1.01 Roots of Psychology

What is psychology?

the scientific study of an individual's behavior and mental processes

Define behavior

an action of a living being that can be observed

What are mental processes?

internal experiences such as thoughts, beliefs, and emotions

What did Aristotle believe?

that the soul and body were not separate and that knowledge is gained from experience

What is a Freudian slip?

a mistake that is thought to occur because of a hidden feeling

What does the humanistic approach acknowledge?

the need for humans to experience personal growth

What do healthy people desire?

To be loved, accepted and reach their full potential

What is cognition?

the mental processes used to gather knowledge and information

What did cognitivists believe?

psychology must study mental processes in order to fully understand behavior

4 reasons for studying psychology

- Allows us to evaluate behaviors and mental processes to understand ourselves and others better

- By knowing more about why we do the things we do, we can improve our relationships.

- We can also predict how we will react in many situations and shape our behaviors and mental processes to improve our life experiences.

- Understanding how we think and why we act has also helped professionals identify and treat behavioral and mental problems.

Who did the idea of studying the mind all start with?

Socrates, Plato & Aristotle

What relationship did Socrates & Plato have?

Plato was Socrates' student

What did Socrates and Plato believe?

that the mind was separate from the body and therefore continues on after death

What year did psychology as a science begin?

1879

Who is the father of psychology?

William Wundt

Why is he considered the father of psychology?

because he conducted the first official psychological experiment

What was the first psychological experiment?

measured how long it took for people to hear and respond to a sound

What relationship did William Wundt and Edward Titchener have?

Titchener was Wundt's student

What is introspection?

looking inwards to describe thoughts and feelings immediately following an experience

Who used the introspection technique?

Edward Titchener

What approach did Edward Titchener use?

Structuralism

What approach did William James use?

Functionalism

What did William James believe?

functionalism would help people adapt their behavior to the world around them

What did Gesalt psychologists believe?

"the whole is different from the sum of its parts"

(instead of focusing on the structures of consciousness as separate pieces, they should be viewed together as a complete experience)

What theory did Sigmund Freud introduce?

psychoanalytic theory

thoughts, conflicts and desires lie below a person's conscious awareness

What research did Ivan Pavlov conduct and when?

animal digestion in 1906

What did Ivan Pavlov discover?

dogs could be trained to salivate

What stimulus did Ivan Pavlov use to control dogs' salivation?

a bell

Who developed the behavorist perspective?

John B. Watson

What did John B. Watson believe?

study of consciousness was useless because it could not be done scientifically

What did John B. Watson's studies focus on?

understanding how the environment influences behavior with positive and negative outcomes

There is no such thing as free will according to who?

B.F. Skinner

Who were the leaders in humanistic psychology?

Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow

Name one cognitive psychologist

Jean Piaget

Name the 6 modern psychological perspectives

- Behavioral

- Psychodynamic

- Humanistic

- Social-Cultural

- Cognitive

- Biological

What is eclecticism?

approach incorporates multiple theories, methods, and perspectives