Psychology 290 Unit 1

Whose ideas were based on the humanistic perspective?

1. Carl Rogers 2. Abraham Maslow

Whose ideas were based on the evolutionary perspective?

1. David Buss 2. Martin Daly 3. Margo Wilson 4. Leda Cosmides 5. John Tooby

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis.

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorism; pioneer in operant conditioning; behavior is based on an organism's reinforcement history; worked with pigeons

Introspection

Careful, systematic observation of one's own conscious experience.

Describe two recent trends in psychological research that reflect a return to psychology's intellectual roots.

Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge. Today, psychologist are showing renewd interest in conciousness and the physiological bases of behaviour. During the 1950's and 60's, research on cognition slowly began to change. Since then, cognitive theorists have argued that psychology must study internal mental events to fully understand behaviour. Although the methods are different from those used in psychology's early days, modern research on the inner workings of the mind has put the psyche back in psychology. The 1950's and 1960's also highlighted the interrelations amoung mind, body, and behaviour. The 1960's brought the publication of David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel's Nobel Prize-winning work on how visual signals are processed in the brain. Donald HUbb highlighted the importance of physiological and neuropsychological perspectives and as having paved the way for the recent cognitive revolution in psychology. His innovative ideas set the stage for contemporary developments in cognition and neuroscience and underscored the importance of the neuropsychological approach to understanding behaviour. In fact, interest in the neuroscience approach to psychology has increased dramatically in the past few years. In the past, interest in neuroscience was primarily restricted to those working in experimental and biological psychology. Today many of the areas of psychology have taken a greater interest in a neuroscience perspective on issues of traditional interest to them.

Martin Seligman

Conducted experiments with dogs that led to the concept of "learned helplessness"

Two of the data collection techniques that are most likely to involve direct contact between the researcher and the research participant are

Direct observations and interviews

Charles Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)

Currently, a large proportion of the Canadian population is overweight. Dr. Laker thinks this may be partly due to an innate preference for foods that are rich in fats and sugars. Dr. Laker has suggested that in time when foods were not so readily available, this innate preference would ensure sufficient calories for energy and survival. Dr. Laker's view are most consistant with those of the .... perspective.

Evolutionary

Social Psychologist

Focuses on how the individual's behavior and mental processes are affected by interactions with other people

John B. Watson

Founded the idea of behaviourism, a theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behaviour

Much like Freud, Skinner's views on human behaviour were controversial and often criticized. Which controversies were predominant for each of Freud and Skinner?

Freud's focus on sexual motivation; Skinner's suggestion that free will is an illusion

Dr. Smythe believes that in order to fully understand complex processes, such as taste, it is necessary to understand the purpose that taste plays in survival, not the elementary components that combine to produce taste sensations. Dr. Smythe's views are MOST consistent with

Functionalism

Wilhelm Wundt

German Physiologist (1832-1920) Mounted a campaign to make psychology an independent discipline rather than a stepchild of philosophy or physiology.

Describe humanistic psychology, and briefly discuss its contribution to psychology.

Humanistic psychology is the study of psychology based on the theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially thier freedom and potential for personal growth. Humanists take an optimistic view of human nature. The humanists' greatest contribution to psychology has been thier innovative treatments for pychological problems and disorders.

Whose ideas were based on the behavioural perspective?

1. John B. Watson 2. Ivan Pavlov 3. B.F.Skinner

G. Stanley Hall

American psychologist.(1846-1924) Established the first psychology research laboratory in the United States. Founded the American Psychological Association.

Behaviour

An observable response or activity by an organism

Stimulus

Any detectable input from the environment

Summarize Wundt's accomplishments and contributions to the field of psychology.

- Mounted a campaign to make psychology an independent study instead of a stepchild of philosophy or physiology. - Suceeded in establishing the first formal laboratory for research in psychology at the University of Leipzig. -Recognized as the founder of Psychology - Declared that the new psychology should be a science modeled after fields such as physics and chemistry.

Whose ideas were based on the biological perspective?

1. James Olds 2. Roger Sperry 3. David Hubel 4. Torsten Wiesel

Whose ideas were based on the cognitive perspective?

1. Jean Piaget 2. Noam Chomsky 3. Herbert Simon

Which of the following do psychoanalytics theory and behaviouralism theory have in common?

The implication that people are not masters of their own destinies.

What are six contemporary theoretical perspectives within psychology? Briefly explain each.

1. Psychology is empirical. Empiricism is the premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation. 2. Psychology is Theoretically diverse. Different thoeretical perspectives often provide a more complete understanding of behaviour then could be achieved by any one perspective alone. 3. Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context. 4. Behaviour is determined by multiple causes. 5.Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage. 6. Heredity and Environment jointly influence behaviour.

What are some sound habits for studying?

1. Set up a schedule for studying 2. Find a place where you can concentrate 3. Reward your studying 4. SQ3R: Step 1: Survey Step 2: Question Step 3: Read Step 4: Recite Step 5: Review

Whose ideas were based on the psychoanalytic perspective?

1. Sigmund Freud 2. Carl Jung 3. Alfred Adler

Carl Rogers

1902-1987; Field: humanistic; Contributions: founded person-centered therapy, theory that emphasizes the unique quality of humans especially their freedom and potential for personal growth, unconditional positive regard, fully functioning person

Psychiatry

A branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders

Counselling psychology

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

Biological psychology

A branch of psychology that studies the links between biological (including neuroscience and behavior genetics) and psychological processes

Experimental psychologist

A psychologist who studies sensation, perception, learning, motivation, and emotion in carefully controlled laboratory conditions

Developmental Psychologist

A psychologist who studies the emotional, cognitive, biological, personal, and social changes that occur as an individual matures

Industrial/Organizational Psychologist

A psychologist who uses psychological concepts to make the workplace a more satisfying environment for employees and managers

Functionalism

A school of psychology based on the belief that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure.

Structuralism

A school of psychology based on the notion that the task of psychology is to analyze consciousness into its basic elements and to investigate how these elements are related

Theory

A system of interrelated ideas that is used to explain a set of observations.

Behaviourism

A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behaviour

Humanism

A theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth

Psychoanalytic theory

A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior

Unconscious

According to Freud, thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of conscious awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior.

William James

American Scholar (1842-1910) Contended that psychology should investigate the functions rather than the structure of conciousness.

Why did the Humanist psychologists take issue with the behaviourist school?

Humanists say that humans are not prawns of either their animal heritage or environmental circumstances. Because humans are fundamentally different from other animals, research on animals has little relevance to the understanding of human behaviour. The humanists criticized the behavioural school because they suggested that people are not masters of their own destinies. It was also attacked because of its study of simple animal behaviour.

Why did Freud's psychoanalytic theory encounter resistance within psychology?

In the 1920's, psychoanalytic theory was widely known around the world, but continued to meet resistance. The main reason for this was that it conflicted with the spirit of the times in psychology. Many psychologists were becoming uncomfortable with their earlier focus on conscious experience and were turning to the less murky subject of observable behaviour. If they felt that conscious experience was inaccesible to scientific observation, it was certain they were even more uncomfortable studying unconscious experience.

Natural Selection

Principles stating that heritable characteristics that provide a survival reproductive advantage are more likely to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be "selected" over time

Donald Hebb

Proposed that human learning takes place by neurons forming new connections with one another or by the strengthening of connections that already exist

Why has Western psychology had scant interest in other cultures? Why has this begun to change?

Psychology has largely been a Western enterprise with a remarkably provincial slant. The reasons for this may have been: 1. Cross-cultural research is costly, difficult, and time-consuming. It has always been cheaper, easier, and more convienient for academic psychologists to study the middle-class white students enrolled in their schools. 2. Some psychologists worry that cultural comparisons may inadvertently foster stereotypes of various cultural groups, many of which already have a long history of being victimized by prejudice. 3. The idea of ethnocentrism Western psychology in recent decades have began to recognize that their neglect in cultural variables has diminished the value of their work and they are devoting increased attention to culture as a determinant of behaviour. Some of the impetus probably came from the sociopolitical upheavals of the 1960's and 1970's regarding the civil rights mobement, women's movement, and homosexual right movement. Above all, however, the new interests in cuture appear attributable to two recent trends. 1. Advances in travel, communication, and international trades. 2. Ethnic makeup of the western world has become increasingly diverse.

In conducting a research study, psychologists need to define all variables clearly and unambiguously so that other researchers can objectively evaluate the results of the research. This aspect of psychology illustrates the underlying theme that....

Psychology is empirical

Who was B. F. Skinner? Describe Skinner's viewpoint with regard to private events and free will. Describe the influence that Skinner had on psychology and more widely outside of academia.

Skinner emphasized how environmental factors mold behaviour. He argued that psychology could understand and predict behaviour adequately without resorting to physiological explanations. According to Skinner, people are controlled by their environment, not by themselves. He basically said free will is an illusion.

Compare structuralism and functionalism, and discuss their impact on the development of psychology

Structuralism was based on the notion that the task of psychology is to analyze consciousness into its basic elements and investigate how these elements are related. Functionalism was based on the belief that psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure. Structuralism helped strengthen pychology's commitment to laboratory research. The practical orientation of functionalism fostered the development of two descendants that have dominated modern psychology: Applied psychology and behaviourism.

Who were the two main Structuralists and Functionalists?

Structuralism: Edward Titchener Functionalists: William James

Applied Psychology

The branch of psychology concerned with everyday, practical problems

Clinical psychology

The branch of psychology concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and disorders.

Discuss how psychology developed in Canada, from the first departments to the establishment of the Canadian Psychological Association.

The first experimental laboratory in the British empire was established in 1891 at the University of Toronto by James Mark Baldwin. Psychology began as an academic topic in Canadian univerisities, the first course potentially being offered at Dalhousie in 1838. The teaching of psychology at univerisities in Canada became more common in the 1850's, beginning at McGill University in Montreal and the U of T. The first distinct academic department of psychology was established at the McGill University in 1924 with University of Toronto(1926), University of Western Ontario (1931), and University of Manitoba (1936) following. John Wallace Baird became the first Canadian psychologist to serve as the president of the APA in 1918. The Canadian Psychological Association(CPA) was formed in 1939. It was established to advance psychology as a science and continues to play a vital role in psychology in Canada.

Cognition

The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

Empiricism

The premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation

Dr. Vasquez has found that many Asians feel uncomfortable with the expression of emotions and disclosure of personal information. As a consequence, Dr. Vasquez has made several suggestions for ways in which psychological counseling might be modified to benefit people from Asian backgrounds. Based on this information, you could infer that Dr. Vasquez investigates

The role of cultural factors in psychological processes.

Psychology

The science that studies behaviour and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, and the profession that applies accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems.

Positive psychology

The scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Psychometrics

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

Personality psychology

The study of characteristic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in people and how they vary across social situations

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to view one's own group as superior to others and as the standard for judging the worth of foreign ways.

Critical thinking

The use of cognitive skills and strategies that increase the probability of a desired outcome.

Culture

The widely shared customs, beliefs, values, norms, institutions, and other products of a community that are transmitted socially across generations.

Identify the origins of the word psychology.

The word psychology is made up from two Greek words, Psyche, meaning soul, and logos, the study of a subject. Used throughout the early 18th century, meaning "The study of the mind"

Evolutionary psychology

Theoretical perspective that examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for a species over the course of many generations.

Dr. Marqueta believes that "misery loves company." Based on this belief, Dr. Marqueta predicts that people who have received bad news will seek out other people. Dr. Marqueta's belief is an example of ____, and her prediction is an example of ____.

Theory, Hypothesis

Describe Watson's view of psychology with special reference to the nature-nurture issue and animal research.

Watson argued that an individual's skill set is made, no born. He downplayed the importance of heredity , maintaining that behaviour is governed primarily by the environment. Watson's writings contributed to the strong environment slant that became associated with behaviourism.