Chapter 1 Psychology
According to William James, how should you go about studying human experience? In what major way did he contribute to psychology?
William James believed that people should be studying human experience through how humans function and adapt to their environments. He contributed by completing and publishing a textbook on psychology, which included 1,400 pages and two volumes.
What is the definition of psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior
What are the main differences between research and applied psychology?
Research psychology focuses on studying the origins, causes, or results of certain behaviors. Applied psychology uses information to solve problems with people and solve problems directly.
What is a theory?
A theory is a general framework or idea about the nature of something
What is eclecticism?
Eclecticism is using one theory under a particular situation while also borrowing other theories to make a unique combination in psychological ideas and practices.
What is introspection? What are some limitations of introspection? Why was introspection important?
Introspection is "looking into" yourself and telling what is there. In other words, it is dealing with things like emotions and sensations by asking people how they feel. Some limitations involved in introspection have the number of sensations grow at an exponential rate and some sensations have little in common. Introspection allowed the users to scientifically gain information about sensations in a fairly reliable way.
What field most interested John Watson? What practical contributions did he offer the world?
John Watson was most interested in studying the impact of learning on human emotion. John Watson was mostly associated with behaviorism. He offered the idea that we are what we learn to be. Watson wrote a book on child rearing which showed principles that parents should follow for bringing up their children.
What are several occupational possibilities for psychologists? What is the main function of each?
School/Educational Psychologists: Helps design the school system and work with students with personal or learning problems. They also help with choosing their career paths and improving quality of life within the school system. Environmental Psychologist: Work in the industry or the government. Studies the effects of the environment on people, disasters. Overcrowding, toxic materials, health/welfare if the population, and study the design of the best environment for working. Child psychologists: Study child development and work in clinics to help disturbed children/parents and try to understand the problems they face. Industrial Psychologists: Works with management to improve working conditions and efficiency in the workforce. Engineering Psychologists: Designs systems to help people become more efficient by studying how designs can become better. Experimental Psychologists: Researches on how to better the human operation physically and psychologically. Studies include drugs. Physical reactions, and lab events on humans or animals. Teaching
What were Sigmund Freud's main theories about personality?
Sigmund Freud believed that we are influenced by things that we are not aware of while also being influenced by our experiences in early childhood. Freud believed that we were influenced by things as early as the age of 5 or 6.
What are the main benefits of the following approaches to studying human nature: biopsychological, behavioral, humanistic, psychoanalytical, cognitive, sociocultural?
Biopsychological: is psychology using the knowledge of nerve cells, chemicals, cellular processes, etc. They study the physical processes on how a person can panic and relax. They emphasize the changes in the brain's chemistry which led to important methods into treating depression Behavioral: We are the products of learning and associations. Controlled by the environment in the sense that we become whatever the environment forces us to be. Psychoanalytical: Our inner selves to be cesspools of forbidden desires. (Freud). Today, it focuses on the understanding of perception, thinking, and memory and how they go below our level of awareness without our control. Cognitive: Thinking or using mental processes. Taking in information from the environment and analyzing it. To cognitivists, our personalities are made of different thoughts we have in our heads. By replacing internal thoughts with positive ones like, "I can do this," it allows us to physically want to do better. Sociocultural: Studies the impact of specific social, ethnic, racial, and religious groups on behavior.
When was Charles Darwin's theory of evolution first published? Why was the theory important?
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was first published in 1859. The theory was important because it inspired scientists to study animals in an attempt to understand humans better. This is generally what psychologists still currently do.
What four critical thinking steps could one use when evaluating some claim? When evaluating claims, four thinking steps a person should take is looking at:
What specifically is being claimed? What is the evidence for and against this claim? What other interpretations might be made? What are the most logical conclusions to draw
Who is considered to be the father of psychology? Why is 1879 so important?
Wilhelm Wundt is considered to be the father of psychology. 1879 is so important because in 1879, Wundt would create the first laboratory for studying humans.