NCERT Class 11 Psychology - Chapter 1: What is Psychology?

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering definitions, key figures, historical landmarks, perspectives, and branches of psychology from Chapter 1.

The word psychology is derived from two Greek words: __________ meaning soul and logos meaning science or study of a subject.

psyche

Psychology is formally defined as a science which studies mental processes, __________, and behaviour in different contexts.

experiences

Behaviours that can be outwardly seen or sensed by an observer are classified as __________ behaviours.

overt

Internal or hidden responses, such as muscle twitching while planning a chess move, are classified as __________ behaviours.

covert

Psychology as a natural science was influenced by __________ and later developments in physics, growing by following the hypothetico-deductive model.

Descartes

In 1975, __________ conducted a study on children who gave up easily on math problems, showing that training children to attribute failure to lack of effort increased perseverance.

Dweck

The formal beginning of modern psychology is traced back to 1879, when Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental laboratory in __________, Germany.

Leipzig

Structuralists like Wilhelm Wundt analyzed the structure of the mind through a procedure called __________, in which subjects described their own mental processes in detail.

introspection

An American psychologist named __________ developed the functionalist approach, arguing that psychology should study what the mind does and how behaviour functions.

William James

Emerging in Germany in 1912 as a reaction to structuralism, __________ psychology focused on the organization of perceptual experiences as holistic wholes.

Gestalt

Around 1910, __________ rejected the study of mind and consciousness and founded behaviourism, defining psychology as the objective study of observable responses to stimuli.

John Watson

Sigmund Freud founded __________ as a system to understand human behaviour as a dynamic manifestation of unconscious desires and conflicts.

psychoanalysis

Humanistic psychologists such as Carl Rogers and __________ emphasized human free will and the natural striving to grow and fulfill inner potential.

Abraham Maslow

Russian psychologist __________ suggested that the human mind develops through social and cultural processes, viewing mind as a joint cultural construction between adults and children.

Vygotsky

The modern era of Indian psychology began at Calcutta University, which started the first Department of Psychology in the year __________.

1916

The early development of experimental psychology at Calcutta University was greatly influenced by Dr. N.N. Sengupta, who was trained in the USA in the experimental tradition of __________.

Wundt

Professor G. Bose was trained in Freudian psychoanalysis and established the __________ in 1922.

Indian Psychoanalytical Association

In his 1986 book, Durganand Sinha traced the history of modern psychology in India across __________ distinct phases.

four

The field of __________ psychology investigates mental processes involved in acquisition, storage, manipulation, and transformation of information.

Cognitive

Unlike clinical psychologists who hold a degree in psychology, __________ hold a medical degree and can prescribe medications.

psychiatrists

A new area called __________ has emerged which emphasizes the role played by the mind in strengthening the immune system.

Psychoneuroimmunology

In 1981, Roger Sperry won the Nobel Prize for his research on __________.

split-brain research

In 2002, __________ won the Nobel Prize for research on human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty.

Daniel Kahneman