WK6: The Science of Psychology Flashcards
why is psychology scientific in nature
uses a systematic approach
Define behaviour and mental processes
Behaviour: all overt reactions
Mental processes: all internal, covert mind activity
What are the goals of psychology?
- Describe
- Predict
- Explain
- Control
Done through biological, cognitive, and social perspectives, and interventions
What did the first forerunner of Psychology believe in?
Plato (428BC-348BC)
- theoretical structure of human mind
- psyche (human behaviour and impulses)
Who wrote parapsyche and believed in the mind being the primary reason for existence?
Aristotle (384BC-322BC)
- Mind and reason can exist independently from body
- Believes in nurture (behaviourist)
What did the Father of Medicine believe in?
Hippocrates (460BC-370BC)
- Disease results from natural causes and must be treated naturally
- Thoughts, ideas, and feelings come from the brain and not the heart
- 1st theory on temperament: human moods, emotions and behaviours caused by unbalanced body fluids
Describe Objective Introspection.
- process of objectively examining and measuring mental processes resulting from physical sesnsations
What did Wundt believe in?
Consciousness and objective introspection
Who believed in structuralism and self-reflective introspection? Describe both aspects of perception.
Titchener.
SRI: objective introspection used on thoughts and physical sensations
Structuralism: using introspection to reveal mind’s structure
Describe functionalism.
James
- how the mind allows people to function in the real world.
- heavily influenced by ideas of natural selection
- infulenced educational and organisational psychology and behaviourism
‘The whole is other than the sum of its parts’ is from which principle?
Gestalt (Wertheimer, Kohler, Koffka).
Dynamic nature of visual perception
Who started the ego movement/invented psychoanalysis? Describe events leaing up to psychoanalysis.
Freud.
Our unconscious thought processes and emotional responses to childhood experiences affect our behaviour.
Describe the approaches Pavlov, Watson, Skinner took.
Behaviourism.
Pavlov: conditioning and learning
Watson & Skinner: scientific study of observable behaviour
Which approach focuses on how environmental influences can nurture or limit growth potential? and attention on satisfying human needs (love, acceptance)?
Rogers and Maslow
What is humanism used as today?
Form of psychotherapy for self understanding and self improvement
What does cognitive approach focus on?
mental processes and their role in thinking, behaving, feeling
Define cognitive neuroscience/
studies of the brain activity which underlies mental activity (PET/MRI)
Why is biopsychological approach considered integrated?
Considers influences of biological, psychological and social-cultural factors
What are the different professionals in the field of Psychology?
- psychiatrist: biological approach, MD in psychiatry
- clinical psychologist: mental and emotional problems. PhD in psychology
- psychoanalyst: emotional disorders/pathology. MD or PhD
- psychotherapist: psychotherapy. no degree to advanced prof degree
- counseller: normal life problems. no training
why psychology in health sciences?
- effective communication w/ everyone
- assess condition 360degree
- critical thinking and skills
- research skills
requirements of a scientific attitude?
- curiosity
- scepticism
- humility
define critical thinking
ability to assess claims and make objective judgments base on well supported reasons and evidence
how did critical thinking contribute to psychology?
- surprising findings
- demystifying popular assumptions
- identifying effective policies
essential guidelines for critical thinking?
- ask questions
- define terms (hypothesis, operational definitions
- examine evidence
- analyse assumptions and biases
- avoid emotional reasoning
- dont oversimplify
- consider other interpretations
- tolerate uncertainty
define scientific method
self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis
when will theories be revisited or rejected?
if predictions fail
steps of scientific method?
- perceiving question (description goal)
- forming hypothesis (description and explanation goals)
- testing hypothesis (explanation goal)
- drawing conclusions (prediction goal)
- reporting results (control goal)
different research methods and what they do?
- descriptive: establish facts
- correlational: look for correlations
- experimental: look for causes
different studies done with descriptive studies?
- observational
- case studies
- surveys
- psychological tests
does correlational studies establish cause and effect?
no, only a relationship