AP psychology unit 1 - Intro to Psychology

History of Psychology

People have always speculated about human behavior

Dorothea Dix

Created the first ever mental asylums

Wilhelm Wundt

Created structuralism

Structuralism

To study consciousness & how the elements of the mind are organized and relate to one another. Structure of the mind.

Max Wertheimer

Founded Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt Psychology

Consciousness is best understood by observing whole experiences not clusters of experimental components

Gestalt phrase

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Sigmund Freud

Created psychoanalysis & first to focus on abnormal behaviors

Psychoanalysis

Unconscious mind determines behavioral/mental processes. Free association & dream analysis

Free association

Saying what comes to mind without censorship

J. B. Watson & B.F. Skinner

Created behaviorism

Behaviorism

Psychology should only be what is observed - thoughts, hidden parts of the mind are irrelivant

Psychology's big debate

Nature vs Nurture - genes or environment?

Contemporary psychology

The integration of traditional psychological theories with modern perspectives on behavior

Introspection

Asking a person to observe themselves perceive and think

American Psychological Association (APA)

Scientific & professional organization of psychologists

William James

Founder of functionalism. creater of the first psychology textbook

Functionalism

How conciousness functions to help adapt people to their environments

Psychology Perspectives

approach a psychologist might take within their career

Neuroscience/Biological Perspective

How psychological processes relate to the brain's structures/systems

Evolutionary perspective

How natural selection has caused behavior to develop/adapt

Behavior genetics perspective

How much genes environment influence individual differences

Psychodynamic perspective

Emphasis on the unconscious mind as the director of all behavior

Behavioral perspective

How behavior is shaped by learning processes

Cognitive perspective

How we take in, store, and retrieve info as well as perception

Humanistic perspective

Human growth potential & self concept

Social -cultural perspective

Human behavior interpreted in a social-cultural context

Biological subfield

Analyzes mind/body connection (basic research)

Developmental Subfield

Studies changes in mental processes over lifespan (basic research)

Cognitive subfield

Perceive, think, and solve problems (basic research)

Personality subfield

Studies our persistent traits (basic research)

Social subfield

Studies how people influence eachother (basic research)

Psychometric subfield

Studies theory & technique of psychological measurement (basic research)

Individual/organization subfield

Study & advise on workplace behavior (applied research)

Clinical subfield

Study/treat/assess psychological disorders (applied research)

Educational subfield

Deals with problems in teaching/ learning (applied research)

Counseling subfield

Helps people with coping / challenges (applied research)

Positive subfield

Focuses on looking at the positives in life (applied research)

Mary whiton calkins

Studied under William James, first woman president of the apa

G. Stanely hall

First American to earn a PhD in psychology & the first president of the APA