B110 chap 1 - Introduction to Psychology - Chapter 1: History and Themes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 1: History and Themes.

Structuralism

Early school of psychology that analyzes the mind's structure by breaking experiences into basic elements, using introspection.

Introspection

Research method where individuals report their conscious experiences in detail to reveal mental structures.

Wilhelm Wundt

Founder of experimental psychology; established the first psychology laboratory (1879) in Leipzig and helped develop structuralism.

Functionalism

School that focuses on how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment; associated with William James.

William James

Father of American psychology; author of Principles of Psychology (1890) and a key proponent of functionalism.

Mary Whiton Calkins

Pioneering psychologist; developed paired-associate learning; first woman president of the APA.

Paired-associate learning

Memory task involving pairing items to facilitate recall, widely used in memory studies.

Psychoanalytic psychology

School founded by Sigmund Freud emphasizing the unconscious mind and techniques like free association and dream analysis.

Sigmund Freud

Founder of psychoanalysis; theorized the unconscious mind and defense mechanisms.

Unconscious mind

Part of mental life outside conscious awareness that influences behavior.

Free association

Psychoanalytic technique where patients say whatever comes to mind to reveal unconscious thoughts.

Dream analysis

Interpreting dreams to uncover unconscious wishes or conflicts.

Carl Jung

Psychoanalyst who broke with Freud; emphasized collective unconscious and shared symbols.

Collective unconscious

Shared symbols and archetypes across cultures proposed by Jung.

Anna Freud

Freud's daughter; focused on child development and defense mechanisms; emphasized the ego.

Ego

Part of the psyche that mediates between impulses and reality; uses defense mechanisms.

Defense mechanisms

Psychological strategies to cope with anxiety and protect the ego.

Behaviorism

School emphasizing observable behavior and environmental determinants; includes Pavlov, Skinner, Watson.

Ivan Pavlov

Pioneer of classical conditioning; studied salivating dogs (1906).

Classical conditioning

Learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus to elicit a response.

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorist who studied reinforcement and punishment as determinants of behavior.

Reinforcement

Consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Punishment

Consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

John B. Watson

Behaviorist who studied animal behavior, child rearing, and advertising.

Rosalie Rayner

Collaborated with Watson on the Little Albert experiment (fear conditioning).

Little Albert experiment

Study demonstrating fear conditioning in a child by pairing a rat with a loud noise.

Edward Thorndike

Studied trial-and-error learning in cats; proposed the Law of Effect.

Law of Effect

Responses followed by satisfying consequences become more likely to be repeated.

Humanism and Positive Psychology

Movement emphasizing positive qualities, well-being, and self-actualization;maslow, rogers, seligman.

Abraham Maslow

Foundational humanist; proposed the Hierarchy of Needs leading to self-actualization.

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's pyramid of needs culminating in self-actualization.

Carl Rogers

Humanistic psychologist; emphasized phenomenology and client-centered therapy.

Phenomenology

Study of subjective experience and personal perspective.

Martin Seligman

Psychologist known for learned helplessness theory and positive psychology.

Learned helplessness

Condition where perceived lack of control leads to passive behavior.

Client-centered therapy

Rogers' therapy focusing on the client’s perspective and growth within a nonjudgmental environment.

Cognitive science

Interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence, including perception, memory, problem solving, and AI.

Edward Tolman

Cognitive behaviorist who proposed latent learning and cognitive maps; challenged strict behaviorism.

Ulric Neisser

Father of cognitive psychology; emphasized perception and memory as active, constructive processes.

Noam Chomsky

Linguist and philosopher; rejected behaviorism and advanced theories of language acquisition.

Active processing

Idea that memory and thought involve active, ongoing cognitive processing.

Cognitive psychology

Field focusing on mental processes such as perception, memory, problem solving, and decision making.

Artificial intelligence

Field studying machines that can perform tasks requiring intelligence and learning.

Behavioral Neuroscience

Study of how brain mechanisms relate to behavior and mental processes; applications include addiction, brain injury, and mental health disorders.

Lewin’s equation (B = f(P + E + PE))

Behavior is a function of the person, environment, and their interaction.

Nature vs. Nurture

Debate about whether biology or environment shapes behavior more.

P (Person)

Internal factors: traits, temperament, abilities, motives, emotions, current state.

E (Environment)

External factors: family background, culture, education, life experiences, social context.

Interaction of P and E

Dynamic interplay between personal and environmental factors in shaping behavior.

Socio-cultural context

How society and culture influence psychological concepts and behaviors.