Introduction to Psychology and Historical Perspectives

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental psychological terms, major historical schools of thought, critical thinking principles, and key psychological perspectives based on the lecture transcript.

Psychology

The study of behaviour and thinking that uses scientific, measurable methods to explain human behaviour and thinking processes.

DEPCo

An acronym representing the four main goals of psychology: Describe (what are we studying?), Explain (why is this happening?), Predict (how likely and when will this occur?), and Control (what is causing this?).

Psychological Theories

Sets of hypothesized statements about relationships or principles that explain observed behaviours.

Critical Thinking

The process of thoughtfully analyzing and probing questions, statements, and arguments of others.

Pure Research

Psychological research conducted within a laboratory setting.

Applied Research

Psychological research conducted in real-life settings.

Structuralism

An early school of psychology that attempted to break down human experience into its component sensations, feelings, and images, relies heavily on introspection.

Introspection

A self-examination method linked to structuralism used to examine one's own feelings, thoughts, and assessments of objective reality.

Functionalism

A school of psychology focused on how behavioural and mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment and how thoughts assist in selecting behaviour.

Behaviourism

The study of observable behaviour which asserts that psychology should focus strictly on what can be seen and heard rather than unmeasurable feelings and thoughts.

J.B. Watson

The psychologist associated with behaviourism who advocated that psychology should only study observable behaviour.

Gestalt Theory

A psychological theory stating that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, emphasizing that learning occurs through context and insight.

Insight

In Gestalt theory, learning through understanding the bigger picture or experiencing an "ah-ha!" moment rather than through simple association and reinforcement.

Psychoanalysis

A theory developed by Sigmund Freud proposing that human behaviour and psychological problems stem from unconscious motives, sexual urges, and childhood experiences.

Sigmund Freud

The founder of psychoanalysis who emphasized the role of unconscious motives, sexual urges, and childhood conflict in determining human behaviour.

Id

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the demanding, tempestuous part of personality that desires immediate gratification.

Ego

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the conscious part of personality that exercises self-control.

Super Ego

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the part of personality that decides whether to follow immediate demands (Id) or exercise self-control (Ego).

Biopsychosocial

An integrative psychological approach that combines biological, psychological, and social perspectives to understand behaviour.

Evolutionary Perspective

A psychological approach proposing that humans possess inherited tendencies that guide behaviour to promote survival.

Biological Perspective

A psychological perspective examining how genetics and biological factors relate to human actions and behaviour.

Cognitive Perspective

A psychological perspective focused on training the brain, altering thought processes to change behaviour, and using brain imaging techniques.

Mnemonics

Memory aids designed to assist in memory retention.

Humanistic Perspective

A psychological approach holding that individuals are driven by an internal desire to become the best version of themselves.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A humanistic-existential framework detailing the stages of needs required to achieve a permanent state of self-actualization.

Reciprocal Determinism

A learning concept introduced by Albert Ventura involving the mutual interaction of three factors: Behaviour, Environments, and Feelings/Expectations.