Week 1 Flashcards
William James 1890 defined psychology as …
The science of both mental life, both of its phenomena and their condition
What is psychology defined as?
The scientific investigation of mental processes (thinking, feeling, remembering) and behaviour, and the interaction between them
What are the 3 key aspects of the scientific study of psychology?
Affect - feeling and emotions
Behaviour - actions and conations (desires to perform a certain actions)
Cognition - thoughts and beliefs
What are the 5 major perspectives of psychology?
- Psychodynamic
- Behaviourist
- Cognitive
- Evolutionary/Biological
- Humanistic
What is the iceberg analogy?
conscious - above
pre-conscious - middle
unconscious - below
What is the psychodynamic perspective and which theorists developed this theory?
Behaviour is largely the result of unconscious
processes, motivation, and early experiences
Sigmund Freud
Peoples actions are determined by the way thoughts, feelings and wishes are connected in their minds
What is the behaviourist perspective?
Behaviour is learned and selected by its
environmental consequences
B. F. Skinner observed that behaviour can be controlled by environmental consequences that either
increase (reinforce) or decrease (punish) their likelihood of occurring
What is the Humanistic perspective?
Behaviour and experience are shaped by the
need to self-actualise; to reach one’s potential.
Focuses on the uniqueness of and individual.
What is the Cognitive perspective?
Behaviour is the product of information
processing. Focuses on the way people perceive, process and retrieve information.
Computer Analogy (input, store, retrieve data)
What is the Evolutionary/Biological perspective?
Behaviours develops due to factors such as survival and reproductive pressures and it reflects the process of natural selection
and survival
What is the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs?
- Self Actualisation - creativity, spontaneity, morality
- Self Esteem - confidence, achievements
- Love and Belonging - friendships, family, intimacy
- Safety and Security - health, employment, property, family
- Physiological needs - food, water, sleep, clothes
What is a theory?
A systematic way of organising and explaining observations. Different schools of though promote different theories
What is a hypothesis?
A belief about the way two or more variables interact or impact each other
Outcome predictor - an idea you can test
What is standardised procedure?
the process in which procedures used in research are kept the same. This ensure unbiased results and ensure further researchers are able to make comparisons - everyone has to do the same thing
What is a variable?
Any phenomenon that can differ, or vary, from
one situation to another or from one person to another, it is a characteristic that
can take on different values