Psychology 200 - Chapter 1

Is Psychology a Science?

Yes. Because (1) much of psychology is based on carefully controlled experimentation using randomization procedures, and (2) psychological investigations have had beneficial effects on society

Social psychology

a subfield of psychology that studies how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals can be influenced by the presence of others.

Burrhus Frederick (B. F.) Skinner (1904-1990)

developed Behaviorism. Developed the "Skinner box," or conditioning chamber, to explain learning, and founded operant conditioning; published The Behavior of Organisms, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, Walden II

Behaviorists

dominated psychology from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Kenneth B. Clark (1914-2005)

first African American APA President

Mary Calkins (1863-1930)

first female APA President

Most undergraduate psychology students...

move on to graduate school and conduct research. Postdoctoral fellowships in different areas of psychology, Faculty positions—teaching and research, or Research position in industry

Karl Lashley (1890-1958)

Lesioned rats' brains in unsuccessful attempt to localize learning; his work led to the new research area of physiological psychology

Functionalism

MENTAL PROCESSES AS ADAPTATIONS. The study of how mental processes enable people to adapt to their environments

Behaviorists ignored

Mental processes and Evolutionary history. Behaviorism was later replaced by other approaches.

What are the possible ways that young children learn about the world?

Nativism or Philosophical empiricism

Who was Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)?

Opened the first psychological laboratory

Unconscious

Part of the mind that operates outside of awareness but influences conscious thoughts, feelings, and actions

Consciousness

Person's subjective experience of the world and the mind

What is philosophical empiricism?

Philosophical view that all knowledge is acquired through experience (Aristotle believed this)

What is Nativism?

Philosophical view that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn (Plato believed this)

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Pioneered a new movement in humanistic psychology

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Pioneered a new movement in humanistic psychology

Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)

Pointed out that even young children generate sentences they have never heard before, and therefore could not possibly be learning language by reinforcement

How can you improve study skills?

Rehears, Interpret, Test yourself, and Hit the main points

Cognitive psychology

Scientific study of mental processes, including perception, thought, memory, and reasoning

What is Stimulus?

Sensory input from the environment

American Psychological Association (APA)

Seven men founded the APA in 1892. Each worked at a large university, where they taught psychology courses, performed research, and wrote textbooks. Today, academic psychologists make up 20% of membership; 70% work in clinical and heath-related settings.

Solomon Asch (1907-1996)

Studied "mental chemistry;" studies on obedience in lab experiments

Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939)

Studied behavior in different animal species; wrote influential book, The Animal Mind; developed a theory of consciousness

Stanley Milgram (1953-1984)

Studied how people respond to authority

Who was Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894)?

Studied human reaction time; estimated the length of nerve impulse

Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893)

Studied hysteric patients through hypnosis

Pierre Janet (1859-1947)

Studied hysteric patients through hypnosis

Gordon Allport (1897-1967)

Studied stereotyping, prejudice, and racism as perceptual errors

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

Studied the physiology of digestion and founded classical conditioning (stimulus-response)

What is Physiology?

Study of biological processes, especially in the human body

Cultural psychology

Study of how cultures reflect and shape the psychological processes of their members. Studied by psychologists and anthropologists

Introspection

Subjective observation of one's own experience

What is "tabula rasa"?

The ideal that the mind is a blank slate on which experiences are written

Personal Experience

The person's subjective interpretation

Kurt Lewin (1890-1947)

The person's subjective interpretation of stimuli

Natural selection

Theory that the features of an organism that help it survive and reproduce are more likely than other features to be passed on to subsequent generations

Psychoanalysis

Therapeutic approach that focuses on bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness to better understand psychological disorders

Behaviorism

(1) Advocated that psychologists restrict themselves to the scientific study of objectively observable behavior and (2) Represented a dramatic departure from previous schools of thought

8. Which famous psychologist created a stir when he/she claimed that free will is an illusion? A. Margaret Floy Washburn B. John B. Watson C. Sigmund Freud D. B. F. Skinner E. Ivan Pavlov

D. B. F. Skinner

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Developed Psychoanalytic Theory. He believed hysteria caused from painful unconscious experiences

9. __________ is the scientific study of mental processes, including perception, thought, memory, and reasoning. A. Neuropsychology B. Forensic psychology C. Physiological psychology D. Social psychology E. Cognitive psychology

E. Cognitive psychology

Illusions

Errors of perception, memory, or judgment in which subjective experience differs from objective reality

Evolutionary Psychology

Explains mind and behavior in terms of the adaptive value of abilities that are preserved over time by natural selection. Inspired by functionalist approaches of William James and G. Stanley Hall

Cognitive Neuroscience

Field that attempts to understand the links between cognitive processes and brain activity

Who was William James (1842-1910)?

First to take scientific approach to study psychology; wrote The Principles of Psychology

Max Wertheimer (1880-1943)

Founded induced-motion phenomena

Gestalt psychology

A psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts

Hysteria

A temporary loss of cognitive or motor functions, usually as a result of emotionally upsetting experiences

10. Dr. Veet studied human perception through the use of visual illusions. It is most likely that Dr. Veet subscribed to which approach of psychology? A. Gestalt psychology B. humanistic psychology C. cognitive neuroscience D. behaviorism E. psychoanalysis

A. Gestalt psychology

7. Which area of psychology focuses on helping people to realize their full potential? A. Humanistic psychology B. functionalism C. evolutionary psychology D. behavioral neuroscience E. positive psychology

A. Humanistic psychology

13. The majority of PhDs in psychology are awarded in __________ psychology. A. clinical B. social C. developmental D. counseling E. experimental

A. clinical

3. Wilhelm Wundt's brand of psychology focused on the study of ________, while John Watson's brand of psychology focused on the study of ________. (Answer) A. consciousness; behavior B. children; animals C. psychological disorders; positive potential of human beings D. brain chemistry; maze learning E. adaptive behaviors; maladaptive behaviors

A. consciousness; behavior

4. Emotions are complex in nature. Some philosophers have argued that emotions have evolved to help species adapt to their environment. This view of emotions is best illustrated by what approach? A. functionalism B. empiricism c. structuralism D. foundationalism E. positivism

A. functionalism

Response

Action or physiological change elicited by a stimulus

What is Reaction time?

Amount of time taken to respond to a specific stimulus

Structuralism

Analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind

Behavioral Neuroscience

Approach to psychology that links psychological processes to activities in the nervous system and to other bodily processes

Psychoanalytic theory

Approach to understanding human behavior that emphasizes the importance of unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings, thoughts, and behaviors

Humanistic psychology

Approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of human beings

Who was Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)?

Argued against Descartes; said the mind is what the brain does

11. How does cognitive neuroscience differ from cognitive psychology? A. The two are interchangeable. B. Cognitive neuroscience attempts to link thinking to brain activity, while cognitive psychology focuses more on thinking. C. Cognitive psychology studies normal thought processes, while cognitive neuroscience studies abnormal thought processes. D. Cognitive neuroscience focuses exclusively on nonhuman animals, while cognitive psychology focuses on human animals. E. Cognitive neuroscience studies the negative impact of drugs on brain functioning, while cognitive psychology studies the positive impact of drugs on brain functioning.

B. Cognitive neuroscience attempts to link thinking to brain activity, while cognitive psychology focuses more on thinking.

12. __________ was the first woman elected as APA president, and she unfortunately faced the significant sex discrimination that was common at the time. A. Ana Freud B. Mary Calkins C. Margaret Mead D. Margaret Washburn E. Shirley Mason

B. Mary Calkins

5. A rat is being trained to learn its way through a complex maze. When the rat successfully makes its way through the maze, it receives water and food. What psychological principle does this example illustrate? A. stimulus B. reinforcement C. introspection D. cognition E. consciousness

B. reinforcement

American Psychological Society (APS)

Began in 1988 for academic and research psychologists; changed name to Association for Psychological Science in 2006

1. What is psychology? A. It is the scientific study of people who have abnormal conditions such as schizophrenia. B. It is the scientific study of the unconscious. C. It is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. D. It is the scientific study of the mind. E. It is the scientific study of behavior.

C. It is the scientific study of the mind and behavior.

6. In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, what is the most important influence on our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors? A. our early sexual experiences B. traits we inherit from our parents C. our unconscious D. our dreams E. our toilet training

C. our unconscious

2. The idea that all knowledge is attained through experience was referred to as ____________ by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. A. structuralism B. functionalism C. philosophical empiricism D. foundationalism E. nativism

C. philosophical empiricism

Psychology career paths

Clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, and industrial/organizational psychology are just a few.

Reinforcement

Consequences of a behavior that determine whether it will be more likely that the behavior will occur again

Who was René Descartes (1596-1650)?

French philosopher who argued for dualism of mind and body. Descartes believed that the physical body was a container for the nonphysical thing called the mind.

What did Paul Broca (1824-1880) discover?

Had the crucial insight that damage to a specific part of the brain impaired a specific mental function, clearly demonstrating that the brain and mind are closely linked

What does it meant to say that Human beings are social animals?

Human behavior is influenced by the presence and absence of other people.

Noninvasive Brain Scanning Techniques

In the late 1980s, technological breakthroughs led to the development of noninvasive brain scanning techniques that made it possible for psychologists to watch what happens inside a human brain as a person performs a task such as reading, imagining, listening, and remembering.

Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677)

Influenced Skinner, the developer of behaviorism.

John B. Watson (1878-1958)

Influenced by Pavlov; goal was to predict and control behavior through the study of observable behavior

Who was Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Inspired James; wrote On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection