Week 2 History of Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from Week 2 of a History of Psychology course.

Psychiatry

Adopts a medical model of mental distress, emphasizing treatments like psychotherapy.

Psychology

Works with people to resolve mental distress and understand mental faculties.

Nativism

The belief that individuals are born with pre-existing knowledge and abilities.

Empiricism

The belief that knowledge is acquired through experience and learning.

Structuralism

An early approach to psychology focused on breaking down mental processes into their most basic components.

Edward Titchener & William Wundt

Key figures in Structuralism.

Introspection

A method used by structuralists to explore the structures of the mind.

Functionalism

Focuses on the adaptive purposes of mental processes.

William James

Key figure in Functionalism.

Physiognomy

Believed dispositions follow from bodily characteristics

The four humours

Associated personality with the balance of four fluids: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm.

Decartes

Argued that the body is a machine and some ideas are innate.

Mind/Body dualism

The concept that the mind and body are distinct entities.

Sheldon

Linked personality with body types.

Constitutional Psychology

Relies in introspection to understand adaptive purposes of mental processes.

Phrenology

A pseudoscience that associates personality with the shape of the skull.

Endomorph

Slow moving, complacent body type.

Mesomorph

Competitive, energetic body type.

Ectomorph

Self-conscious, restrained body type.

Broca

Identified a brain area associated with speech production.

Left Frontal Convolution

Damage to this area seemed to be associated with speech production.

Broca's Area

Associated with speech production

Pythagoras

An ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician and founder of the Pythagorean brotherhood popular for Pythagorean theorem.

Galen

Ancient Greek Philosopher.

Structuralism

Relies on instrospection to explore the structure of the mind.