Unit 1, Part 1, Modules 1-3: Scientific Foundation of Psychology

Max Wertheimer (1880-1943)

- Gestalt Psychologist - Argued against dividing human thought and behavior into discrete structures - Gestalt psychology tried to examine a person's total experience because the way we experience the world is more than just an accumulation of various perceptual experiences - Gestalt theorists demonstrated that the whole experience is often more than just the sum of the parts of the experience

Mary Whiton Calkins (1863-1930)

Distinguished memory researcher. Student of William James, who admitted her against the objection of the president of Harvard. Became first female president of the American Psychological Association in 1905 Completed her doctoral studies, outscoring all of the men in her class but Harvard refused to award her a Ph.D. because, at the time, they did not grant doctoral degrees to women, they tried to grant her Ph.D through the sister school for undergrads at Radcliffe College, she refused the degree due to the unequal treatment.

Experimental Psychologists

Diverse group of psychologists who do research on a variety of basic behavioral processes in humans and animals. Popular areas of experimental research include: motivation, learning and language

Dorotea Dix

Dix is most known in the history of psychology as an advocate for mentally ill, she lobbied to the US Congress called for reform to seek better treatment and research to help those who were mentally ill. The first mental asylums in America were started because of her efforts.

Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939)

First woman to earn a PhD in psychology (1894) only because Calkins was denied it years prior. Became 2nd female president of the APA. Was denied admission to join the all-male organization of experimental psychologists. Known for her experimental work involving animal behavior and sensation/perception processes. She wrote a famously known book The Animal Mind.

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Middle aged german professor who founded psychology as a formal science; opened first psychology research laboratory in December of 1879 at the University of Leipzig. Wanted to study the "atoms of the mind" one of his students was Titchener and together they worked through the lens of structuralism.

behaviorism

Perspective that focused on observable behaviors over mental processes. Watson and Skinner were VIPS of this school of thought stating that what you cannot observe and measure, you cannot scientifically study. This school of thought was popular between 1920's-1960's

G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924)

Pioneered the study of child development, first president of the APA (American Psychological Association) Set up first psychological laboratory in North America; focused on development and education. Founded the American Journal of Psychology

social psychologists

Psychologists who study how people influence one another's behavior and mental processes, individually and in groups

Hawthorne effect

A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied

positively skewed distribution

A distribution where the scores pile up on the left side and taper off to the right.

natural selection

A natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.

environmental psychology

A subfield of psychology that studies how we are influenced and affected by our natural or built (urban) surroundings.

Basic Psychology

Scientific inquiry that aims to increase the science of psychology's knowledge base. Pure science that is conducted in labs and research settings.

psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud's therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient's free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences - and the therapist's interpretations of them - released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

An early founder of modern science, was fascinated by the human mind and its' failings. His influence gave way to John Locke and Empiricism and still lingers into some of today's psychology experiments.

Aristotle

Derived his principles from careful observations of humans interacting, disagreed with Socrates and Plato that knowledge is innate and instead believe knowledge grew from experiences and was stored in our memories.

Applied Psychology

The study of psychological issues that have direct practical significance; also, the application of psychological findings to solve practical problems in real-world applications.

Rosalie Rayner (1898-1935)

Working with Watson championed psychology as the scientific study of behavior. In a controversial study on a baby who became famous as "Little Albert," Rayner and Watson showed that fear could be learned.

psychodynamic psychology

a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders

SQ3R

a study method incorporating five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

Forensic Psychology

a subfield of psychology that applies the science and practice of psychology to issues within and related to the justice system

human factors psychology

a subfield of psychology that focuses on creating and improving products, equipment, machines, and environments to complement human capabilities and maximize performance and safety.

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine

industrial-organizational psychology

a subfield of psychology that studies and advises on workplace behavior. Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists help organizations select and train employees, boost morale and productivity, and design products and assess responses to them

eclectic approach

method that combines various kinds of therapy or combinations of therapies

community psychologist

move beyond focusing on specific individuals or families and deal with broad problems of mental health in community settings. These professionals believe that human behavior is powerfully influenced by the interaction between people and their physical, social, political, and economic environments.

clinical psychologist

promote psychological health in individuals, groups, and organizations. Some even specialize in specific psychological disorders, from adjustment difficulties to severe psychopathology.

Martin Seligman

researcher known for demanding more research on human flourishing. His work on learned helplessness and learned optimism has been a major contribution to the approach of positive psychology.

rehabilitation psychologists

researchers and practitioners who work with people who have lost optimal functioning after an accident, illness, or other event. Usually work in a hospital setting or at a rehab center

cognitive psychologist

study human thinking with a focus on topics like perception, language, attention, problem solving, memory, judgement and decision making.

Participant Bias (Response Bias)

tendency for subjects to behave in certain ways based on their perception of an experiment

sex

the biological distinction between females and males

Culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

empiricism

the idea that knowledge comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge. This idea came from John Locke's essay, where he argued that the mind at birth is a blank slate- "tabula rasa". This gave way to empiricism.

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and 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 arising from the interaction of nature and nurture

Socrates and Plato

the mind is separable from the body and continues after the body dies. Knowledge is innate and born within us.

introspection

the process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one's own psychological processes. Titchener wanted to know elements of the mind's structure- he would ask people to report elements of their experiences as they looked at a rose, listened to a metronome, smelled various scents, or tasted substances. Then he asked them what were their feelings and immediate sensations to try and establish connections.

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

positive psychology

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

Cognitive Psychology

the scientific study of mental processes that occur when we perceive, learn, remember, think, communicate, and solve problems

behavioral psychology

the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning

biological psychology

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, hormonal) and psychological processes

social-cultural psychology

the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking

evolutionary psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

sports psychologists

the study of thoughts and behaviors that influence and are influenced by athletic performance, participation in sports and other physical activities

William James (1842-1910)

theories formed the early school of thought -functionalism - mental processes helping individuals adapt to environment. "Smelling is what the nose does; thinking is what the brain does. But why do the nose and brain do these things? Was inspired by the work of Charles Darwin and eventually wrote the first official psychology textbook, Principles of Psychology. Admitted first female student to Harvard School of Psychology, Mary Calkins

critical thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. Critical thinkers ask questions and wince when ppl make factual claims based on gut intuition and are open to the fact that they themselves might be wrong.

Edward Bradford Titchener (1867-1927)

used introspection to search for the mind's structural elements. studied under Wundt before joining the faculty at Cornell where he met and advised Margaret Floy Washburn.

Neuropsychology

investigate the relationship between neurological processes and behavior

Gestalt Psychology

Early school of thought in psychology that looks at human mind and behavior as a whole. Gestalt theory emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts. Max Wertheimer is a notable gestalt psychologist.

René Descartes (1596-1650)

He dissected animals and concluded that the fluid in the brain's cavities contained "animal spirits" He thought the "spirits" flowed from the brain through what we call nerves, to the muscles which encouraged movement. Descartes was right about nerve paths and reflexes, but not much else. Quote: "I think, therefore I am."

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Humanistic psychologist known for his "Hierarchy of Needs" and the concept of "self-actualization"

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Humanistic psychology proponent; self-concept and unconditional positive regard drive personality. Focused on potential for personal growth

Psychometric and Quantitative Psychologists

They study the math-related methods and techniques used to acquire psychological knowledge

School Psychologists

involved in the assessment of and intervention for children in educational settings. They diagnose and treat cognitive, social, and emotional problems that may negatively influence a child's learning and/or overall well being.

biopsychosocial approach

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

John Locke (1632-1704)

argued that the mind at birth is a tabula rasa (blank slate) on which experience writes. His ideas along with Francis Bacon's formed the early ideas of the school of thought- Empiricism

negatively skewed distribution

asymmetric distribution in which the majority of the data is concentrated to the right of the mean

John B. Watson (1878-1958)

behaviorism; emphasis on external behaviors of people and their reactions on a given situation; famous for Little Albert experiment that he performed with Rosalie Rayner in which baby was taught to fear a white rabbit/rat. Studied the works of conditioning by way of Ivan Pavlov.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

behaviorist who rejected introspection. His work is built on the assumption that behavior is influenced by its consequence. Fathered reinforcement theory and proposed that you can change someone's behavior by using reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.

educational psychologist

interested in the psychological processes involved in learning, they study the relationship between learning and the physical and social environments, and they develop strategies for enhancing the learning process.

mental processes

internal, subjective experiences we infer from behavior

developmental psychologist

conduct research on age-related behavioral changes and apply their scientific knowledge to educational, child-care, policy, and related settings

scientific attitude

curiosity, skepticism, humility

functionalism

early school of thought promoted by William James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function/worked- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish. Consciousness serves a function- it enables us to consider our past, adjust to our present, and plan our future.

structuralism

early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind

experimental effect

effect of the treatment variable on the dependent variable

testing effect

enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information

behavior

everything we do that can be directly observed

counseling psychologist

help people adjust to life transitions or make lifestyle changes. They don't deal typically with severe psychopathology, they emphasize the client's strengths and help them identify skills, interests, and abilities.

humanistic psychology

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth.

gender

in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female