History and Approaches

Flashcards for AP Psychology Chapter 1 Review

What is Psychology?

The study of the brain, mental processes, observable behavior, human and animal development, and social interactions.

What role did philosophers like Rene Descartes, John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes play in the history of psychology?

Speculated on human nature and were early influences on psychology.

What were Rene Descartes' key beliefs about the mind-body connection?

Believed the physical world follows observable laws and that humans possess minds that interact with the body through the pineal gland.

What were John Locke's main ideas about how the mind acquires knowledge?

Believed that the mind is under the control of rules or laws and that humans are born as a tabula rasa.

What is materialism, as believed by Thomas Hobbes?

The belief that the only things that exist are matter and energy, and consciousness is a by-product of the brain.

What is a school of thought in psychology?

Categorizing psychological theories and ideas.

Name some of the major schools of thought in psychology.

Structuralism, Functionalism, Psychoanalysis, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic, Biological/Biomedical, Sociocultural, Biopsychosocial

Who set up the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany?

Wilhelm Wundt

What is Structuralism?

An attempt to breakdown the ‘elements’ of perception into smaller understandable units.

What is introspection?

The examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes.

In a structuralism experiment, what are subjects asked to do when presented with an object?

To report the physical characteristics of the object without referring to its name.

Who published The Principles of Psychology?

William James

What does Functionalism consider?

Mental life and behavior in terms of active adaptation to the person's environment.

Give an example of Functionalism related to a baby's behavior.

That crying as a behavior is a successful adaptation to help the baby survive.

Who is a key figure in Gestalt Psychology?

Max Wertheimer

What is the central argument of Gestalt theorists?

That the whole is something else than the sum of its parts.

Who founded Psychoanalysis?

Sigmund Freud

What is Psychoanalysis?

A set of theories related to the study of the unconscious mind and a set of therapeutic techniques to help patients recover from psychological disorders.

According to psychoanalysts, what part of the mind influences our behavior?

The unconscious mind controls many of our thoughts and behavior.

Who is associated with Classical Conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov

What unintentional discovery did Ivan Pavlov make while studying digestion in dogs?

Dogs paired the sound footsteps with a delicious meal.

Who demonstrated that you could condition someone to fear a neutral stimulus?

John Watson

Who expanded behaviorism to include reinforcement and punishment?

B.F. Skinner

Who are key figures in the Humanistic perspective?

Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

What does the humanistic perspective stress?

Individual choice and freewill.

In what terms do biopsychologists explain behavior and human thought?

Hormones, genetics, neurotransmitters, disease, brain lesions, etc.

In what terms do evolutionary psychologists examine human thoughts and behaviors?

Natural selection.

In what terms do cognitive psychologists examine behavior and thought?

How we interpret, process, and remember information.

Whose theory of cognitive development focuses on how our thinking develops?

Jean Piaget

What do sociocultural psychologists study?

How our thoughts and behaviors vary from people living in other cultures.

What factors does the biopsychosocial model acknowledge?

Biological, psychological, and social factors.

According to the summary table, what biological factor influences behavior ?

Genes, hormones, physiology, brain, body

According to the summary table, what is a cognitive cause of behavior?

Personal thoughts, thinking patterns, brain processes, neural networks

According to the summary table, what humanistic factor affects behavior?

Self-concept and self-esteem.

According to the summary table, what psychoanalytic factor influences behavior?

Unconscious mind and trauma.

According to the summary table, which behavioral factors determine behavior?

S/R responses, reinforcement/punishment

According to the summary table, what sociocultural factor affects behavior?

Differences in cultural background

According to the summary table, what evolutionary factor influences behavior?

Natural selection

In the summary table, what method investigates the humanistic approach?

Talk-therapy

In the summary table, what method investigates the sociocultural approach?

Cross-cultural studies

In the summary table, what methods are used to investigate the evolutionary approach?

Genetic analysis, species comparisons

In the summary table, what methods are used to investigate the biological approach?

Brain scans, genetic analysis, investigating physiology/biology

In the summary table, what methods are used to investigate the cognitive approach?

Investigating thoughts, patterns of thinking, and making analogies with computer models about the brain

In the summary table, what methods are used to investigate the psychoanalytic/dynamic approach?

Dream analysis and talk-therapy

In the summary table, what method is used to investigate the behavioral approach?

Understanding previous reinforcement/punishment history

What does the Humanistic perspective emphasize?

Stresses individual choice and freewill

According to the summary table, what are the different schools of thought approaches to understanding behavior?

Biological, Cognitive, Humanistic, Psychoanalytic/dynamic , Behavioural, Sociocultural, Evolutionary

According to Descartes, through what gland do the mind and body interact?

The pineal gland

What is one objective of psychoanalytic therapeutic techniques?

To help patients recover from psychological disorders

Biological Approach: Behavior & Method

Behavior caused by genes, hormones, physiology, brain, body. Investigated via brain scans, genetic analysis, physiological/biological studies.

Cognitive Approach: Behavior & Method

Behavior caused by thoughts, thinking patterns, brain processes, neural networks. Investigated by examining thoughts, thinking patterns, using computer analogies for the brain.

Humanistic Approach: Behavior & Method

Behavior caused by self-concept and self-esteem. Investigated through talk therapy.

Psychoanalytic/Dynamic Approach: Behavior & Method

Behavior caused by the unconscious mind and trauma. Investigated via dream analysis and talk therapy.

Behavioral Approach: Factors & Method

Behavior determined by S/R responses, reinforcement/punishment history. Investigated by understanding reinforcement/punishment history.

Sociocultural Approach: Factor & Method

Behavior influenced by cultural background. Investigated through cross-cultural studies.

Evolutionary Approach: Factor & Method

Behavior influenced by natural selection. Investig