Psych Ch. 1: What is Psychology?

_______ psychologists are more interested in theoretical issues concerning human learning.

educational

__________ psychologists note that only the fittest organisms reach maturity and reproduce, thereby transmitting their genes to future generations and causing species to evolve in adaptive directions.

Evolutionary

Humanistic-__________ psychologists stress the importance of self-awareness and peoples' freedom to make choices.

Existential

Insight

In Gestalt psychology, the sudden reorganization of perceptions, allowing the sudden solution of a problem.

__________ founded the school of behaviorism.

John B. Watson

__________ introduced the method of paired associates and discovered the primacy and recency effects.

Mary Whiton Calkins

What is psychoanalysis?

Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud. The school asserts that people are driven by hidden impulses and that they distort reality to protect themselves from anxiety.

Instinctive

An inborn pattern of behavior that is triggered by a particular stimulus.

The Greek philosopher _______ was among the first to argue that human behavior is subject to rules and laws.

Aristotle

What is functionalism?

Functionalism is the school founded by William James. It dealt with observable behavior as well as conscious experience and focused on the importance of habit.

_________ psychologists saw our perceptions as wholes that give meaning to parts.

Gestalt

What is Gestalt psychology?

Gestalt psychology is the school of psychology founded by Wertheimer, Koffka and Köhler. It is concerned with perception and argues that the wholeness of human experience is more than the sum of its parts.

What is the humanistic-existential perspective?

Humanistic-existential psychologists stress the importance of subjective experience and assert that people have the freedom to make choices.

________ founded the school of psychoanalysis.

Sigmund Freud

_______ proclaimed "Know thyself" and suggested the use of introspection to gain self-knowledge.

Socrates

What is structuralism?

Structuralism, founded by Wilhelm Wundt, used introspection to study the objective and subjective elements of experience. Wundt also established the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879.

Gender

The culturally defined concepts of masculinity and femininity.

______ founded the school of structuralism.

Wilhelm Wundt

Psychology seeks to describe, explain, _________, and control behavior.

predict

The _________ perspective fosters the consideration of matters of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in psychology.

sociocultural

Psychology is defined as the study of ________ and mental processes.

behavior

Practicum

A college or university course, typically in a specialized field of study, that provides students with supervised practical application of previously studied theory.

Theory

A formulation of relationships underlying observed events.

Ethnic group

A group characterized by common features such as cultural heritage, history, race, and language.

What is behaviorism?

Behaviorism, founded by John B. Watson, argues that psychology must limit itself to observable behavior and not attempt to deal with subjective consciousness. Behaviorism focuses on learning by conditioning, and B.F. Skinner introduced the concept of reinforcement as an explanation of how learning occurs.

_______ oriented psychologists study the links between behaviors, the brain, hormones, and heredity.

Biologically

________ formulated a theory of color vision.

Christine Ladd-Franklin

Kenneth B. ___________ influenced a key United States Supreme Court decision on desegregation in the schools.

Clark

_________ psychologists study the ways that we perceive and mentally represent the world.

Cognitive

Introspection

Deliberate looking into one's own cognitive processes to examine one's thoughts and feelings and to gain self-knowledge.

Pure research

Research conducted without concern for immediate applications.

Existentialism

The view that people are free and responsible for their own behavior.

______ psychologists work with individuals who have adjustment problems but do not show seriously abnormal behavior.

counseling

_______ psychologists focus on the relationships between people and work.

industrial

Clinical psychologists help people resolve problems through _______.

psychotherapy

Some psychologists engage in basic, or ______, research, which has no immediate applications.

pure

______ psychologists assist students with problems that interfere with learning.

school

_______ psychologists study the nature and causes of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior in social situations.

social

Behavior is explained through psychological ________, which are sets of statements that involve assumptions about behavior.

theories

True or False: More than 2,000 years ago, Aristotle wrote a book on psychology with contents similar to the book you are now holding.

True (Peri Psyches.)

Social-cognitive theory

A school of psychology in the behaviorist tradition that includes cognitive factors in the explanation and prediction of behavior; formerly termed social-learning theory.

Reinforcement

A stimulus that follows a response and increases the frequency of the response.

How have access to education and the field of psychology historically influenced the participation of women and people from various ethnic and racial backgrounds?

Although excluded from most institutions of higher learning until the 20th century, women and people of color have made major contributions to psychology in the United States for more than a century. Calkins studied memory and heightened awareness of prejudice against women. Ladd-Franklin formulated a theory of color vision. Washburn's views presaged behaviorism. Ainsworth has made key contributions to the field of child development (attachment theory), and Loftus is a major figure in the psychology of memory. Nolen-Hoeksema has shown how people's cognitive styles can prolong feelings of depression. People from ethnic minority groups have contributed to all areas of psychology, but some, like Kenneth Clark, Mamie Phipps Clark, and Jorge Sanchez, have heightened awareness of issues concerning their groups.

What is the role of psychoanalysis today?

Contemporary psychoanalysts often call themselves neoanalysts because they focus less on unconscious processes and more on conscious choice and self-direction. Psychoanalysis remains popular in the culture at large.

True or False: Men receive the majority of doctoral degrees in psychology.

False. Women now receive the majority of undergraduate degrees in psychology and some 78% of the doctoral degrees.

William James founded the school of _______, which dealt with behavior as well as conscious experience.

Functionalism

Just what do psychologists do?

Psychologists engage in research, practice, and teaching. Research can be pure or applied. Basic of pure research as no immediate applications. Applied research seeks solutions to specific problems. Psychologists also specialize in various fields. Clinical psychologists help people with psychological disorders adjust to the demands of life. Counseling psychologists are more likely to work with people who have adjustment problems. School psychologists assist students with problems that interfere with learning. Developmental psychologists study the changes that occur throughout the lifespan. Personality psychologists study influences on our thought processes, feelings, and behavior. Social psychologists focus on the nature and causes of behavior in social situations. Experimental psychologists conduct research into basic psychological processes such as sensation and perception, learning and memory, thinking, motivation, and emotion. Industrial psychologists focus on the relationships between people and work. Health psychologists study the ways that behavior and mental processes such as attitudes are related to physical health.

What are the goals of psychology?

Psychology seeks to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior and mental processes. Behavior and mental processes are explained through psychological theories, which are sets of statements that involve assumptions about behavior. Explanations and predictions are derived from theories. Theories are revised, as needed, to accommodate new observations.

__________-cognitive theorists are in the behaviorist tradition but also find roles for intentional learning and note that people can create or modify their environments.

Social

Who were some of the ancient contributors to psychology?

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle declared that people are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Another Greek, Democritus, suggested that we could think of behavior in terms of a body and a mind and raised the question of whether there is free will or choice.

Cognitive perspective

The approach to psychology that focuses on the nature of consciousness and on mental processes such as sensation and perception, memory, problem solving, decision making, judgment, language, and intelligence.

Biological perspective

The approach to psychology that seeks to understand the nature of the links between biological processes and structures such as the functioning of the brain, the endocrine system, and heredity on the one hand, and behavior and mental processes on the other.

What is the biological perspective?

The biological perspective studies the links between behavior and mental processes on the one hand, and the functioning of the brain, the endocrine system, and heredity on the other.

What is the cognitive perspective?

The cognitive perspective is concerned with the ways we mentally represent the world and process information. Cognitive psychologists study how we learn, remember the past, plan for the future, solve problems, form judgments, make decisions, and use language.

What is the evolutionary perspective?

The evolutionary perspective is based on the work of Charles Darwin, who argued that in the age-old struggle for survival, only the fittest organisms reach maturity and reproduce, thereby transmitting the traits that enable them to survive to their offspring.

Humanism

The philosophy and school of psychology that asserts that people are conscious, self-aware, and capable of free choice, self-fulfillment, and ethical behavior.

Structuralism

The school of psychology that argues the mind consists of three basic elements--sensations, feelings, and images--that combine to form experience.

Psychoanalysis

The school of psychology that asserts that much of our behavior and mental processes are governed by the unconscious ideas and impulses that have their origins in childhood conflicts.

Behaviorism

The school of psychology that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior and studies relationships between stimuli and responses.

Gestalt psychology

The school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into wholes and to integrate separate stimuli into meaningful patterns.

Functionalism

The school of psychology that emphasizes the uses or functions of the mind and behavior rather than just the elements of experience.

Psychology

The science that studies behavior and mental processes.

What is the sociocultural perspective?

The sociocultural perspective focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in behavior and mental processes.

What are the two major perspectives on learning?

The two key perspectives on learning are the behavioral perspective and the social-cognitive perspective. The behavioral perspective focuses on environmental influences on learning. Social-cognitive theory argues that psychologists can address thought processes, that people engage in intentional learning, and that people are free to modify and create environments.

Cognition

The use of mental processes to perceive and mentally represent the world, think, and engage in problem solving and decision making.

Sociocultural perspective

The view that focuses on the roles of ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status in behavior and mental processes.

Evolutionary perspective

The view that our behavior and mental processes have been shaped, at least in part, by natural selection as our ancestors strived to meet our prehistoric and historic challenges.

True or False: The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates suggested a research method that is still used in psychology.

True (Know thyself! Socrates claimed that we could not attain reliable self-knowledge through our senses, because senses do not mirror reality exactly. Because the senses provide imperfect knowledge, Socrates suggested that we should rely on processes such as rational thought and introspection--careful examination of one's own thoughts and emotions--to gain self-knowledge. He also pointed out that people are social creatures who influence one another.)

True or False: Psychologists attempt to control people's behavior and mental processes.

True (The science of psychology seeks to understand the factors that influence behavior. Psychologists are to apply this knowledge for the public good--for instance, helping individuals cope with problems such as anxiety and depression, etc.)

True or False: Psychologists can prescribe medicine.

True (only in some states, like Louisiana and Mexico)

True or False: As psychologist Wilhelm Wundt lay on his deathbed, his main concern was to analyze the experience of dying.

True. In keeping with his theory of Structuralism, Wundt became preoccupied with trying to analyze the experience of dying during a serious illness. He kept an extensive diary of his conscious experiences, breaking them down into objective sensation such as what he was seeing and smelling and into subjective feelings such as his depressive (although busy!) emotional responses, his will to live, and his memories of childhood and recent events, even his dreams.

True or False: Even though she had worked to complete all the degree requirements, the first female president of the American Psychological Association turned down the doctoral degree that was offered to her.

True. When Mary Whiton Calkins completed the requirements for her doctoral degree at Harvard, they would not grant her a degree because of her gender. Instead, Harvard offered to grant her a doctorate from its sister school, Radcliffe. She declined the offer. It is therefore true that the first female president of the American Psychological Association turned down the doctoral degree that was offered to her.

Other psychologists engage in ______ research, which seeks solutions to specific problems.

applied

________ psychologists study the changes that occur throughout the life span.

developmental

_______ psychologists conduct research into basic psychological processes, such as sensation and perception, learning and memory, and motivation and emotion.

experimental