Chapter 1

Question 1

Psychology

Answer 1

The scientific studies of behavior and the mental process

Question 2

Gustav Theodor Fechner

Answer 2

One of the first scientists to study psychological processes. He relationships between intense stimuli and the sensations we experience in reaction to these things

Question 3

Hermann von Helmholtz

Answer 3

Developed a theory on how we perceive color

Question 4

Psychophysics

Answer 4

The study of the relationships between features of physical stimuli and sensations we experience in response to them

Question 5

Introspection

Answer 5

A careful self-examination focusing on mental experiences, such as sensations or feelings

Question 6

Wilhelm Wundt

Answer 6

Established the first scientific laboratory dedicated to psychological research, used introspection

Question 7

Structuralism

Answer 7

The school of psychology that attempts to understand the structure of the mind by breaking it down into its component parts (Wundt & Titchener)

Question 8

Edward Titchener

Answer 8

A disciple of Wundt’s who brought structuralism to the US and other english-speaking countries

Question 9

William James

Answer 9

A trained medical doctor who made contributions to both psychology and philosophy. Began to focus on the functions of behavior

Question 10

Functionalism

Answer 10

The school of psychology that focuses on the adaptive functions of behavior (James)

Question 11

John Broadus Watson

Answer 11

Believed that introspection should be excluded from psychology and said that psychology should be based on observable behavior.

Said the famous, “give me a dozen healthy infants… etc”

Question 12

Behavioralism

Answer 12

The school of psychology that holds that psychology should limit itself to the study of overt, observable behavior

Question 13

B. F. Skinner

Answer 13

Studied how behavior is shaped by rewards and punishments, and the environmental consequences that follow specific responces.

Question 14

Max Wertheimer

Answer 14

Believed that illusions were not a trick of the eye, but of higher-level thinking processes in the brain. Founder of Gestalt psychology

Question 15

Gestalt psychology

Answer 15

The school of psychology that holds that the brain structures our perceptions of the world in terms of meaningful patterns or wholes. (gestalt means “unitary form” or “pattern”).

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

Question 16

Sigmund Freud

Answer 16

Claimed that much of behavior is influenced by the “unconscious” and that many issues people have can be resolved by finding these unconscious motives through “talk therapy”

Question 17

Unconscious

Answer 17

The part of the mind that lies beyond the range of ordinary awareness. It contains primitive drives and instincts, according to Freud

Question 18

Psychodynamic perspective

Answer 18

The view that behavior is influenced by the struggle between unconscious sexual or aggressive impulses and opposing forces that try to keep this threatening material out of consciousness

Question 19

Psychoanalysis

Answer 19

Freud’s method of therapy (‘talk therapy’) focuses on uncovering and working through unconscious conflicts he believed were at the root of the psychological problems

Question 20

Behavioral perspective

Answer 20

An approach that focuses on the role of learning in explaining observable behavior

Question 21

Social-cognitive theory

Answer 21

Learning-based model of psychology that emphasizes the roles of cognitive and environmental factors in determining behavior

Question 22

Behavior theory

Answer 22

Therapy that involves the systematic application of the principles of learning

Question 23

Humanistic psychology

Answer 23

believes that free will and conscious choice are essential aspects of the human experience

Values self-awareness, responsibility for one’s actions, emphasizes personal freedom

Question 24

Humanistic perspective

Answer 24

An approach that applies the principles of humanistic psychology

Question 25

Physiological perspective

Answer 25

An approach that focuses on the relationships between biological processes and behavior

Question 26

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 26

A branch of psychology that focuses on the role of evolutionary processes in shaping behavior

Question 27

Cognitive perspective

Answer 27

An approach that focuses on processes by which we acquire knowledge

Question 28

Sociocultural perspective

Answer 28

An approach that emphasizes the role of social and cultural influences on behavior

Question 29

Positive psychology

Answer 29

Contemporary movement that emphasizes the study of human virtues and assets, rather than weaknesses and deficits