Psychology Lecture Notes Review

Flashcards based on lecture notes to help review and prepare for the exam.

According to its etymology, what does the word psychology literally mean?

Psyche (mind or soul) and logia (the study of)

Which two disciplines influenced the early history of psychology?

Physiology and philosophy.

Who is Wilhelm Wundt?

Associated with the first research lab in psychology.

What should be a reflection of learning about Wundt?

Summarize Wundt's accomplishments and contributions to psychology.

What should be a reflection of learning about structuralism and functionalism?

Define and compare structuralism and functionalism.

Define introspection as the structuralists would have used it.

A method that structuralists would have used to train observers who, in principle, would become skilled at making self-observations and would report these to experimenters.

What should be a reflection of learning about James' perspective?

Describe James' perspective on, and general contributions to, psychology.

What should be a reflection of learning about Watson's view of behaviorism?

Describe Watson's view of behaviorism and define behavior.

What is one of the most valuable lessons a student can learn?

Knowledge is often not as clear as it appears in textbooks, and there are alternative interpretations.

Why did Watson propose that psychologists abandon the study of consciousness?

Because he believed psychology should focus on observable behavior rather than consciousness.

What should be a reflection of learning about Watson's view of the nature-nurture issue?

Describe Watson's view of the nature-nurture issue.

What should be a reflection of learning about Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

Describe Freud's psychoanalytic theory.

What should be a reflection of learning about Skinner's view of psychology?

Describe Skinner's view of psychology, his beliefs about internal mental events, and about their role in scientific psychology.

What should be a reflection of learning about humanism?

Define humanism and humanistic psychology.

What should be a reflection of learning about major contemporary theoretical perspectives?

List the six major contemporary theoretical perspectives in psychology as presented in textbook Figure 1.2.

What should be a reflection of learning about clinical psychology?

Define clinical psychology and describe when this professional field emerged in North America and the main driver of that emergence.

What is cognition?

The mental processes or faculties by which knowledge is acquired.

What should be a reflection of learning about beliefs shared by cognitive psychologists?

Describe the fundamental beliefs shared by cognitive psychologists.

What should be a reflection of learning about Hebb's contributions to psychology?

Describe Hebb's contributions to psychology and define cell assembly.

What should be a reflection of learning about evolutionary psychology?

Define evolutionary psychology and explain how it tries to account for a species’ behavior.

What are the goals of the positive psychology movement?

What is positive psychology and what are the main areas of interest in this field?

How is psychology defined today?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

What is involved in the field of psychology today?

Describe the kinds of work psychologists do in contemporary society.

What are the common research areas of focus in modern psychology?

Identify and briefly describe each of the research areas in modern psychology. See textbook Figure 1.5. You may want to add evolutionary psychology and positive psychology to these areas.

What are the common professional psychology specialties?

Identify and briefly describe each of the main professional psychology specialties. See textbook Figure 1.6.

What are the differences between psychiatry and psychology?

Contrast psychiatry and psychology, especially clinical psychology. Contrast educational psychology and school psychology.

What are the differences between behaviourism and behavioural neuroscience?

contrast behaviourism and behavioural neuroscience (also biological psychology).

What study themes relate to psychology as a field?

Identify and describe the themes related to psychology as a field of study.

What is empiricism?

Define empiricism and explain how empiricism demands skepticism.

What subject matter themes relate to psychology?

Identify and describe the themes related to psychology’s subject matter.

What should you consider when assessing a theory?

Consider other explanations and whether there might be contradictory evidence.