History of Psychology- Module 1 Exam Review

Definition: Reductionism

The doctrine that explains phenomena on one level (complex) in terms of phenomena on another level (simple)

Example of Reductionism:

Explaining depression simply as a chemical imbalance in the brain

Definition of Determinism:

The doctrine that acts are determined by past events

Example of Determinism:

Sigmund Freud argued that adult neurotic habits or Freudian slips stem from repressed childhood conflicts

Definition of Mechanism:

The doctrine that natural processes are mechanically determined and capable of explanation by the laws of physics and chemistry

Definition of Empiricism:

The pursuit of knowledge through the observation of nature and the attribution of all knowledge to experience

Descartes major contributions to the future of psychology:

Empiricism, mechanism, the mind-body problem, applied math to scientific equations, and dog conditioning