things to KNOW for history and systems

11, 12, 13

What are the key themes of functionalism in America?

-       Opposed to structuralism and its rigid approach to psychology

-       Functions aid organisms in adapting to their environment

-       Desired for psychology to be a practical & applied science

-       Expand study of psychology to more diversity: animals, children, “abnormal people”

-       Include behavior and mental processes as legitime subjects of study

-       Interested in understanding what made organisms different from each other

What are James Angells proposed three major points of functionalism?

• Functionalism studies mental operations, not mental elements

• Functionalism views consciousness in terms of its utility, mediating between an organisms needs and the pressure of its environment

• Funcionalism regards mind and body as an inseparable unit

What is Harvey Carrs adaptive act built from?

1. motives

2. the. environment

3. the organisms response

What is hormic psychology and its four characteristics?

Hormic psychology is based off of instincts and urges.

The four characteristics are n

1. Purposeful behaviors are spontaneous

2. They persist for a long time

3. Goal directed behaviors can vary in function

4. Terminate when a goal is achieved

What is Positivism?

The belief that science should only study object/events that can be directly experienced

What are the four common beliefs among neobehaviorists?

1. Any theory must be used is ways demanded by logical positivism

2. all theoretical terms must be operationally defined

3. Nonhuman animal should be used in research (allow for more control)

4. Learning process is prime focus

What are the three concepts related to drive reduction?

Reinforcement: Biological needs create a drive  successfully reducing drive reinforces drive-reduction behaviors

Habit Strength: Strength of association between stimulus & response (S-R); more reinforcement = stronger habit

Reaction Potential: Probability of a learned response occurring; function of drive-reduction & habit strength

What is negative reinforcement?

Press lever/ push button → remove loud sound, end criticism

What is positive punishment?

Press lever/ push button → get exposed to loud sound, get criticized

What are reinforcement contingencies?

They can systematically alter the behavioral contingency which can change the behaviors

They can also change the ratios or interval or type of behavior

What are purposive behaviors?

Behaviors that are directed toward some goal and that terminates when the goal is attained.

What are Intervening variables?

They are events believed to occur between environmental and behavioral events.

What is latent learning?

Learning that has occured but is not translated into behavior

What are cognitive maps?

Mental representations of the environment