Psychology - Chapter 1: Intro to Psychology

Psychology

The scientific study of the mind and behavior.

Theory

The best understanding we have of that part of the natural world.

empirical

Psychological science is _________

Science, values, morality

_______ only deals with matter and energy (those things that can be measured) and cannot arrive at knowledge about ______ and ________.

Psychologists

These scientists study everything about the human experience from the basic workings of the brain to consciousness, memory, language, reasoning, personality, and mental health.

empiricism

The scientific method is a form of __________

Empirical Method

A method of acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities.

1800s, philosophy

Psychology became accepted as its own academic discipline in the late _____. Before then it was considered under __________.

social

Psychology is a ______ science

Critical Thinking

The active application of a set of skills to information for the understanding and evaluation of that information.

The evaluation of information

Assessing the reliability and usefulness of information.

Wilhelm Wundt and William James

19th century scholars who are generally credited as the founders of psychology as a science and academic discipline distinct from philosophy.

Wilhelm Wundt

The first person to be referred to as a psychologist and opened the first psychology lab in 1879. Emphasized structuralism. Focused on understanding the structure and characteristics of the mind through introspection.

Introspection

A process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts to view it as objectively as possible.

Voluntarism

The notion that people have free will and should know the intentions of a psychological experiment if they were participating.

conscious, components, consciousness

Wundt viewed psychology as a scientific study of _________ experience and believed that the goal of psychology was to identify __________ of _____________ and how those components combine to create our conscious experience.

Psych

Soul (philosophy has always been interested in this)

Ology

Scientific study of (science relies on measurement)

scientific methodology, measurement

Psychology is different from philosophy because psychology relies on __________ ___________ and ___________ to develop theories while philosophy does not.

Structuralism

A psychological perspective that focuses on understanding the conscious experience through introspection. Developed by Wilhelm Wundt.

Functionalism

A psychological perspective that focuses on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment. Developed by William James

Psychoanalytic Theory

A psychological perspective that focuses on the role of the unconscious and early childhood experiences in affecting conscious behavior. Developed by Sigmund Freud.

Gestalt Psychology

A psychological perspective that focuses on humans as a whole rather than individual parts. Developed by Wertheimer, Koffka, and Kohler.

Behaviorism

A psychological perspective that focuses on observing and controlling behavior. Developed by Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner.

Humanism

A psychological perspective that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans. Developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.

William James

Father of American Psychology. Wrote the first psychology text. Developed Functionalism. Drew from the functionality of cognitive processes. Emphasized how mental activities contributed to basic environmental survival.

Sigmund Freud

Highly influential figure in the history of psychology. Wrote the book A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis in 1922. Developed the Psychoanalytic Theory that dominated clinical psychology for decades. Believed the unconscious mind could be accessed through dream analysis.

Ivan Pavlov

The psychologist who discovered the concept of classical conditioning and studied conditioned reflex (a form of learning behavior).

Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler

3 German psychologists who introduced the US to several Gestalt principles. They had to abandon a lot of their work when moving to the US and couldn’t continue research on a large scale. Their ideas continue to influence research on sensation and perception.

Conditioned Reflex/Classical Conditioning

A form of learning behavior in which an animal or human produced an unconscious reflex response to a stimulus and over time was conditioned to produce the response to a different stimulus that the experimenter associated with the original stimulus.

John B. Watson

The Father of Behaviorism. Believed that objective analysis of the mind was impossible. Focused on observable behavior and ways to bring that behavior under control.

B. F. Skinner

A psychologist who concentrated on how behavior was affected by its consequences. Studied the principles of modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment.

Operant Conditioning

A way of modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment

Abraham Maslow

The psychologist who contributed to Humanism and proposed a hierarchy of human needs in motivating behavior. He asserted that so long as basic needs necessary for survival were met (food, water, shelter, etc.), higher level needs (social needs, etc.) would begin to motivate behavior.

Carl Rogers

A psychologist who contributed to Humanism and who developed a client-centered therapy method that has been influential in clinical settings. He believed that therapists need unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy.

Client centered therapy

A type of therapy that involves the patient taking a lead role in the therapy session.

The Cognitive Revolution

New disciplinary perspectives in linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science in the 1950s revived psychologists’ interest in the mind as a focus of scientific inquiry. This started a new movement in the world of psychology. Noam Chomsky was very influential in the early days of this movement.

Cognitive Sciences

The interdisciplinary approach to psychology that combined psychology with other sciences like anthropology and computer science.

Noam Chomsky

A very influential person in the beginning of the cognitive revolution. He believed that psychology needed to incorporate mental functioning into its focus in order to fully understand human behavior.

Biopsychology

The study of how the structure and function of the nervous system generate behavior. Research includes things like sensory and motor systems, sleep, drug use and abuse, neurodevelopment, and more.

Sensation and Perception Psychology

The psychological study that focuses on both physiological and psychological aspects and experiences of sensory systems and sensory information

Sensation

Sensory information (sights, sounds, touch, smell).

Perception

Experience of the world which is influenced by where we focus our attention, our previous experiences, and our cultural backgrounds.

Developmental Psychology

A type of psychology that studies the physical and mental attributes of aging and maturation. This can include many skills that are acquired throughout growth like social skills and cognitive skills. Jean Piaget is famous for studying this.

Personality Psychology

A study of psychology that focuses on behaviors and thought patterns that are unique to each individual. Studies in this field include conscious and unconscious thinking and identifying personality traits. Uses the Five Factor Model.

Five Factor Model

A model with several dimensions with provided descriptions that would describe someone who scored highly on the given dimension. Someone with a lower score on a given dimension could be described in opposite terms.

Social Psychology

A study of psychology that focuses on how individuals interact and relate with others and how such interactions can affect behavior.

Health Psychology

A study of psychology that focuses on how individual health is directly related or affected by biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences. The biopsychosocial model suggests that health/illness is determined by an interaction of these three factors.

Clinical Psychology

A study of psychology that focuses on diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and problematic patterns of behavior. Study involved clinical therapy and counseling.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

A study of psychology that applies psychological theories, principles, and research to industrial and organizational settings. Involves issues related to personnel management, organizational structure, and workplace environment.

Sports and Exercise Psychology

A study of psychology that focuses on psychological aspects regarding sports and physical performance. Studies include motivation, performance related anxiety, and general mental well being.

Forensic Psychology

A study of psychology that deals with the justice system. Tasks of these psychologists include assessment of individuals’ mental competency to stand in trial, sentencing and treatment suggestions, and advisement regarding eyewitness testimonies. Requires a strong understanding of the legal system.

Psychology

Teaching, research, clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, social work, and corporate and marketing jobs are all careers in __________.

Contemporary Psychology

A diverse field that is influenced by all of the historical perspectives described and reflective of the discipline’s diversity in the diversity seen within the American Psychological Association (APA).

American Psychological Association (APA)

A professional organization representing psychologists in the US. The largest organization of psychologists in the world. Its mission is to advance and disseminate psychological knowledge for the betterment of people. Has 54 divisions. First president was G. Stanley Hall.

The Association for Psychological Science (APS)

Founded in 1988 and it seeks to advance the scientific orientation of psychology. Founded because of disagreements between members of scientific and clinical branches within the APA. Publishes 5 research journals and engages in education and advocacy with funding agencies. Has a significant number of international members. Networks and collaborates with other professionals and organizations.

master’s, PhD

To have a career in psychology most people will, at the very least, need a _______ and at most a ___.

Evolutionary psychology

A type of psychology that seeks to study the ultimate biological causes for behavior and the extent to which a behavior is impacted by genetics. Has its origins in Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.

PhD

(doctor of philosophy) doctoral degree conferred in many disciplinary perspectives housed in a traditional college of liberal arts and sciences.

Dissertation

Essentially a long research paper or bundled published articles describing research that was conducted as a part of the candidate’s doctoral training.

Postdoctoral Training Programs

Programs that allow young scientists to further develop their research programs and broaden their research skills under the supervision of other professionals in the field

PsyD

(doctor of psychology) doctoral degree that places less emphasis on research-oriented skills and focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context.