Chapter 1-Psychology :The science of behavior Flashcards
(39 cards)
Behavior
Anything a human does that can be measured,how someone acts.
Over behavior
Activity that can be seen and observe by others.
Covert behavior
Activity that cannot be seen or observed by others.
Science
The systematic method of discovering and verifying knowledge.
Operational definition
Defining subject matter in objective and measurable terms.
Empirical method
Using numbers and observations that are publicly observable.
Validity
Whether what is being measured is real.
Pseudoscience
May appear to be scientific but is not based on an objective measure data.
exp. alien abduction, movements of the starts
Phrenology, Palmistry, Graphology, Astrology
The four goals of psychology
- Description
- Explanation
- Prediction
- Modification
Description
Involves the recording of how many times the behavior occurs for how long, where, or with whom
Explanation
It ask why the behavior occurs and attempts to identify its cause.
Prediction
It the attempt to anticipate what behavior come next or at some point in the future
Modification
Or change of behavior in order to improve the individual or society
Mechanism
Belief that complex human behaviors operate essentially like machines
Reductionism
Any phenomenon, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a lower, simpler state.
Psychophysics
The study of the relationship between mental and physical processes
Father of psychology
William Wundt 1832-1920
Studied the conscious experience
How sensations, images and feelings, combine to make up personal experience.
Early schools of psychology
- Structuralism
- Functionalism
- Gestalt
Structuralism
To discover and analyze the structure of the mind.
Used INTROSPECTION
Analyzing one’s own perceptions and experiences
Developed by William Wundt
Functionalism
Developed by William James
Emphasizing the actual functioning of the mind as it performed an activity or solve a problem
Stream of consciousness
The mind is ever changing, fluid and flowing.
Gestalt
By J.S Mill
Consciousness can never be broken down into parts because it can be understood only as a whole.
Phi phenomenon
The perception of motion based on two or more stationary objects
The law of proximity is the tendency to see items that are close together as forming group.
The law of closure is the tendency to see object as complete even if it contains gaps in the lines
Perspectives of human behavior
- Biological
- Cognitive
- Psychodynamic
- Humanistic
- Behavioral/learning
- Social/cultural