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