Psychology unit 1

WILHELM WUNDT added two key elements to help make psychology a science:

1. Carefully measured observations

2. Experiments

Who develpoped structuralism?

Edward Titchener

What is structuralism?

understanding the brain by analyzing at its basic elements

who developed functionalism?

William James (1842-1910) developed functionalism.

whats Functionalism?

Considered the evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings. James assumed that thinking, like smelling, developed because it was adaptive.

who’s Mary W Calkins?

Considered as one the most important first-generation American psychologists. Established one of the first psychological laboratories in the country at Wellesley College. Became a pioneering memory researcher and the first female president of the APA.

who’s Margaret Floy Washburn

Studied under Edward Titchener. Pioneering work in Animal Behaviour

 Who founded the practice of psychoanalysis in the late 1800s?

Sigmund Freud

What did Freud believe in?

Believed in psychoanalytic psychology (a form of talk therapy), that dreams are an expression of the unconscious, the importance of childhood experiences, and how unconscious thought/memories/desires influence human behaviour.

Psychoanalytic psychology: the id

the primitive and instinctive component of personality. The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche

Psychoanalytic psychology: the ego

the rational part of the psyche that mediates between the instinctual desires of the id and the moral constraints of the superego, only conscious part.

Psychoanalytic psychology: the superego

the moral component of the psyche, representing internalized societal values and standards.

what’s Behaviourism?

Theory of learning that states all behaviours are learned through conditioned interaction with the environment. Thus, behaviour is simply a response to environmental stimuli. Defined the first half of 20th century

What did John B. Watson think?

Psychology is a science that describes, predict and control a behaviour, that is divisible in more simple elements: stimuli and responses. (Little Albert experiment)

what did Ivan Pávlov think?

Created “classical conditioning” and “conditioned reflex”.

what did B. F. Skinner think?

Founder of systematic desensitization (which is still used to help OCD, anxiety, and phobic disorders).

behaviouralism is rooted in….

observation, You cannot observe a sensation, a feeling, or a thought, but you can observe and record people’s behaviour as they respond to different situations.

Behaviouralism techniques:

Classical conditioning, Operant conditioning (rewards), Operant conditioning (sanctions), Habituation / Exposure therapy

whats Humanism?

Studies the whole person and the uniqueness of each individual. Humanistic psychology begins with the existential assumptions that people have free will and are motivated to achieve their potential and self-actualize. Mid 20th century.

what did Abraham Maslow do?

Developed a hierarchy of needs to explain human motivation. 

what did Carl Rogers do?

Developing the psychotherapy method called client-centered therapy, involves the therapist acting as a facilitator rather than a director of the therapy session

Humanism Strengths and Weaknesses

Positive viewpoint of human nature, Encouraging for the field of education and children, Promotes peace and goodwill, yet difficult to prove true or false, How do you know when you are self-actualized/realized? Expensive to test

Cognitive Psych./Cognitism

The study of internal mental processes—all of the workings inside your brain, including perception, thinking, memory, attention, language, problem-solving, and learning. The study of why people do things, rather than what they do.

What’s Cognitive behavioural therapy (and rational emotive behaviour therapy)?

Clients and therapists focus on the underlying cognitions, or thoughts, that contribute to psychological distress. An approach that helps clients identify irrational beliefs and other cognitive distortions that are in conflict with reality and then aid them in replacing such thoughts with more realistic, healthy beliefs.

Whos Jean Piaget?

Helped shape our foundational knowledge of childhood cognitive development. 

Whos Albert Bandura? 

Social cognitive theory emphasizes how people learn by observing others (observational learning.)

The Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner is a developmental psychologist who suggested that people can be intelligent in more than one way. Gardner's suggestion that many different types of intelligence may exist. (an idea from cognitism)

Cognitivism Current Status & Strengths/Weaknesses

Flexible, Changes the way people, think = therefore, changes the way people behave, New teaching methods, Looks at individual rather than environment, but Sometimes we do not have control over what we think - There may be a chemical imbalance in the brain, Very analytical.

whats the Biopsychosocial model?

a comprehensive framework that evaluates health and illness by examining the interconnected effects of biological, psychological, and social factors

Psychoanalysis - Strengths and Weaknesses

Influenced modern psychology and psychiatry, Interactive, encouraging, Provides guidance of confused mind, Informs you of your unknown or repressed past, but Too open to interpretation – how can you be sure your dreams and repressed past are really true? Ambiguous data, no proof, Too costly and time consuming, Freud’s “contributions” are highly controversial and rejected today.

Behaviourism Strengths/Weaknesses

Scientific, Testable, Supported by research, Tends to only explain behaviour and behaviour changes, Does not have a theory of personality.