psych 104 chapter 1

goals of psychology

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