Unit 1 (What is Psychology, History of Psychology, Contemporary Psychology, Carrers in Psychology)

Psychology

Before; The study of the soul. Now: The scientific study of the mind and behavior.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation for a phenomenon, proposed by a researcher.

Scientific Method

A method of procedure consisting in systematic observation, measurement, experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. Is a form of empiricism.

Psychology became accepted as its own academic discipline

Not until the late 1800

Scientific Method

1. Decide on a research question. 2. Conduct research. 3. Develop your hypothesis. 4. Make a plan. 5. Conduct your experiment. 6. Collect and record data. 7. Draw conclusions

Scientific Theory

A broad explanation or group of explanations for some aspect of the natural world that is consistently supported by evidence over time.

Empirical Method

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

Critical Thinking

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

Wilhelm Wundt

German scientist, the first person to be referred to as a psychologist; viewed psychology as a scientific study of conscious experience. 1st formal lab for psychology research.

Paul Brock

Worked with brain damaged patient to understand the language processes of the brain

Hermann Helmholtz

Developed the method for measuring the speed of nerve impulses

Introspection

A process by which someone examines their own conscious experience as objectively as possible.

Voluntarism

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

Structuralism

Focus on the contents of mental processes rather than their function.

William James

Helped establish functional psychology; focused on how mental activities helped an organism fit into its environment.

Functionalism

Focuses on how mental activities helped an organism fit into its environment.

Sigmund Freud

Austrian neurologist who theorized that many of his patients' problems arose from the unconscious mind.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Focuses on the role of a person's unconscious, as well as early childhood experiences.

Unconscious Mind

A repository of feelings and urges of which we have no awareness.

Psychoanalysis

A method popularized by Freud that involves patients talking about their experiences and selves.

Drew Westen

Argued that criticisms of Freud's ideas often attack older ideas without considering later writings and the success of broad concepts he introduced.

Wertheimer, Koffka, and Köhler

German psychologists who introduced Gestalt principles to the United States.

Gestalt Psychology

Emphasizes that the relationship between individual parts forms the whole perception.

Behavior

The objectively observable outcome of mental processes.

Ivan Pavlov

Studied conditioned reflexes, where an animal produces a reflex response to a stimulus and becomes conditioned to respond to a different, associated stimulus.

Conditioned Reflex

A learning behavior where an animal or human produces a reflex (unconscious) response to a stimulus and, over time, is conditioned to produce the response to a different stimulus.

John B. Watson

An influential American psychologist who shifted the focus of psychology from the mind to observable behavior.

Behaviorism

An approach of observing and controlling behavior.

B. F. Skinner

Focused on how behavior is affected by its consequences.

Reinforcement and Punishment

States that reinforcement and punishment are major factors in driving behavior.

Operant Conditioning Chamber (Skinner Box)

A chamber developed by Skinner to carefully study the principles of modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment.

Humanism

Emphasizes personal control, intentionality, and a predisposition for 'good' in self-concept and behavior.

Humanistic psychology

Emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans.

Abraham Maslow

Proposed a hierarchy of human needs in motivating behavior.

Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

A hierarchy of human needs that motivates behavior, arranged in a pyramid. The base includes Physiological needs (food, water, shelter), followed by Safety needs (security, stability), Love and Belongingness (relationships, intimacy), Esteem (confidence, achievement), and at the peak, Self-actualization (achieving one's full potential).

Self-actualization

A process by which we achieve our full potential.

Carl Rogers

Emphasized the potential for good that exists within all people

Client-Centered Therapy

A therapeutic technique where the patient takes a lead role in the therapy session.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Accepting the client for who they are, no matter what they might say.

Cognitive Revolution

A perspective that revived interest in the mind as a focus of scientific inquiry, emerging from new disciplinary perspectives in linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science.

Ulric Neisser

Published the first textbook entitled Cognitive Psychology.

Noam Chomsky

Argued that psychology's focus on behavior was short-sighted and it needed to re-incorporate mental functioning.

Womanless Psychology

Until the 1960s few women were able to practice psychology so they had little influence on what was studied.

Naomi Weisstein

Stimulated a feminist revolution in psychology by presenting a critique of psychology as a science.

Feminist Psychology

Includes re-evaluating the contributions of women to the history of psychology, studying psychological gender differences, and questioning the male bias present across the scientific approach to knowledge.

WEIRD

Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic societies.

Multicultural Psychologists

Develop theories and conduct research with diverse populations, typically within one country.

Cross-cultural Psychologists

Compare populations across countries.

Francis Cecil Sumner

The first African American to receive a PhD in psychology in the United States.

Mamie Phipps Clark and Kenneth Clark

Conducted studies on African American children and doll preference, research that was instrumental in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court desegregation case.

Margaret Floy Washburn

The first woman awarded the doctoral degree in psychology.

Mary Whiton Calkins

Completed all requirements toward the PhD in psychology, but Harvard University refused to award her that degree because she was a woman.

Mary Cover Jones

Conducted a study she considered to be a sequel to John B. Watson's study of Little Albert and unconditioned fear in Little Peter, who had been afraid of rabbits.

Martha Bernal

The first Latina to earn her doctoral degree in psychology.

Inez Beverly Prosser

The first African American woman awarded the PhD in 1933 at the University of Cincinnati.

American Psychological Association (APA)

The largest organization of psychologists in the world, and its mission is to advance and disseminate psychological knowledge for the betterment of people.

G. Stanley Hall

The first president of the APA.

Association for Psychological Science (APS)

Founded in 1988 and seeks to advance the scientific orientation of psychology.

Biopsychology

Explores how our biology influences our behavior and how the structure and function of the nervous system is related to behavior.

Evolutionary Psychology

Seeks to study the ultimate biological causes of behavior.

Sensation and Perception

Scientists interested in the physiological aspects of sensory systems as well as the psychological experience of sensory information.

Cognitive Psychology

The area of psychology that focuses on studying cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to our experiences and our actions.

Developmental Psychology

The scientific study of development across a lifespan. Developmental psychologists are interested in processes related to physical maturation as well as changes in cognitive skills, moral reasoning, social behavior, and other psychological attributes.

Object permanence

The understanding that physical things continue to exist, even if they are hidden from us.

Jean Piaget's Theory

Focuses on cognitive changes during infancy and childhood as we move to adulthood.

Personality Psychology

Focuses on patterns of thoughts and behaviors that make each individual unique.

Personality Traits

Relatively consistent patterns of thought and behavior.

The "Big Five" or Five Factor Model

Conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion.

Social Psychology

Focuses on how we interact with and relate to others.

Stanley Milgram

Famous for research on obedience, particularly demonstrated by participants delivering what they believed to be lethal shocks when instructed by an authority figure.

Research Confederates

Those who pretend to be participants in a research study but are actually working for the researcher.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology (I-O Psychology)

A subfield of psychology that applies psychological theories, principles, and research findings in industrial and organizational settings.

Health Psychology

Focuses on how health is affected by the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

Biopsychosocial Model

Suggests that health/illness is determined by an interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Study the psychological aspects of sport performance, including motivation and performance anxiety, and the effects of sport on mental and emotional wellbeing.

Clinical Psychology

An area of psychology that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behavior.

Forensic Psychology

A branch of psychology that deals with questions of psychology as they arise in the context of the justice system.

Dissertation

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

PsyD

Doctor of psychology degree that focuses more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context and less on research-oriented skills. Focuses on practical applications in the field.

Licensed clinical psychologists

Can administer and interpret psychological tests. Roles include assessment and therapeutic intervention.

Psychiatrists

Can prescribe medications, bridging the gap between physical and mental health treatments. Integrate medical and psychological approaches.

Faculty appointment at a college or university

Involves research, teaching, and service to the institution and profession. Shape future professionals and expand psychological knowledge.

Adjunct faculty members/instructors

Have primary careers outside of academia and serve as instructors as a secondary job. Bring real-world experience into the classroom.

Neuroscience Perspective

Views behavior from the perspective of biological functioning. Emphasizes the role of genetics and the nervous system.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable behavior, measurable actions, and reactions. How environmental factors affect behavior.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Believes behavior is motivated by inner, unconscious forces over which a person has little control. Focuses on early childhood experiences and unconscious drives.

Cognitive Perspective

Examines how people understand and think about the world. How cognitive processes influence behavior.

Humanistic Perspective

Contends that people can control their behavior and that they naturally try to reach their full potential. Emphasizes personal growth and self-actualization.

Cognitive psychology

Focuses on higher mental processes such as memory and problem-solving. How individuals process and utilize information.

Experimental psychology

Studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking

Ego Ideal

Part of the superego that comprises the standards of what one would like to be.

Conscience

Part of the superego that produces feelings of guilt or moral anxiety.

Unconscious

According to Freud, it's a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.

Preconscious

Contains thoughts and feelings that a person is not currently aware of, but which can easily be brought to consciousness.

Nature vs. Nurture

Debate among psychologists regarding the relative contributions of genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental or experimental factors (nurture) to development.

Gestalt Psychology

Examines the organization of perceptual experience. Argues that the whole is different from the sum of its parts.

Developmental Psychology

Studies how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death.

Personality Psychology

Focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior over time and the traits that differentiate one person from another.

Health Psychology

Explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease.

Educational Psychology

Concerned with teaching and learning processes, such as the relationship between motivation and school performance.