psych 104 chapter 1

goals of psychology

\- describe behaviour, and causes

\- predict behaviour under certain conditions

\- influence and control behaviour through knowledge and control of causes

basic research

\- knowledge for its own sake

\- questions for curiosity and knowledge

applied research

\- designed to solve specific practical problems to better human welfare

mind-body interactions

\- the relations between mental processes in the brain and the functioning of other body systems

\- focussing on positive vs negative thoughts and the benefits

levels of psychological analysis

\- all reciprocal

\- environmental/social

\- psychological

\- biological

environmental/social level

• Physical, social, school or family environment

• past and current to which we are exposed

• Cultural norms

psychological level

• Behaviours within an individual, thoughts, feelings and motives

• Working memory capacities, IQ scores, depression/anxiety levels

biological level

• Observe influence on behaviour

• brain processes and genetic influences

• Brain areas/drug action mechanisms, physiological/biological functioning, cellular, atomic, molecular

primary source

• needs peer review journal

• study has methods and backgrounds

• experiment is done by author of the study

• quantitative

secondary source

\- any media article written by anyone based on the primary source

Mind-Body Dualism

\- Rene Descartes

\- Mind = spiritual entity

\- Non material entity controlling our behaviour, not subject to physical laws

\- Cannot be studied

Monism → Structuralism

* Mental events are a product of physical events → Dissect behaviour into basic components (like a cell or atom)

Evolution → Functionalism

* Natural selection, advantageous physical and behavioural traits→ Functional advantage- best traits so we can survive

schools of psychology/perspectives

\- functionalism and structuralism

structuralism

\- Wundt, Titchener

\- analysis of the mind in terms of its basic elements

functionalism

\- James (leader), Calkins (studied memory/dreams)

\- the functional basis and advantage of behaviour

psychodynamic

• behaviours reflect our unconscious

• motives in the mind we are unaware of, unresolved past conflicts

• freud

behaviourism

\- experiences/environment determine and shape behaviour

\- stimulus → response

\- Locke, Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson/Skinner

locke- behaviourism

• human mind is a blank slate with experiences influencing behaviour

• nature shaped by environment

pavlov- behaviourism

\- classical conditioning

\- learning occurs when events are associated with each other

\- dogs act associated with food

thorndike- behaviourism

\- **learn** through consequences of your actions

\- law of effect: satisfying consequences mean more likely to occur, unsatisfying means less likely

watson/skinner- behaviourism

\- observable behaviour most important over mental events

\- fear conditioning, control environment to control behaviour

gestalt psychology

\- the whole is greater than the sum of the parts

\- how we see the world

\- mind is studied in terms of larger units instead of smaller like structuralism

cognitive behaviourism

\- Bandura- humans are thinking creatures, they learn

\- thinking and learning and not just reacting

\- environment influences us and we influence the environment: two way

\- stimulus → organisms → response

humanism

\- emphasizes conscious motives, freedom, choice, self-actualization and individual potential

\- belongingness, identity, esteem- transitioned from survival to more

\- the study of human strengths

\- Maslow (Hierarchy of needs)

sociocultural

\- psychological being is impacted by cultural and environment not just biological

\- different socialization and norms across cultures

\- clark and clark

Clarks’ - sociocultural

\- examining how discrimination and prejudice influenced the personality development of African American children

behavioural neuroscience

\- biological understanding of psychology, human behaviour

\- physical side of human nature

\- roles of brain structures and functions, biochemical processes and genetic factors

\- Lashley

Lashley- Behavioural neuroscience

\- examined how damage to various rats’ brain region affected their ability to learn and remember

\- the law of mass effect- the more damage the more effect, proportional

behaviourists

\- skinner

\- language is acquired through basic principles of learning

\- need environment w language to learn a language

linguists

\- chomsky

\- humans are biologically built to acquire language

\- children understand language as a set of mental rules

\- inherited, nativist

Jean Piaget- Cognitive Psychology

\- childrens thinking becomes sophisticated w age, different process than adults

\- different than tiny adult in industrial revolution

\- cognitive revolution led to interest in mental processes

Elizabeth Loftus- Cognitive psychologist

\- studied memory and false memories aka gaslighting, or factors which distort memories

\- influences from other people, sometimes unknowingly creating different realities

Evolutionary psychology

\- fears evolved from survival

\- social behaviours are products of evolution- such as strength in numbers, or generally aggression, competition and nurturing

Darwin: Natural Selection

characteristics that increase likelihood of survival will be maintained