Introduction to Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards of key vocabulary and concepts from the Introduction to Psychology lecture.

Psychology

The scientific study of mind and behavior.

Psychology (Psych)

Study of the Soul.

Psychology (Ology)

Scientific study of.

Structuralism

Understanding the conscious experience through introspection (Wilhelm Wundt).

Functionalism

Focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment (William James).

Psychoanalytic Theory

Focuses on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior (Sigmund Freud).

Gestalt Psychology

Focuses on humans as a whole rather than individual parts (Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler).

Behaviorism

Focuses on observing and controlling behavior (Pavlov, Watson, Skinner).

Humanism

Emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans (Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers).

Introspection

Process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Focuses on the role of a person’s unconscious and early childhood experiences.

Gestalt

Whole. Sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how those parts relate to each other is often what the individual responds to in perception.

Classical Conditioning

Animal produced a reflex (unconscious) response to a stimulus (salivating in the presence of food) and, over time, was conditioned to produce the response to a different stimulus (salivating to the sound of a bell) that the experimenter associated with the original stimulus (Food and bell became associated).

Operant Conditioning

Modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment which he saw as major factors in driving behavior.

Unconditional positive regard

Therapists need this.

Genuineness

Therapists need this.

Empathy

Therapists need this.

Sensation

Sensory information (sights, sounds, touch, smell).

Perception

Experience of the world which is influenced by where we focus our attention, our previous experiences, and our cultural backgrounds.

Biopsychosocial model

Suggests that health/illness is determined by an interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.