Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology
A _______________ psychologist might study how to best treat schizophrenia
clinical
Charles Darwin's great contribution was the theory of
how evolution works (natural selection)
shamans
medicine men and women who treated the possessed by driving out demons by exorcisms, incantations, and prayers.
Developmental Psychology
study of how thought and behavior change and remain stable during the life span. Interested in age related changes in behavior from conception to death.
Cognitive Psychology
study of how we perceive information, remember, think, speak, and solve problems
The term _____________ is a philosophical point of view that describes all knowledge and thoughts as coming from experience
empiricism
Psychology is a useful area to study because
it is relevant to your life AND is useful in many other fields of study
Nature
our innate abilities, or attribute that we are born with
Behavioral neuroscience
study of the links among the brain, mind and behavior
emotions are
behavioral adaptations
Forensic Psychology
field that blends psychology law, and criminal justice
When you are asked to describe in as much detail as you can about what you are experiencing, you are being asked to:
introspect
The behavioral perspective
suggests that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study.
Where might you find folk or popular psychology information?
-internet sites -talk shows -news reports
Clinical Psychologists:
-research ways to treat mental disorders -promote psychological health
Natural selection
A feedback process whereby nature favors one design over another because it has an impact on reproduction.
DSM
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Includes more than 250 psychological diorders
Psychology
The scientific study of thought and behavior. -both a clinical practice and science (psyche: Greek word for mind)
Nurture-only side
We are all essentially the same at birth, and we are the product of our experiences
Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience
Who we are and what we do is a result of brain activity, is impacted by genetic factors, and has a long evolutionary past - John Tooby and Leda Cosmides published "The Psychological Foundations of Culture" in 1992 • Brain imaging techniques • Human genome
Nature-only side
Who we are comes from inborn tendencies and genetically based traits
Wilhelm ____________ created the first psychology laboratory
Wundt
As a field, psychology is:
a social science, the practice of diagnosing and treating mental illness, a biological science.
A counseling psychologist is most likely to help people:
adjust to new situations
The field of psychology that examines how the brain and nervous system influence behavior is called ____________ neuroscience
behavioral
Gestalt psychologists believe that, when it comes to perception, the whole is
different from the sum of its parts
trephination
drilling a small hole in a persons skull, less than an inch in diameter
Gesalt psychology
emphasize that humans perceive things as wholes rather than as a compilation/sum of parts. Gestalt="whole". -Max Wertheimer (1880-1943)
The main difference between clinical and a counseling psychologist is that counseling psychologists treat:
people with less severe psychological disorders
Unlike functionalism, structuralism focuses on
processes
Behaviorism
psychology can be true science only if it examines observable behavior, not ideas, thoughts, feelings, or motives. Founded by John Watson. Also argued by B.F. Skinner
Cognitivism
same as Gestalt psychology. Frederick Bartlett: Stated that memory is not an objective or accurate representation of events but is a highly personal reconstruction based on one's own beliefs, ideas, and point of view -The way we think about things (cognitive frameworks) organizes how we experience the world
Biological psychology
study of the relationship between body systems and CHEMICALS and how they influence thought and behavior
Health Psychology
study of the role psychological factors play in regard to Physical HEALTH, illness, and well-being.
The Latin term for blank slate
tabula rasa
Industrial/Organizational(I/O) psychology
the applied science of psychological concepts and questions to work settings and problems
evolution
the change over time in the frequency with which specific genes occur within a breeding species
Clinical Psychology
the diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders & the promotion of psychological health (COUNSELING)
What sets scientific psychology apart from popular psychology?
the methods used in each
Mind-body dualism proposes that
the mind and body are separate
Psychology (def. #2)
the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Personality psychology (def #2)
the unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motives that characterize an individual
Empiricism
the view that all knowledge and thoughts come from experience. (John Locke)
Humanistic Psychology
theory that focuses on personal growth and reaching highest potential. (Maslow and Rogers.) Was popular in the 1940's and 1950's
Behaviorists argued that
thoughts, feelings, and motives are unimportant in understanding human behavior.
Behaviorists are NOT interested in studying:
thoughts, ideas, or emotions
Counseling psychologists
treat people with less severe psychological disorders
Moral treatment
treating the mentally ill with dignity in caring
Positive Psychology
understanding and promoting healthy and positive psychological functioning. Emerged after Humanistic psychology. (Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
For millennia, thinkers have argued over what determines our personalities-innate biology or life experiences
Nature vs. Nuture
A cognitive psychologist is most likely to be interested in -how the brain works -how people interact with each other -the process of thinking -the process of behavioral development
-the process of thinking
Natural Selection
1. There is variation in traits 2. There is differential reproduction 3. There is heredity 4. There is the end result (see beetle analogy pg. 23)
Structuralism
19th century school of psychology argued: breaking down experience into elemental parts to understand thought and behavior
A psychologist has conducted a series of studies on which part of the brain is most active during a memory task. She is probably
A cognitive psychologist
Who is associated with the humanistic perspective?
Carl Rogers Abraham Maslov
___________ psychologists study how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.
Cognitive
Asylums
Facilities for treating the mentally ill in Europe during Middle Ages to 19th Century
True or False? Our genetic code is set in stone at birth
False
Wilhelm Wundt was the founder of psychology in the United States (True or False)
False
True or False? Genetic influences on our thoughts and actions is set at birth and can't be changed.
False. Experience can and does change how and when genes get expressed.
______________ is a historical approach advocated by William James that concentrated on mental processes and the purpose of the mind and behavior in the individual's adaptation to the environment
Functionalism
The first ancient cultures that focused on natural and physical explanations for disorders were:
Greeks and Egyptians
Positive psychology is a modern form of which school of thought?
Humanism
Popular in the 1940's and 1950's, this psychological theory emphasized personal growth and meaning
Humanistic psychology
Adaptations
Inherited Solutions to ancestral problems that have been selected for because they contribute in some way to reproductive success. -evolved to solve problems in past generations, not current ones, we live with traits that benefited our ancestors
William __________ was the founder of psychology in the United States
James
____________ psychology is the unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motives that characterizes and individual.
Personality
Nature through Nurture
Position that the environment constantly interacts with biology to shape who we are, and what we do
__________ psychology: a theory of psychology that uses a scientific approach to study psychological well being.
Positive
How does psychology differ from the related field of sociology?
Psychology studies individuals; sociology studies groups
_____________ was the first scientific form of psychology. It included laboratory studies of the subjective experience of physical sensations.
Psychophysics
Mind-body Dualism
Rene Discartes(17th century philosopher) stated that the mind and body are separate entities. mind controls body, occasionally vise versa
When do we focus on the whole object rather than parts?
Similarity, Proximity, Continuity, Closure
by-products or exaptations
Structures or features that perform a function that did not arise through natural selection. example: feathers
Psychophysics
Study of how we psychologically perceive physical stimuli like light, sound waves, and touch. Included laboratory studies of the subjective experience of physical sensations. (*first scientific form of psychology.*) GUSTAV FECHNER Early work done by: Ernst Weber, Gustav Fechner, and Hermann von Helmholtz
DSM-5
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (most modern resource) used by clinicians to diagnose and classify mental disorders.
Evolutionary psychology
The branch of psychology that aims to understand the functions of the mind by studying human behavior and asking what adaptive problems it may have solved for our early ancestors.
True or False? Psychologists agree that most human thought and behavior cannot be explained by one perspective.
True. Human thought and behavior are so complex and determined by so many different factors that no one perspective can fully capture the richness of human psychology.
Softwiring
biological systems-genes, brain structures, brain cells-are inherited but open to modification from the environment
Psychoanalysis
clinical approach to treating psychological disorders. assuming that unconscious mind is the most powerful force behind thought and behavior, that dreams have meaning, and that our experiences in childhood are a powerful force in the development of adult personality
A psychologist who studies logical reasoning is likely a _____________ psychologist
cognitive
developmental psychologists
interested in age related changes in behavior from conception to death.
The main method of investigation for structuralists, ___________ involves looking into ones own mind for information about condition experience
introspection
Functionalism
looking at why mind works in adaptation to the environment rather than describing its parts. Influenced by Charles Darwin. (WILLIAM JAMES)
Introspection
method used in structuralism. Involves looking into ones own mind for information about the nature of conscious experience.
Which phrase most accurately reflects a modern perspective in psychology?
nature through nurture
Research on the association between vaccines and autism has shown
no connection between the two.
Nurture
our life experiences or how we are taken care of
The 19th century school argued that breaking down experience into its elemental parts offers the best way to understand thought and behavior is called:
structuralism
Wundts approach, ______________, focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness and thinking
structuralism
Physics
studies the physical properties of light and sound
Social psychology
study of how living among others influences thought, feeling, and behavior.
Educational Psychology
study of how students learn, the effectiveness of particular teaching techniques, the social psychology of schools, and the psychology of teaching.
Sports Psychology
study of psychological factors in sports and exercise
Personality Psychology
study of what makes people unique and the consistencies in people's behavior across time and situations
The humanistic perspective
suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior.
Which of the following is a technique for integrating the many perspectives in psychology?
-using not believing everything you think -using the scientific method -making connections within and between chapters
Personality psychologists study:
-what makes people unique -ways that people's behavior stays the same over time -ways that people's behavior stays the same in different situations
Cognitive scientists are interested in how we:
learn, remember, think and reason.
A behaviorist might study:
learning through conditioning
