Psychology Chapter 1 (Test)

8. How did the field of psychology develop?

It developed through years of thoughts, theories, research, experimentation, and understanding.

9. Identify some examples of the influence that Sigmund Freud psychoanalytic theory has had on popular culture.

Freudian slips and dreams are all analytic psychology ready to be interpreted.

Introspection

Know thyslef looking within

11. How would a psychoanalyst explain aggression?

Aggressive impulses are common reactions to frustrations of daily life and that we seek to vent these impulses on other people. We fear rejection, so we hold back our impulses and set ourselves up for future explosions.

Biological (key assumption)

Biological processes influence behavior and mental processes

12. List the seven leading contemporary perspectives in psychology

Biological, Evolutionary, Cognitive, Humanistic, Psychoanalytic, Learning, Sociocultural

5. List three subspecialties of psychology and describe the work of each

Personality Psychologists, Identify Characteristics and traits such as; shyness, and friendliness. Social Psychologists, concerned with people's behavior in social situations and settings. Experimental Psychologists, conduct research into basic processes such as the functions of the nervous system.

Humanistic (key assumption)

People make free and conscious choices based on their unique experiences

Cognitive (key assumption)

Perceptions and thoughts influence behavior

Learning (key assumption)

Personal experience and reinforcement guide individual development

Psychoanalytic (key assumption)

Unconscious motives influence behavior

Psychoanalytic (subject matter)

Unconscious processes, early childhood experiences

Ethnic group

United by their cultural heritage, race, language, or common history

Psychological Constructs

Used to talk about something we cannot see, touch, or measure directly

William James

Was the 1st American psychologist. Believed that Wundt "atoms" did not exist in real life.

Associationism

Certain experiences remind us of past experiences.

Cognitive Activities

Dreams, perceptions, thoughts, and memories

Psychoanalysis

Emphasizes the importance of unconscious and internal conflicts in determining human behavior

Biological (subject matter)

Nervous system, glands and hormones, genetic factors

Basic Research

Research that has no immediate application and is done for its own sake

John Watson

Defined psychology as the study of observable behavior. Didn't believe consciousness could be studied because of this.

Evolutionary (subject matter)

Physical traits, social behavior

Humanistic (subject matter)

Self-concept

Sociocultural (key assumption)

Sociocultural, biological, and psychological factors create individual differences

7. Describe the main difference between structuralism and functionalism.

Structuralism - Concerned with discovering the basic elements of consciousness. Functionalism - Concerned with how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment

Learning (subject matter)

Environmental influences, learning, observational learning

Sociocultural (subject matter)

Ethnicity, gender, culture, socioeconomic status

Principle

A rule or law

Theory

A statement that attempts to explain why thing are the way they are and happen the way they happen

Evolutionary (key assumption)

Adaptive organisms survive and transmit their genes to future generations

1. What defining characteristics of psychology differentiate from other related social sciences?

Behavior and mental processes

Structuralism

Concerned with discovering the basic elements of consciousness

Functionalism

Concerned with how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment

Behaviorism

Concerned with observable behavior

Gestalt Psychology

Concerned with the way context influences peoples interpretation of information

Wilhelm Wundt

Founder of experiment, cognitive and social psychology. Wundt defined psychology as the study of conscious experiences.

Sigmund Freud

He believed that free will was an illusion. He thinks that we are driven by unconscious instincts and urges we are not consciously aware of.

Social-learning theory

People can change their environments or create new ones

Psychology

Scientific study of behavior and mental processes

3. What is psychology, and what are the five goals of psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and the five goals of psychology are: Observe, Describe, Explain, Predict, Control

2. Define theory and principle.

Theory: A statement that attempts to explain why thing are the way they are and happen the way they happen. Principle: A rule or law

Behavior

an action another person can observe or measure

Edward Bradford Titchener

Defined psychology as the study of consciousness. Broke consciousness down into three parts. 1. Physical sensation 2. Feelings 3. Images

6. If you decided to become a psychologist, which sub specialty of psychology would you prefer and why?

Either Social or Experimental, because I already like to take note of how people interact with certain people in certain situations and settings. However I would also like to be able to understand and test how we can manipulate the mind.

Cognitive (subject matter)

Interpretation of mental images, thinking, language

B.F. Skinner

Introduced concept of reinforcement.

10. How do Cognitive Psychologists compare peoples mental processes to the workings of computers?

Just like computers, people receive information, work on it, and then store it short-term or long-term.

4. In what way are psychiatrist and psychologist different?

Psychiatrist are medical doctors, psychologists are not.