaviourists avoided studying; info processing, thinking, reasoning and problem solving
Biological psychology aka behavioural neuroscience
focuses on the relationships b/w mind and behaviour and their associated biological processes (genetics, physiology)
Evolutionary psychology
answers the question of how our physical structure and behaviour have been shaped by their contributions to our species’ survival
Our current behaviour exists in its present form because it provided some advantage in survival and reproduction to our ancestors
Cognitive psychology
focuses on the process of thinking, or the processing of information
Because our ability to remember plays an important part in the processing of info, a cognitive psychologist is likely to discuss the storage and retrieval of memories
Developmental psychology
focuses on the normal changes in behaviour that occur across the lifespan
Looks at how memory functions in people of different ages
Social and personality psych
described the effects of the social environment, including social and cultural diversity, and individual differences on the behaviour of individuals
Recognizes that we build our own realities and that the social environment influences our thoughts, feelings and behaviour
Might ask how being in the presence of others influences the storage and retrieval of data
Clinical psych
explains, defines and treats psychological disorders
Expanded to include the promotion of general well-being and health
Many psych disorders affect memory
Repression→ traumatizing experiences that make things difficult to remember
Integrating Psychology’s 5 Perspectives
Combining perspectives gives us a richer understanding of human behaviour
Social neuroscientists investigate the biological factors that depend on people’s feeling and experiences of social inclusion, rejection or loneliness
Behavioural neuroscientists research learning, memory, motivation and sleep
Clinical and counselling psychologists likely to consider biological processes in their theories
how has the profession of psych failed Indigenous Peoples
the residential school system and forced adoption initiatives
Indigenous worldviews include the holistic framework where the whole person (physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual) is seen as being interconnected to land and in relationship to others (family, communities, nations)
Can the use of a single perspective be misleading?
Can result in an incomplete picture, cloud our understanding but combining perspectives leads to an accurate conclusion
What does it mean to be a Psychologist?
Psychological science is the study of behaviour, mental processes and brain functions
Difference b/w therapist with doctoral degrees in psych and psychiatrists, who are medical doctors
Psychiatrists can prescribe meds but psychologists can’t
