Unit 1: Psychology's History and Approaches

Behaviorists believe psychology's definition should be:

"the scientific study of observable behavior"

structuralism

(Titchener) used introspection to reveal structure of human mind

psychological influences

-learned from fears and other learned expectations -emotional responses -cognitive processing and perceptual interpretations

biological influences

-natural selection of adaptive traits -genetic predispositions responding to environment -brain mechanisms -hormonal influences

social-cultural influences

-presence of others -cultural, societal, and family expectations -peer and other group influences -compelling models (such as in media)

what are the 5 additional study tips:

1. distribute study time 2. learn to think critically 3. process class information actively 4. over learn 5. be a smart test-taker

George is said to have an "easy-going" personality. How might the biopsychosocial approach be used to explain an easy-going personality?

Biological factors would include George's genetic, physiological, and chemical makeup. For instance, George's easy-going manner may be the result of brain chemistry. Psychological factors would include a discussion of how George learned that an easy-going personality makes people want to spend time with him. In response, he keeps anxiety and negative feelings to himself. He has the perception that others do not want to deal with his stress and anxiety. Social-cultural factors would include George's family or cultural upbringing and expectations. If those who surround George expect him to be relaxed and laid-back, and this is what is supporting in his community, George will be likely to act accordingly.

_______________ was denied a Harvard degree but _______________ was recognized as the first female psychologist for writing "The Animal Mind"

Calkins; Washburn

philosophers who believed mind and body were the same thing

Locke and Aristotle

philosophers who believed mind and body were different

Socrates, Plato, and Descartes

Wilhelm Wundt

University of Leipzig 1879-when Wundt birthed psychology from reaction time experiment

The definition of psychology changed as the field evolved during the early years. Why did John B. Watson object to the definition preferred by Wundt, Titchener, and James? What group of psychologists did Watson's ideas influence? How did Watson redefine psychology?

Watson objected to the "science of mental life" because he felt it was impossible to be scientific without observation. Watson's ideas influenced the behaviorists. Watson preferred limiting psychology to behavior, because behavior could be observed and scientifically analyzed.

Father of Psychology

Wilhelm Wundt

tabula rosa

a blank slate

Mary Whiton Calkins

a pioneering memory researcher and first women president to receive a P.h.D. in psychology, although she was denied a degree by Harvard; first woman president of the American Psychological Association

SQ3R method

a study method incorporating five steps: survey, question, read, retrieve, review

Which of the following psychologists most strongly emphasize that human behavior is powerfully influenced by the interaction between people and their physical, social, political, and economic environments? a. community b. clinical c. counseling d. industrial-organizational e. rehabilitation

a. community

a psychologist investigates the methods teachers use to enhance student learning. With which of the following subfields is the psychologist most likely aligned? a. educational psychology b. experimental psychology c. school psychology d. social psychology e. forensic psychology

a. educational psychology

a humanistic psychologist working with some poets might ask which of the following questions? a. how can we get them to reach their highest potential? b. how did their childhood experiences impact their current behavior? c. how have rewards and punishments shaped their behavior? d. how do society's attitudes affect their writing topics? e. how do their brains differ from those of other successful people?

a. how can we get them to reach their highest potential?

who among the following would most likely study the interaction of people, machines, and physical environments? a. human factor psychologists b. personality psychologists c. industrial-organizational psychologists d. counseling psychologists e. experimental psychologists

a. human factor psychologists

what must you do to master information?

actively process it

Rene Descartes

agreed with Socrates and Plato; dissected animals and concluded that the fluid in the brain's cavities had "animal spirits" that flowed through the nerves to the muscles, causing movement, and that memories formed as experiences opened pores in the brain into which animal spirits also flowed

Edward Bradford Titchener

aimed to discover the structural elements of the human mind

human factors psychologists

an I/O subfield that explores how people and machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use

biopsychosocial approach

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

behavior

anything an organism does (any observable action)

Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychologists

apply psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

forensic psychologists

apply psychological principles to legal issues

Which philosopher proposed that nerve pathways allowed for reflexes? a. Socrates b. Rene Descartes c. John Locke d. Aristotle e. Plato

b. Rene Descartes

the biological, psychological, and social-cultural influences all point to what?

behavior or mental process

Pavlov's results helped kick off this school of psychology:

behaviorism

3 levels of analysis

biological psychological social-cultural

basic research psychologists:

biological, developmental, cognitive, educational, personality, social

what does nature-nurture boil down to?

biology vs. experience

innate

born within us

psychiatrists

branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy

counseling psychologists

branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (school, work, marriage), and in achieving greater well-being

clinical psychologist

branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders

By seeking to measure "atoms of the mind", who established the first psychology laboratory? a. Sigmund Freud b. John B. Watson c. Wilhelm Wundt d. G. Stanley Hall e. William James

c. Wilhelm Wundt

Which of the following best describes research typical of Wilhelm Wundt's first psychology laboratory? a. examining the unconscious to determine behavior motivation b. using a brain-scanning device to determine the impact events have on brain function c. measuring the reaction time between hearing a sound and pressing a button d. studying helping behavior, based on the premise that people are good e. examining how collective life experiences combine to create individuality

c. measuring the reaction time between hearing a sound and pressing a button

With which of the following statements would John B. Watson most likely agree? a. psychology should study the growth potential in all people b. psychology should study the unconscious c. psychology should focus on observable behavior d. psychology should mental thought processes e. psychology should study how culture and beliefs impact an individual

c. psychology should focus on observable behavior

John B. Watson

championed psychology as "the study of behavior" and demonstrated conditioned responses on a baby (Little Albert)

Socrates and Plato

concluded that the mind is separable from body and continues after the body dies, and that knowledge is innate

Charles Darwin

curious naturalist and young voyager who wrote "On the Origin of Species"; natural selection

which of the following perspectives is most likely to address how the encoding, storing, and retrieval of information might alter our thoughts? a. behavioral b. psychodynamic c. humanistic d. cognitive e. biological

d. cognitive

a psychologist works with children whose parents are divorcing. She helps them develop skills they need to cope with the situation. Of the following, what kind of psychologist is most likely helping these children? a. industrial-organizational b. social c. research d. counseling e. community

d. counseling

community psychologists (helping profession)

deal with broad problems of mental health in community settings

Ancient Greeks

debated nature-nurture issue with Plato assuming that we inherit character and intelligence, and that certain ideas are inborn

Rene Descartes

disagreed with Locke and said some ideas are innate; views gained support from Charles Darwin two centuries later

Who coined the term "tabula rasa" (blank slate) to help explain the impact experience has on shaping an individual? a. Francis Bacon b. Rene Descartes c. John B. Watson d. Sigmund Freud e. John Locke

e. John Locke

psychiatrists differ from psychologists in the way that they a. help people cope with challenges and crises b. conduct research c. explore how we view and affect one another d. experiment with how people perceive, think, and solve problems e. are medical doctors licensed to prescribe medication

e. are medical doctors licensed to prescribe medication

which of the following psychologists would be most likely to investigate biological, psychological, cognitive, and social changes over time? a. educational b. experimental c. social d. cognitive e. developmental

e. developmental

Dwyane is interested in helping people make good decisions regarding their physical well-being. Dwayne should consider a career as a a. community psychologist b. social psychologist c. forensic psychologist d. industrial-organizational psychologist e. health psychologist

e. health psychologist

Betsy works in a human resources department. She plans training sessions, recruits people to work for the company, and implements techniques to boost morale around the office. Of the following, Betsy is most likely a(n) a. developmental psychologist b. personality psychologist c. counseling psychologist d. educational psychologist e. industrial-organizational psychologist

e. industrial-organizational psychologist

functionalism

early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral process function-how they enable an organism to adapt, survive and flourish

Sigmund Freud

emphasized how emotional responses to childhood experiences and our unconscious thought processes affect our behavior

Bacon and Locke's ideas helped delineate the norms for scientific attitude called ____________.

empiricism

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information (can also be called retrieval practice or test-enhanced learning)

how was cognitive neuroscience contributed to our understanding of psychology?

enhanced our understanding of brain activity underlying mental activity

Margret Floy Washburn

first women to receive a P.h.D. in psychology; synthesized animal behavior research in "The Animal Mind"

counseling psychologists (helping profession)

help people adjust to life transactions or make lifestyle changes

social-cultural perspective

how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

psychodynamic perspective

how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

biological perspective

how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences; how genes combine with environment to influence individual differences

evolutionary perspective

how the natural selection of traits has promoted the survival or genes

cognitive perspective

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

behavioral perspective

how we learn observable responses

humanistic perspective

how we meet our needs for love and acceptance and achieve self-fulfillment

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

humanistic psychologists who found Freudian psychology and behaviorism too limiting, and drew attention to ways that current environmental influences can nurture or limit our growth potential, and drew attention to the importance of having our needs for love and acceptance satisfied

applied research psychologists:

industrial/organizational, human factors, counseling, clinical, psychiatrists, positive, community

according to Darwin, how does evolution by natural selection influence the nature-nurture debate?

inherited traits that best survive will be passed on to succeeding generations

mental processes

internal, subjective experiences we infer from behavior (sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, feelings)

personality psychologists

investigate our persistent traits

school psychologists

involved in making assessments and intervention for children in educational settings

science

key word to psychology's definition

introspection

looking inward

Freudian Psychology

major force that emphasized the ways our unconscious thought processes and our emotional responses to childhood responses affect our behavior

how do natural selection and the nature-nurture issue coincide?

nurture works on what nature endows

Francis Bacon

one of the founders of modern science who said that humans seek to perceive patterns through nerves, and that humans crave a higher order

what does the statement 'nurture works on what nature endows' mean?

our species is biologically endowed with the capability to learn and adapt

Ivan Pavlov

pioneered the study of learning

G. Stanley Hall

pioneering American psychologist who studied childhood development and evolutionary theory; first president of the American Psychological Association

Dorthea Dix

pioneering reformer in the therapy unit who led the way to humane treatment of those with psychological disorders

conditioning

process through which our behavior is influenced by learned associations

clinical psychologists (helping profession)

promote psychological health in individuals, groups, and organizations

William James

psychologist who said thinking develops because it is adaptive

basic research

pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

what can you do to put information into your own words?

rehearse it, and retrieve it, and review it again

B.F. Skinner

rejected introspection; redefined psychology as "the study of observable behavior"; studied how consequences shape behavior

John Locke

rejected notation of inborn ideas, says mind is blank state that experience writes on

rehabilitation psychologists

researchers/ practitioners who work with people who have lost optimal functioning after an accident, illness, or event

health psychologists

researchers/practitioners concerned with psychology's contribution to promoting health and preventing disease

Aristotle

said knowledge grows from experience and is stored in our memories

John Locke

said the mind is born tabula rosa and that experience writes on it; helped form modern empiricism

psychology is a ___________, but its also a ______________ ______________

science; helping profession

Psychology is a hub of what?

scientific discipline

positive psychologists

scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Wundt and Titchener are to ____________ as William James is to ________________.

stucturalism; fuctionalism

community psychologists

study how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups

social psychologists

study how we view and affect one another

psychometric and quantitative psychologists

study methods and techniques used to acquire psychological knowledge

developmental psychologists

study physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

neuropsychologist

study relationship between neurological processes and behavior

educational psychologists

study the influences on teaching and learning

biological psychologists

study the links between biological and psychological processes

sports psychologists

study the psychological factors that are influenced by participating in sports/ physical activity

what does natural selection boil down to?

survival of the fittest

levels of analysis

the differing complementary views from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon

what did the cognitive revolution turn the focus to?

the importance of how our mind processes and retains information

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (perception, thinking, memory, language)

nature-nurture issue

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors as arising from the interaction of nature and nurture

natural selection

the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

cognitive psychologists

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

psychometrics

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

experimental psychology

the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method

empiricism

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observations and experimentation

behaviorism

the view that psychology 1. should be an objective science that 2. studies behavior without reference to mental processes (most psychologists agree with 1 but not with 2)

True or False: Humanistic psychology focuses on the environment around a person too, but emphasizes how that person can overcome their environment

true

Jean Piaget

was the last century's most influential observer of children