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

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