Gen psych ch 1 revised

Describe the types of studies that were conducted by the behaviorists, and explain why they conducted these types of studies.

-Behaviorists study observable behaviors associated with learning -Behaviorists used reinforcement and other learning principles in treating psychological distress -Other fields of psychology that contributed to recent innovations in therapy include humanistic and cognitive psychology

Briefly describe what the following types of psychologists do: Biological psychologists, evolutionary psychologists, learning and motivation psychologists, cognitive psychologists, developmental psychologists, and social psychologists.

Biological psychologists - explains behavior in terms of biological factors, such as activities of the nervous system, the effects of drugs and hormones, genetics, and evolutionary pressures Evolutionary psychologists - tries to explain behavior in terms of the evolutionary history of the species, including why evolution might have favored a tendency to act in particular ways Learning and motivation psychologists - studies how behavior depends on the outcomes of past behavior depends and current motivations. Cognitive psychologists - Cognition refers to thought and knowledge, a cognitive psychologist studies these processes Developmental psychologists - study how behavior changes with age Social psychologists - study how an individual influences other people and how the group influences an individual

Distinguish between clinical psychologists and psychoanalysts. What are the differences between psychologists and psychiatrists?

Clinical psychologists have an advanced degree in psychology with a specialty in understanding and helping people with psychological problems. Psychoanalysts are therapy providers who rely heavily on the theories and methods pioneered by the early twentieth-century Viennese physician Sigmund Freud and later modified by others. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that deals with emotional disturbances, also because psychiatrists have a medical degree they can legally prescribe drugs such as tranquilizers and antidepressants. Psychologists do not have medical degrees and cannot prescribe drugs, instead they try to understand a person's problem and help a person to overcome their problem.

1. Contrast the views of free will and determinism. Which view do scientists tend to believe? Why?

Determinism is the idea that every event has a cause, or determinant, that one could observe or measure. Free will is the belief that behavior is caused by a person's independent decisions. Scientist tend to believe in determinism, because although it is an assumption the success of scientific research attests to its value.

What factors led to the rise of behaviorism? Who is considered the founder of this school? Describe the behaviorist approach to psychology.

During the mid-1900s most researchers described psychology as the study of behavior. They had little to say about minds, experiences, or anything of the sort. Instead of answering questions about the mind, they focused on observable behaviors instead John B Watson is said to be the founder of Behaviorism. Behaviorism is a field of psychology that concentrates on observable, measurable behaviors and not on mental processes.

What was Titchener's contribution to psychology? Describe the school of psychology that he established.

Edward Titchener - student of Wundt and developed the approach called Structuralism. He dsecribes structures that compose the mind-sensations, feelings, and thoughts. - Titchener presented a stimulus to subjects and asked them to analyze its separate features -No feasible way existed to check the accuracy of their observations -This mode of research was abandoned eventually in favor of measuring observable behaviors

Describe the following fields of applied psychology: forensic psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, ergonomics, and school psychology

Forensic psychology - they provide advice and consultation to police, lawyers, and courts. They are clinical or counseling psychologists with additional training in legal issues. Industrial/organizational psychology - the psychological study of people at work. This field deals with such issues as hiring the right person for a job, training people for jobs, developing work teams, determining salaries and bonuses, providing feedback to workers about their performance, planning an organizational structure and organizing the workplace so that workers will be productive and satisfied. Ergonomics - Also known as human factors specialists. Tries to facilitate the operation of machinery so that ordinary people can use it efficiently and safely also worked in military settings, where complex technologies sometime require soldiers to spot nearly invisible targets. School psychology - Specialists in the psychological condition of students, usually in kindergarten through 12th grade. The identify children's educational needs, devise a plan to meet those needs, and then either implement the plan themselves or advise teachers how to implement it.

Describe the functionalist approach to psychology. Who established it? What were some of the questions this approach attempted to answer?

Functionalism is the approach to learn how people produce useful behaviors. William James established functionalism. How can people strengthen good habits? Can someone attend to more than one item at a time?? How do people recognize that they have seen something before How does an intention lead to action?

Describe the perspective and interests of the new field called positive psychology.

Positive psychology - studies the predispositions and experiences that make people happy, productive, and successful.

Describe Freud's influence on the development of modern clinical psychology.

Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory proposed the existence of an "unconscious mind" rooted in our animal origins Much of it has now been rejected as unscientific but psychology is still influenced by Freud's ideas about treatment of psychological distress

What is the mind-brain problem? Briefly explain the research that bears on this debate, and what this research shows.

The mind-brain problem is the philosophical question of how experience relates to the brain. PET scans were done on brain activity and on the PET scans show where brain activity is seen while a person is thinking of a certain activity. The brain activity and the mental activity are the same thing.

Describe the nature-nurture issue. Give an example of a question that is concerned with this issue.

The question is how do differences in behavior relate to differences in heredity and environment. Example: Why do most little boys play with toy guns and trucks rather than dolls? Is it because of biological differences or because parents rear their sons and daughters differently?

What are the four goals in Psychology?

We study psychology in order to understand, explain, and predict behavior. To answer the 3 philosophical questions: free will vs determinism, the mind-brain problem, and the nature-nurture issue.

Who established the first psychological laboratory, and for what purpose? What types of studies were conducted there?

William Wendt set up the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. It's purpose served as a place where he could test people's senses and ask them to introspect, to look within themselves. Wundt demonstrated the possibility of meaningful psychological research. For example through his research he determined that the time we think we see or hear something is not the same as when the event occurs.