Chapter 1 Flashcards
(29 cards)
Psychology
The scientific studies of behavior and the mental process
Gustav Theodor Fechner
One of the first scientists to study psychological processes. He relationships between intense stimuli and the sensations we experience in reaction to these things
Hermann von Helmholtz
Developed a theory on how we perceive color
Psychophysics
The study of the relationships between features of physical stimuli and sensations we experience in response to them
Introspection
A careful self-examination focusing on mental experiences, such as sensations or feelings
Wilhelm Wundt
Established the first scientific laboratory dedicated to psychological research, used introspection
Structuralism
The school of psychology that attempts to understand the structure of the mind by breaking it down into its component parts (Wundt & Titchener)
Edward Titchener
A disciple of Wundt’s who brought structuralism to the US and other english-speaking countries
William James
A trained medical doctor who made contributions to both psychology and philosophy. Began to focus on the functions of behavior
Functionalism
The school of psychology that focuses on the adaptive functions of behavior (James)
John Broadus Watson
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”
Behavioralism
The school of psychology that holds that psychology should limit itself to the study of overt, observable behavior
B. F. Skinner
Studied how behavior is shaped by rewards and punishments, and the environmental consequences that follow specific responces.
Max Wertheimer
Believed that illusions were not a trick of the eye, but of higher-level thinking processes in the brain. Founder of Gestalt psychology
Gestalt psychology
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
Sigmund Freud
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”
Unconscious
The part of the mind that lies beyond the range of ordinary awareness. It contains primitive drives and instincts, according to Freud
Psychodynamic perspective
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
Psychoanalysis
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
Behavioral perspective
An approach that focuses on the role of learning in explaining observable behavior
Social-cognitive theory
Learning-based model of psychology that emphasizes the roles of cognitive and environmental factors in determining behavior
Behavior theory
Therapy that involves the systematic application of the principles of learning
Humanistic psychology
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
Humanistic perspective
An approach that applies the principles of humanistic psychology
