AP Psychology Unit 1 Terms

Ivan Pavlov

Russian physiologist who pioneered the study of learning

Edward Bradford Titchener

Soon after receiving his Ph.D. in 1892, Wundt's student joined Cornell University faculty & introduced structuralism. As physicists and chemists discerned structure of matter, so Titchener aimed to discover structural elements of mind. His method=to engage ppl in self-reflective introspection (looking inward), training them to report elements of their experience as they looked at rose, listened to metronome, etc.

Jean Piaget

Swiss biologist who was the last century's most influential observer of children

Aristotle

Unlike Socrates and Plato, who derieved principles by logic, this student of Plato's had a love of data. An intellectual ancestor of today's scientists, This man derived principles from careful observations. Moreover, he said knowledge=not preexisting; instead it grows from the experiences stored in our memories

Margaret Floy Washburn

When Harvard denied Calkins claim to being psych's first female psychology Ph.D., honor fell to this woman. Wrote influential book, The Animal Mind, and became second female APA president in 1921. Although Washburn's thesis-first foreign study Wundt published in his journal, her gender meant she=barred from joining organization of experimental psychologists (who explore behavior & thinking w/ experiment), despite being founded by Titchener, her own graduate adviser

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

Humanistic Psychology

a historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people

Cognitive neuroscience

an interdisciplinary study, had enriched our understanding of the brain activity underlying mental activity. The cognitive approach has given us new ways to understand ourselves and to treat disorders such as depression; interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

In Ancient Israel, Hebrew scholars

anticipated today's psychology by linking mind and emotion to the body; people were said to think with their heart and feel with their bowels

Forensic Psychologists

apply psychological principles to legal issues, conduct research on interface of law &psych, help to create public policies related to mental health, help law-enforcement agencies in criminal investigations, or consult on jury selection & deliberation processes, provide assessment to assist legal community, most of these psychologists=clinical psychologists & hold law degree. Work=university psych dept, law school, research organization, community mental health agency, law-enforcement agency, court, or correctional setting, applied research subfield

Clinical psychology/psychologists

assess and treat mental, emotional, and behavior disorders, administer and interpret tests, provide counseling and therapy, and sometimes conduct basic and applied research; branch of psych that studies, assesses, and treats ppl w/ psychological disorders; promote psychological health in individuals, groups, and organizations, some specialize in specific psychological disorders, others treat range of disorders, might engage in research, teaching, assessment, and consultation, work=private practice, mental health service organizations, schools, universities, legal systems, medical systems. counseling centers, gov't agencies, and military services. Become this psychologist by earning doctorate from clinical psychology program, & these psychologists that work in independent practice must obtain license to offer service such as therapy/training, helping profession

psychometrics

branch of psychology devoted to studying the measurement of our abilities attitudes, and traits; the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

basic research

builds psych's knowledge base; pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base

Biopsychosocial Approach

different levels of analysis form this approach which considers influences of biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors; an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis; each level provides valuable vantage point for looking at behavior/mental process, yet each by itself=incomplete

Functionalism

early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function-how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Structuralism

early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener; used introspection to reveal structure of the human mind. Introspection required smart, verbal people. It also proved somewhat unreliable, its results varying from person to person and experience to experience. Moreover, we often just don't know why we feel what we feel and do what we do.

Freudian Psychology

emphasized ways our unconscious thought processes and our emotional responses to childhood experiences affect our behavior; psychodynamic approach= modern-day version of Freud's ideas

cognitive psychologists

experimenting how we perceive, think, and solve problems; study thought processes and focus on topics such as perception, language, attention, problem solving, memory, judgment and decision making, forgetting, and intelligence. Might work as professor, industrial consultant, or human factors specialist in an educational/business setting, basic research subfield

Social psychology/psychologists

explore how we view and affect one another; the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another; interested in our interactions w/ others. Study how our beliefs, feelings, & behaviors are affected by & influence other ppl. Work= college/university faculty member, organizational consultation, market research/other applied psych fields, including social neuroscience, hospitals, federal agencies, businesses performing applied research, basic research subfield

biological psychologists

explore links between brain and mind

Human factors psychology/psychologists

focus on interaction of ppl, machines, and physical environments; an I/O psych subfield that explores how ppl and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use

Social-cultural Perspective

focus: how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures

Psychodynamic Perspective

focus: how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

Biological Perspective

focus: how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences; how genes combine with environment to influence individual differences

Evolutionary Perspective

focus: how the natural selection of traits had promoted the survival of genes

Cognitive Perspective

focus: how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

Behavioral Perspective

focus: how we learn observable responses

Humanistic Perspective

focus: how we meet our needs for love and acceptance and achieve self-fulfillment

Until 1920s, Psychology was defined as...

"the science of mental life"

Francis Bacon

(1561-1626) English Channel in Britain, became one of founders of modern science, and his influence lingers in experiments of today's psychological science, fascinated by human mind and its failings. Anticipating what we have come to appreciate about our mind's hunger to perceive patterns even in random events, he wrote that " the human understanding, from its peculiar nature, easily supposes greater degree of order and equality in things than it really finds" Also foresaw research findings on our noticing and remembering events that confirm our beliefs.

René Descartes

(1595-1650) Frenchman, agreed with Socrates and Plato about existence of innate ideas and mind's being "entirely distinct from the body" and able to survive its death. His concept of mind forced him to conjecture how the immaterial mind and physical body communicate. Scientist and philosopher, Descartes dissected animals and concluded that the fluid in the brain's cavities contained "animal spirits". These spirits flowed from the brain through what we call the nerves(which we thought were hollow) to the muscles. provoking movement. Memories formed as experiences opened pores in the brain into which the animal spirits also flowed. Correct that nerve paths = important and that they enable reflexes, had hardly a clue of what a kid knows today

John Locke

(1632-1704) British political philosopher, sat down to write one-page essay on "our own abilities" for upcoming discussion w/ friends. After 20 yrs & 100s of pgs, he had completed 1 of history's greatest late papers (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding), in which he argued that the mind at birth is tabula rasa- "blank slate"-on which experience writes. This idea helped from modern empiricism, idea that what we know comes from experience, & that observation & experimentation enable scientific knowledge

John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner

American psychologists, dismissed introspection and redefined psychology as "the scientific study of observable behavior". After all, science is rooted in observation. You can't observe a sensation, feeling, or thought, can observe and record ppl's behavior as they respond to diff situations. Our behavior=influenced by learned associations, through process called conditioning. Behaviorists=one of 2 major forces in psychology well into 1960's.

Socrates and Plato

Ancient Greece, philosopher-teacher and his student concluded that mind is separable from body and continues after the body dies, and that knowledge is innate-born within us

Nature-Nurture Issue

Are our human traits present at birth, or do they develop through experience? The ancient Greeks debated this, with Plato assuming that we inherit character and intelligence and that certain ideas are also inborn, and Aristotle countering that there's nothing in the mind that does not come first in from the external world through the senses. In 1600s, Locke rejected notion of inborn ideas, suggesting that the mind is a blank slate on which experience writes. Descartes disagreed, believing that some ideas as innate; 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.

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician, emphasized ways emotional responses to childhood experiences and our unconscious thought processes affect our behavior

Helping Professions

Clinical, Community, and Counseling

Basic Research Subfields

Cognitive, Developmental, Educational, Experimental, Psychometric and Quantitative, and Social

Counseling psychology/psychologists

help ppl to cope with challanges and crises (including academic, vocational, and marital issues) and to improve their personal and social functioning, administer and interpret tests, provide counseling and therapy, and sometimes conduct basic and applied research; branch of psych that assists ppl w/ problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being; help ppl adjust to life transitions/make lifestyle changes. Although similar to clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists conduct therapy & provide assessments to individuals & groups, emphasize your clients' strengths, helping the use their own skills, interests, & abilities to cope during transitions. Work=academic setting as faculty member/administrator or in university counseling center, community mental health center, business, or private practice. If planning to work in indep practice need to obtain state license to provide counseling services to public

SQ3R

incorporate these principles for its five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review; study method incorporating five steps Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

Personality psychology/psychologists

investigate our persistent traits; the study of an individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Neuropsychologists

investigate relationship b/w neurological processes (structure & function of nervous system) & behavior. Might assess, diagnose, or treat central nervous system disorders, also evaluate individuals for evidence of head injuries. If you're CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST, work= hospital's neurology, neurosurgery, or psychiatric unit. Neuropsychologists work=academic settings, where they conduct research & teach, applied research subfield

School Psychologists

involved in the assessment of & intervention for children in educational settings, diagnose & treat cognitive, social, emotional problems that may negatively influence children's learning/ overall functioning @ school. Work= academic setting, federal/state gov't agency, child guidance center, or behavioral research lab, applied research subfields

Humanistic psychologists

led by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, found both Freudian psychology and behaviorism too limiting. Rather than focusing in meaning of early childhood memories or learning of conditioned responses, the humanistic psychologists drew attention to ways that current environmental influences can nurture or limit our growth potential, and to the importance of having our needs for love and acceptance satisfied

Dorothea Dix

led way to humane treatment of those with psychological disorders

1600s

modern science began to flourish. With it came new theories of human behavior and new versions of ancient debates

In India, Buddah

pondered how sensations and perceptions combine to form ideas

Psychiatrists/Psychiatry

provide psychotherapy, are medical doctors licensed to prescribe drugs and otherwise treat physical causes of psychological disorders; branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy

Cognitive Revolution

rebellion of second group of psychologists during 1960s & it led the field back to its early interest in mental processes, such as importance of how our mind processes and retains information. Cognitive psychology scientifically explores ways we perceive, process, and remember information

Health Psychologists

researchers & practitioners concerned w/ psychology's contribution to promoting health & preventing disease, as applied psychologists & clinicians, may help individuals lead healthier lives by designing, conducting, & evaluating programs to stop smoking, lose weight, etc. Identify conditions & practices associated w/ health & illness to help create effective interventions. work= hospital, medical school, rehabilitation center, public health agency, college/university, if also clinical psychologist, in private practice, applied research subfield

Rehabilitation Psychologists

researchers & practitioners who work w/ ppl who have lost optimal functioning after an accident, illness, or other event. work= mental rehabilitation institution/hospital, medical school, university, state/federal vocational rehabilitation agency, or in private practice serving ppl w/ physical disabilities, applied research subfield

Positive Psychology

scientifically explores "positive emotions, positive character traits, and enabling institutions"; the scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

In China, Confucius

stressed the power of ideas and of an educated mind

educational psychology/psychologists

study influences on teaching and learning; the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning; interested in psychological processes involved in learning. Study relationship b/w learning & physical & social environments & they develop strategies for enhancing learning process. Work= school/gov't agency/ charged w/ designing & implementing effective employee-training programs in biz setting, basic research subfield

Psychometric & Quantitative Psychologists

study methods & techniques used to acquire psychological knowledge. Psychometrician may update existing neurocognitive/personality tests/devise new tests for use in clinical & school setting/in biz & industry. Quantitative psychologists collaborate w/ researchers to design, analyze, & interpret results of research programs. Both need to be well trained in research methods, statistics, & computer technology. Work= university/college, testing company, private research firm, or gov't agency, basic research subfield

developmental psychology/psychologists

study our changing abilities from womb to tomb; a branch of psych that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span; conduct research on age-related behavorial changes & apply their scientific knowledge to educational, child-care, policy, & related settings. Investigate change across broad range of topics including biological, psychological, cognitive, and social aspects of development. Prbly specialize in specific stage of life span such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, or middle or late adulthood. Work setting= educational institution, day-care center, youth group program, or senior center, basic research subfield

Sport Psychologists

study psychological factors that influence, & are influenced by, participation in sports & other physical activities. Their professional activities=coach education & athlete preparation, research & teaching. Those who have clinical/counseling degree apply those skills to working w/ individuals w/ psychological problems that might interfere w/ optimal performance. Work=if not working in academic/research setting, work as part of team/organization, or in private capacity, applied research subfield

Applied research

tackles practical problems; scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces; study relationship b/w ppl & their working environments, interests= organizational structure & change, consumer behavior, & personnel selection & training. Work=biz, industry, gov't, or college/university. may be self-employed as consultant/work for management consulting firm

Natural Selection

the principle that among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes; to encompass psychology's concern with observable behavior and with inner thoughts and feelings. Behavior=anything an organism does-any action we can observe and record; yelling. Mental processes=internal, subjective experiences we infer from behavior-sensations

Cognitive psychology

the scientific study of all the mental activites associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Behavioral psychology

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

Biological psychology

the scientific study of the links b/w biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. (Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists or biopsychologists)

Experimental Psychology

the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method; diverse group of scientists who investigate variety of basic behavioral processes in humans & other animals. Areas of experimental research= comparative methods of science, motivation, learning, thought, attention, memory, perception, and language. Work= academic setting, teaching courses & supervising students' research in addition to conducting your own research, research institution, zoo, biz, or gov't agency, basic research subfield

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 mind, using principles of natural selection

empiricism

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2)

Community psychology/psychologists

work to create social and physical environments that are healthy for all; branch of psych that studies how ppl interact with social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups; move beyond focusing on specific individuals/familes & deal with broad problems of mental health in community settings, believe human behavior=powerfully influenced by interaction b/w ppl & their physical, social, political, & economic environments, seek to promote physiological health by enhancing environmental settings. Work=federal, state, & local departments of mental health, corrections, & welfare, might conduct research/help evaluate research in health service settings, serve as indep. consultant for private/gov't agency, or teach & consult as college/university faculty member; helping profession

The Five Main Study Tips

Distribute your study time, Learn to think critically, Process class information actively, Overlearn, and Be a smart test-taker

Applied Research Subfields

Forensic, Health, Industrial-Organizational, Neuropsychologists, Rehabilitation, School and Sport

Charles Darwin

In 1831, indiff student but collector of beetles, mollusks, and shells set sail on historic round-the-world journey. This 22-yr-old voyager pondered incredible species variation he encountered, including tortoises on 1 island that differed from those nearby islands. His 1859 On the Origin of Species explained this diversity by proposing evolutionary process of natural selection: From among chance variations, nature selects traits that best enable an organism to survive and reproduce in particular environment; This man's principle=still with us 150+ years later as bio's organizing principle.

G. Stanley Hall

In 1883, this American student of Wundt's went on to establish the 1st formal U.S. psychology lab, at Johns Hopkins University

Mary Whiton Calkins

James overrode the objections of Harvard's president and admitted this woman into his graduate seminar. When she joined, the other all male students dropped out; James tutored her alone. She finished all requirements for Harvard Ph.D.; Harvard denied her degree she had earned, offering her degree instead from Radcliffe College, its undergraduate sister school for women. She resisted unequal treatment and refused degree. She went on to become distinguished memory researcher & APA's first female president in 1905

Testing effect

Memory researchers Henry Roediger and Jeffery Karpicke called the phenomena this that explains that repeated self-testing and rehearsal of previously studied material enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning

Levels of Analysis

Offer complementary outlooks; the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological, to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomena; they are complementary views because "everything is related to everything else"

Wilhelm Wundt

Philosopher's thinking about thinking cont until birth of psych as we know it. on Dec day in 1879, in small, third-room floor room at Germany's University of Leipzig. Middle-aged professor=creating experimental apparatus. The machine measured time lag b/w ppl's hearing ball hit platform & their pressing telegraph key. Ppl responded in 1/10 of second when asked to press key as soon as sound occurred & in 2/10 of second when asked to press key as soon as they were consciously aware of perceiving sound. Seeking to measure "atoms of the mind"-fastest and simplest mental processes. SO began the first psychological laboratory, staffed by Wundt and by psych's first graduate students

William James

Philosopher-psychologist thought it would be more fruitful to consider evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings. Under the influence of evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin, James assumed that thinking, like smelling, developed because it was adaptive-it contributed to our ancestors' survival. Consciousness serves as a function. It enables us to consider our past, adjust to our present, and plan our future. As a functionalist, James encouraged explorations of down-to-earth emotions, memories, willpower, habits, and moment-to-moment streams of consciousness. His greatest legacy came from his Harvard teaching and his writing. Over the objections of Harvard, he admitted Mary Whiton Calkins into his graduate seminar to get her Ph. D. Signed contract with publisher Henry Holt for textbook of new science of psychology. Began work in 1878 and too him 12 yrs to write. The Principles of Psychology is still being read