Module 1: Introduction to Psychology - Flashcards

30 Question-and-Answer flashcards covering key concepts from the notes on psychology approaches, goals, history, and major figures.

What does the Biological approach focus on?

How genes, hormones, and the nervous system interact with environments to influence learning, personality, memory, motivation, emotions, and coping techniques.

What does the Cognitive approach examine?

How we process, store, and use information and how this information influences attention, perception, learning, memory, beliefs, and feelings.

What does the Behavioral approach study?

How organisms learn new behaviors or modify existing ones based on rewards or punishments.

What does the Psychoanalytic approach emphasize?

Unconscious fears, desires, and motivations shaping thoughts, behaviors, and personality development.

What does the Humanistic approach emphasize?

Freedom to direct one’s own future, potential for growth, intrinsic worth, and self-fulfillment.

What does the Cross-Cultural approach examine?

The influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on psychological and social functioning.

From which Greek terms is psychology derived and what do they mean?

Psyche (soul) and logos (study); meaning 'soul study'.

How is psychology defined in the notes?

The systematic, scientific study of behaviors and mental processes.

What is the difference between Behaviors and Mental Processes?

Behaviors are observable actions; Mental Processes are internal and not directly observable (e.g., thinking, imagining).

Who is considered the father of modern psychology?

Wilhelm Wundt.

Who is the father of psychoanalysis?

Sigmund Freud.

Who is regarded as the father of classical psychology?

Aristotle.

When did psychology start as a branch of philosophy and how did it change?

It started as a branch of philosophy until the 19th century; it changed when mainstream psychologists introduced experimental methods.

On what does psychology’s definition depend?

The prevalent school of thought during a given period.

What is the modern term for 'mental retardation'?

Intellectual disability.

Name an early remedy for psychological disorders mentioned in the notes.

Lobotomy.

What is the first goal of psychology?

Describe – to observe and describe the different ways organisms behave.

What is the second goal of psychology?

Explain – to identify causes of behavior.

What is the third goal of psychology?

Predict – to forecast how organisms will behave under certain conditions.

What is the fourth goal of psychology?

Control – to influence or regulate behavior.

What is Structuralism?

Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchner; study of the most basic elements of conscious mental experiences (sensations and perceptions).

What method did Structuralism use?

Objective introspection (looking inside the mind).

What is the gist of Structuralism?

Figuring out the ingredients of consciousness and how they combine to form conscious experiences—sensations, feelings, and thoughts.

What is Functionalism?

William James; study of the function of the mind rather than its structure; explains how the mind helps people function in the real world.

What is Gestalt psychology?

Max Wertheimer; 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'; focus on the totality rather than parts.

What is the core idea of Psychoanalysis?

There is an unconscious mind containing threatening urges and desires; repression and hidden content influence behavior.

What is Freud’s iceberg analogy about?

The mind is like an iceberg: the conscious part is the tip, with much of the mind submerged in the unconscious.

In Psychoanalysis, what is the significance of dreams?

Dreams reveal repressed desires and can be interpreted to uncover unconscious material.

What is Behaviorism?

John B. Watson; Ivan Pavlov; focus on observable behaviors and the rejection of introspection; emphasizes conditioning.

What are the two conditioning processes in Behaviorism?

Classical conditioning (association of two stimuli, e.g., Pavlov’s bell) and Operant conditioning (learning via consequences like reinforcement and punishment).