Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology

A _______________ psychologist might study how to best treat schizophrenia

clinical

Charles Darwin's great contribution was the theory of

how evolution works (natural selection)

shamans

medicine men and women who treated the possessed by driving out demons by exorcisms, incantations, and prayers.

Developmental Psychology

study of how thought and behavior change and remain stable during the life span. Interested in age related changes in behavior from conception to death.

Cognitive Psychology

study of how we perceive information, remember, think, speak, and solve problems

The term _____________ is a philosophical point of view that describes all knowledge and thoughts as coming from experience

empiricism

Psychology is a useful area to study because

it is relevant to your life AND is useful in many other fields of study

Nature

our innate abilities, or attribute that we are born with

Behavioral neuroscience

study of the links among the brain, mind and behavior

emotions are

behavioral adaptations

Softwiring

biological systems-genes, brain structures, brain cells-are inherited but open to modification from the environment

Psychoanalysis

clinical approach to treating psychological disorders. assuming that unconscious mind is the most powerful force behind thought and behavior, that dreams have meaning, and that our experiences in childhood are a powerful force in the development of adult personality

A psychologist who studies logical reasoning is likely a _____________ psychologist

cognitive

Forensic Psychology

field that blends psychology law, and criminal justice

When you are asked to describe in as much detail as you can about what you are experiencing, you are being asked to:

introspect

The main method of investigation for structuralists, ___________ involves looking into ones own mind for information about condition experience

introspection

Sports Psychology

study of psychological factors in sports and exercise

Personality Psychology

study of what makes people unique and the consistencies in people's behavior across time and situations

The humanistic perspective

suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior.

The behavioral perspective

suggests that observable, measurable behavior should be the focus of study.

Where might you find folk or popular psychology information?

-internet sites -talk shows -news reports

Clinical Psychologists:

-research ways to treat mental disorders -promote psychological health

A cognitive psychologist is most likely to be interested in -how the brain works -how people interact with each other -the process of thinking -the process of behavioral development

-the process of thinking

Natural Selection

1. There is variation in traits 2. There is differential reproduction 3. There is heredity 4. There is the end result (see beetle analogy pg. 23)

Structuralism

19th century school of psychology argued: breaking down experience into elemental parts to understand thought and behavior

A psychologist has conducted a series of studies on which part of the brain is most active during a memory task. She is probably

A cognitive psychologist

Natural selection

A feedback process whereby nature favors one design over another because it has an impact on reproduction.

Who is associated with the humanistic perspective?

Carl Rogers Abraham Maslov

___________ psychologists study how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.

Cognitive

DSM

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Includes more than 250 psychological diorders

Asylums

Facilities for treating the mentally ill in Europe during Middle Ages to 19th Century

True or False? Our genetic code is set in stone at birth

False

Wilhelm Wundt was the founder of psychology in the United States (True or False)

False

True or False? Genetic influences on our thoughts and actions is set at birth and can't be changed.

False. Experience can and does change how and when genes get expressed.

______________ is a historical approach advocated by William James that concentrated on mental processes and the purpose of the mind and behavior in the individual's adaptation to the environment

Functionalism

The first ancient cultures that focused on natural and physical explanations for disorders were:

Greeks and Egyptians

Positive psychology is a modern form of which school of thought?

Humanism

Popular in the 1940's and 1950's, this psychological theory emphasized personal growth and meaning

Humanistic psychology

Adaptations

Inherited Solutions to ancestral problems that have been selected for because they contribute in some way to reproductive success. -evolved to solve problems in past generations, not current ones, we live with traits that benefited our ancestors

William __________ was the founder of psychology in the United States

James

For millennia, thinkers have argued over what determines our personalities-innate biology or life experiences

Nature vs. Nuture

____________ psychology is the unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motives that characterizes and individual.

Personality

Nature through Nurture

Position that the environment constantly interacts with biology to shape who we are, and what we do

__________ psychology: a theory of psychology that uses a scientific approach to study psychological well being.

Positive

How does psychology differ from the related field of sociology?

Psychology studies individuals; sociology studies groups

_____________ was the first scientific form of psychology. It included laboratory studies of the subjective experience of physical sensations.

Psychophysics

Mind-body Dualism

Rene Discartes(17th century philosopher) stated that the mind and body are separate entities. mind controls body, occasionally vise versa

When do we focus on the whole object rather than parts?

Similarity, Proximity, Continuity, Closure

by-products or exaptations

Structures or features that perform a function that did not arise through natural selection. example: feathers

Psychophysics

Study of how we psychologically perceive physical stimuli like light, sound waves, and touch. Included laboratory studies of the subjective experience of physical sensations. (*first scientific form of psychology.*) GUSTAV FECHNER Early work done by: Ernst Weber, Gustav Fechner, and Hermann von Helmholtz

DSM-5

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (most modern resource) used by clinicians to diagnose and classify mental disorders.

Evolutionary psychology

The branch of psychology that aims to understand the functions of the mind by studying human behavior and asking what adaptive problems it may have solved for our early ancestors.

Psychology

The scientific study of thought and behavior. -both a clinical practice and science (psyche: Greek word for mind)

True or False? Psychologists agree that most human thought and behavior cannot be explained by one perspective.

True. Human thought and behavior are so complex and determined by so many different factors that no one perspective can fully capture the richness of human psychology.

Nurture-only side

We are all essentially the same at birth, and we are the product of our experiences

Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience

Who we are and what we do is a result of brain activity, is impacted by genetic factors, and has a long evolutionary past - John Tooby and Leda Cosmides published "The Psychological Foundations of Culture" in 1992 • Brain imaging techniques • Human genome

Nature-only side

Who we are comes from inborn tendencies and genetically based traits

Wilhelm ____________ created the first psychology laboratory

Wundt

As a field, psychology is:

a social science, the practice of diagnosing and treating mental illness, a biological science.

A counseling psychologist is most likely to help people:

adjust to new situations

The field of psychology that examines how the brain and nervous system influence behavior is called ____________ neuroscience

behavioral

Gestalt psychologists believe that, when it comes to perception, the whole is

different from the sum of its parts

trephination

drilling a small hole in a persons skull, less than an inch in diameter

Gesalt psychology

emphasize that humans perceive things as wholes rather than as a compilation/sum of parts. Gestalt="whole". -Max Wertheimer (1880-1943)

developmental psychologists

interested in age related changes in behavior from conception to death.

Which phrase most accurately reflects a modern perspective in psychology?

nature through nurture

The main difference between clinical and a counseling psychologist is that counseling psychologists treat:

people with less severe psychological disorders

Unlike functionalism, structuralism focuses on

processes

Behaviorism

psychology can be true science only if it examines observable behavior, not ideas, thoughts, feelings, or motives. Founded by John Watson. Also argued by B.F. Skinner

Cognitivism

same as Gestalt psychology. Frederick Bartlett: Stated that memory is not an objective or accurate representation of events but is a highly personal reconstruction based on one's own beliefs, ideas, and point of view -The way we think about things (cognitive frameworks) organizes how we experience the world

The 19th century school argued that breaking down experience into its elemental parts offers the best way to understand thought and behavior is called:

structuralism

Wundts approach, ______________, focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness and thinking

structuralism

Physics

studies the physical properties of light and sound

Social psychology

study of how living among others influences thought, feeling, and behavior.

Educational Psychology

study of how students learn, the effectiveness of particular teaching techniques, the social psychology of schools, and the psychology of teaching.

Biological psychology

study of the relationship between body systems and CHEMICALS and how they influence thought and behavior

Health Psychology

study of the role psychological factors play in regard to Physical HEALTH, illness, and well-being.

The Latin term for blank slate

tabula rasa

Industrial/Organizational(I/O) psychology

the applied science of psychological concepts and questions to work settings and problems

evolution

the change over time in the frequency with which specific genes occur within a breeding species

Clinical Psychology

the diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders & the promotion of psychological health (COUNSELING)

What sets scientific psychology apart from popular psychology?

the methods used in each

Mind-body dualism proposes that

the mind and body are separate

Psychology (def. #2)

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Personality psychology (def #2)

the unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motives that characterize an individual

Empiricism

the view that all knowledge and thoughts come from experience. (John Locke)

Humanistic Psychology

theory that focuses on personal growth and reaching highest potential. (Maslow and Rogers.) Was popular in the 1940's and 1950's

Behaviorists argued that

thoughts, feelings, and motives are unimportant in understanding human behavior.

Behaviorists are NOT interested in studying:

thoughts, ideas, or emotions

Counseling psychologists

treat people with less severe psychological disorders

Moral treatment

treating the mentally ill with dignity in caring

Positive Psychology

understanding and promoting healthy and positive psychological functioning. Emerged after Humanistic psychology. (Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)

Which of the following is a technique for integrating the many perspectives in psychology?

-using not believing everything you think -using the scientific method -making connections within and between chapters

Personality psychologists study:

-what makes people unique -ways that people's behavior stays the same over time -ways that people's behavior stays the same in different situations

Cognitive scientists are interested in how we:

learn, remember, think and reason.

A behaviorist might study:

learning through conditioning

Functionalism

looking at why mind works in adaptation to the environment rather than describing its parts. Influenced by Charles Darwin. (WILLIAM JAMES)

Introspection

method used in structuralism. Involves looking into ones own mind for information about the nature of conscious experience.

Research on the association between vaccines and autism has shown

no connection between the two.

Nurture

our life experiences or how we are taken care of