PSY 200 Test 1 CH 1-3 Kasmer

Abraham Maslow

Humanistic psychologist known for his “Hierarchy of Needs” and the concept of “self-actualiziation”

Jean Piaget

Four stage theory of cognitive development: 1. sensorimotor, 2. preoperational, 3. concrete operational, and 4. formal operational. He said that the two basic processes work in tandem to achieve cognitive growth-assimilation and accommodation

sample

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing pre-existing difference between those assigned to different groups.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction.

Psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Franz Gall

phrenology; associated development of a trait with growth of its relevant part of the brain (behavior linked to the brain)

John Watson

behaviorism; emphasis on external behaviors of people and their reactions on a given situation; famous for Little Albert study in which baby was taught to fear a white rat.

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorist that developed the theory of operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats.

Carl Rogers

1902-1987; Field: Humanistic; Conditions: founded person-centered therapy, theory that emphasizes the unique quality of humans especially their freedom and potential for personal growth, unconditional positive regard, fully functioning person.

Theory

well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.

correlational research

research that seeks to identify whether an association or relationship between two factors exists (provides predition).

descriptive research

research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that behavior objectively and systematically.

experimental research

studies that seek clues to cause-effect relationships by manipulating one or more factors (independant variables) while controlling others (holding them constant) (provides correlation)

naturalistic observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.

Case study

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

glial cells

support, nourish, and protect neurons

neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

mind

the private inner experience of perceptions, thoughts, memories, and feelings

behavior

the way an organism reacts to changes in its internal condition or external environment

the philosophical figures of psychology

Plato, Aristotle, Descartes

Plato

Nativist

Plato

Socrates’ most well-known pupil. Founded an academy in Athens.

Aristotle

Empiricism

Aristotle

Greek philosopher. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western thought. In his philosophical system, which led him to criticize what he saw as Plato's metaphysical excesses, theory follows empirical observation and logic, based on the syllogism, is the essential method of rational inquiry.

Nativism

behaviors and thoughts are innate

Empiricism

The view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation.

dualism

the presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact.

Descartes

dualism

Descartes

(1596-1650) French philosopher, discovered analytical geometry. Saw algebra and geometry have a direct relationship. Reduced everything to spiritual or physical.

Physiological figures of psychology

Franz Gall, Paul Broca, Hermann Von Helmholtlz

Paul Broca

discovered area in the brain (named after him) in the left frontal lobe responsible for language production

Hermann von Helmhotlz

first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse

early branches of psychology

structuralism, functionalism, clinical

structuralism

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

functionalism

a school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function — how they enable us to adapt, survive, and flourish.

clinical psychology

a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

psychoanalytic

perspective developed by Freud, which assumes that psychological problems are the result of anxiety resulting from unresolved conflicts and forces of which a person might be unaware (usually childhood related)

humanistic psychology

historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth
figures: Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes.
Figures: John Watson and BF Skinner

Cognitive Psychology

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating (cognition)
figures: Urie Neisser and Max Wertheimer

Behavioral Cognitive Neuroscience

Focuses on the relationship between the nervous system and behavior
figures: Karl Lashly

evolutionary psychology

the attempt to explain social behavior in terms of genetic factors that have evolved over time according to the principles of natural selection
figures: William James and G. Stanley Hall

Subfields of Psychology

1) Biological
2) Clinical
3) Cognitive
4) Developmental
5) Personality
6) Social

Applied Psychology

clinical, counseling, social stuff

Research Pyschology

developmental, cognitive, biological, industrial

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Father of Psychology

William James

founder of functionalism; studied how humans use perception to function in our environment

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis.

Max Wertheimer

Gestalt psychologist who argued against dividing human thought and behavior into discrete structures

Ivan Pavlov

discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell