Psych Lesson 1
Psychology: The scientific study of ^^behavior^^ and ^^mental processes.^^
Objective Introspection: Reactions to objects and descriptions of immediate experience.
Voluntarism: Active control by intention and motives.
Structuralism: The idea that experiences could be broken up into pieces (sensations and emotions).
Functionalism: Idea that mind allows function in the real world. Those survival-aiding behaviors are passed down through generations.
Behaviorism: Idea that psych should be a science of observable behavior
Humanistic Psychology: “Third Force”. subjective potential and human potential focus.
Cognitive Psychology: Study of mental processes
Evolutionary Psychology: Studies behavior, mental processes, and their adaptive value.
Positive Psychology: Focus on well-being, positive emotions, resilience, altruism, etc.
What is Psychology:
- the scientific study of mental processes and behaviors.
- can include both humans and animals
How old is the field of Psychology?
- Science of “psychology” is relatively new
- Study of metacognition is very old (Ancient Greek philosophers)
- roots of psych are extensive
Who developed the first Psych lab?
- Wilhelm Wundt in 1879
What methods did Wundt use?
- Wundt used objective introspection
What areas did Wundt’s lab study?
- Memory
- Selective attention w/ a focus on voluntarism
Who were some of Wundt’s students?
- Greenville Stanley Hall
- James McKeen Cattel
- Edward Titchner
Who was Titchner a student of?
- Titchner was a student of Wilhelm Wundt
What did Titchner believe in?
- Titchner believed in structuralism
What areas does Structuralism say experiences can be broken up into?
- sensations
- emotions
Who was the first woman to receive a PhD in Psychology?
- Margaret F. Washburn
Who are considered the “Early Pioneers"?
- William James
- Max Wertheimer
- Sigmund Freud
- Pavlov
- Watson
- B.F. Skinner
Who were the “Behaviorists?”
- Pavlov
- Watson
- B.F. Skinner
Who did William James disagree with? Why?
- James disagreed with Titchner
- James believed that “atoms of experience” could not be created.
- Titchner’s main belief was that experiences could be broken up into pieces
What were William James’ two focuses?
- The “stream of consciousness.”
- Functionalism
Who studied Gestalt Psychology?
- Max Wertheimer studied Gestalt psychology
What does Gestalt Psychology state?
- The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
What was Sigmund Freud’s theory?
- Psychodynamic Theory
What does Psychodynamic Theory entail?
- Psychoanalysis
- Role of the unconscious
Who did the “Little Albert” experiment?
- Watson
What was B.F. Skinner known for?
- Operant Conditioning
What is operant conditioning?
- The belief that behaviors that are reinforced increase and vice versa
Why was there backlash against behaviorism?
- “dehumanizing” perspective
- focus on environment-shaping behavior
- all “nurture”
What other branches of psych sprang up in light of the backlash against behaviorism?
- humanistic psych
- evolutionary psych
- cognitive psych
- positive psych