Into to Psychology

Ch. 1

Psychology

Scientific study of the mind and body. Studies everything about the human experience.

Behavior

directly observable actions and responses

Mind

internal states and processes that are not directly observable, must be inferred from observable, measurable responses

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 early childhood experiences Sigmud Freud

Gestalt Psychology

focuses on humans as a whole rather than individual parts, based on the idea that although a sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how those parts relate to each other as a whole is often what the individual responds to in perception Wetheimer, 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, Carl Rogers

Introspectation

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

Branches of Psychology

Biopsychology/Evolutionary psychology, sensation/perception, cognitive, developmental, personality, social, health, industrial/organizational, sports/exercise, clinical, and forensic psychology

Biopsychology

The study of how the structure and function of the nervous system generate behavior

Sensation/Perception

The study focuses on both physiological aspects of sensory systems and the psychological experience of sensory information.

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

Developmental psychology

Studies the physical and mental attributes of aging and maturation Ex. moral reasoning, cognitive skills, social skills

Jean Piaget

theories regarding changes in cognitive ability that occur as we move from infancy to adulthood

Personality psychology

focuses on behaviors and thought patterns that are unique to each individual

Social psychology

how individuals interact and relate with others and how much interactions can affect behavior Ex. attraction, obedience, interpersonal conflicts

Clinical psychology

focuses on diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and problematic patterns of behavior

Cognitive-behavioral therapists

Take cognitive processes and behaviors into account when providing psychotherapy

Wilhelm Wundt

First lab for research, focused on understanding the structure and characteristics of the mind through introspection, one of the founders of psychology

William James

First American psychologist, established functionalism

Sigmund Freud

Studied hysteria and neurosis, theory that problems arose from the unconscious mind, dream analysis

Ivan Pavlov

Discovered classical conditioning

Clasical conditioning

studied conditioned reflexes in which an animal produced a reflex 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)

John B. Watson

Father of behaviorism, focused on observable behavior and ways to bring that behavior under control

B.F Skinner

Concentrated on how behavior was affected by its consequences, principles of modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment, which he saw as major factors in driving behavior

Abraham Maslow

proposed a Hierarchy of needs in motivating behavior

Hierarchy of needs

As long as basic needs for survival were met (food, water, shelter), higher-level needs (social needs) would begin to motivate behavior.

Carl Rogers

developed a client-centered therapy method that has been influential in clinical settings, humanism

What did Carl Rogers believe in?

unconditional positive regard, genuineness, empathy

Noam Chomsky

Influential in beginning the cognitive revolution, believed psychology needed to incorporate mental functioning into its focus in order to fully understand human behavior.

Margaret Floy Washburn

first woman to earn her doctorate in psychology researched on animal behavior and published an authoritative text on the subject.

Skinner Box

Also known as an operant chamber, it is an instrument that isolates an animal from the external environment and allows a researcher to control that animal’s rewards and punishments.