Week 1

Question 1

Define psychology as a scientific discipline?

Answer 1

Psychology is the science that seeks to understand behaviour and mental processes and their interaction.

Question 2

Describe historical philosophical and experimental foundations of the psychology discipline

Answer 2

Philosophers Plato, Aristotle and Socrates believed knowledge was innate.
John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume argued knowledge should be understood through empiricism..

Question 3

Define empiricism.

Answer 3

Empiricists believe people are born as tabula rasa ‘blank slate’ lacking innate knowledge.

Question 4

What did Gustav Fechner do?

Answer 4

Studied mental processes by observing reactions to changes in sensory stimuli. He developed psychophysics, the complex but predictable relationships between changes in the physical characteristics of stimuli and changes in people’s
psychological experience of them.

Question 5

What did Wilhelm Wundt do?

Answer 5

Founded the first psychology research lab in Germany. Attempted to use empirical research methods to study consciousness.

Question 6

What did psychology become under Wundt?

Answer 6

Science of mental process rather than philosophy of mental process.

Question 7

Define structuralism.

Answer 7

Edward Titchner

Efforts to define the structure of consciousness. Breaking down mental processes into components.

Question 8

Describe Gestalt psychology

Answer 8

Wertheimer, Koffka and Kohler. Consciousness is a totality, best observed as a whole, not piece by piece.

Question 9

Describe psychoanalysis

Answer 9

Sigmund Freud

All behaviour is motivated by psychological processes, especially unconscious conflicts within the mind.

Question 10

Describe funcitonalism

Answer 10

William James
Influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution. Functionalism focused on the role of consciousness guiding people to make decisions and solve problems.

Question 11

Describe behaviourism

Answer 11

John B. Watson
Observations of overt behaviour and responses to various stumuli.
B.F Skinner
Rewards and punishments.

Question 12

Describe eclectic

Answer 12

Combining the features of several approaches

Question 13

Describe the biological approach

Answer 13

Biological factors affect behaviour and mental processes.

Question 14

Describe the evolutionary approach

Answer 14

Behaviour and mental processes emerge as generations adapt to help organisms survive and reproduce. Natural selection

Question 15

Describe the psychodynamic approach

Answer 15

The psychodynamic approach based on Freud. Constant unconscious conflicts within a person are the determinant of behaviour and mental life.

Question 16

Describe the behavioural approach

Answer 16

Based on Watson’s ideas. behaviour is primarily the result of learning. Reward and punishment influences behaviour.

Question 17

Describe the cognitive approach

Answer 17

Emphasised the importance of thoughts and other mental processes, also focusing on how people take in and store information.

Question 18

Describe the humanistic approach

Answer 18

Behaviour is determined primarily by peoples capacity to chose how to think and act based on individual perceptions.

Question 19

Training requirements to become a psychologist

Answer 19

Step 1. Undergrad 3 years
Step 2. Honours, PostGrad 1 year
Step 3. Provisional registration - another 2 years
Step 4. General registration

Question 20

What are the subfields of psychology

Answer 20

Biological 
Developmental 
Cognitive 
Personality 
Clinical and Counselling
Educational
Organisational 
Sports
Forensic
Environmental
Community