Psychology's History and Approaches - Module 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and figures from Psychology's history and the basics of critical thinking as presented in Module 1.

Critical thinking

Careful, evidence-based evaluation of claims; open to possibly being wrong; seeks supporting evidence and considers alternative explanations.

Credibility of sources

Assessing whether information comes from trustworthy, evidence-based, and unbiased sources.

Bias

A predisposition that affects objectivity; recognizing biases is essential to fair evaluation.

Prescientific psychology

Early beliefs about mind and body before modern science, including ideas about innate ideas and mind–body relations.

Empiricism

Knowledge comes from experience and data gathered through observation and experimentation.

Tabula rasa

Latin for 'blank slate'; the mind at birth is empty and experience writes.

Atoms of the mind

Wundt’s term for the basic elements of mental processes measured in experiments.

Psychology's first laboratory

The first formal psychology lab founded by Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig.

Wilhelm Wundt

Founding figure of experimental psychology; established the first psychology laboratory.

Structuralism

Early school of thought aiming to identify the mind's structure using introspection.

Introspection

Looking inward to report one’s own mental experiences; a method used by structuralists.

Functionalism

Early school of thought focusing on how mental processes function to help organisms adapt and survive.

William James

Proponent of functionalism; author of Principles of Psychology and influential teacher.

Mary Whiton Calkins

Pioneering memory researcher; first female APA president; studied at Harvard despite gender barriers.

Margaret Floy Washburn

First woman to receive a psychology PhD; wrote The Animal Mind; second female APA president.

Behaviorism

Psychology should be the scientific study of observable behavior, ignoring mental processes.

John B. Watson

Leading behaviorist who argued for studying observable behavior; linked to Little Albert study.

Rosalie Rayner

Collaborated with Watson on conditioning fear in Little Albert.

B. F. Skinner

Prominent behaviorist who studied how consequences shape behavior; rejected introspection.

Sigmund Freud

Founder of psychoanalytic psychology; emphasized unconscious mind and childhood experiences.