History and Approaches

Question 1

What is Psychology?

Answer 1

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Question 2

Define behaviour as it relates to psychology.

Answer 2

observable actions

Question 3

__________ are defined as internal experiences, including feelings and thoughts.

Answer 3

Mental processes

Question 4

Why is psychology a scientific study?

Answer 4

• Uses empirical data to disprove hypotheses
• Describes, predicts, and explains behaviour and mental processes
• Systematic collection and observation of data

Question 5

An example of the nature vs. nurture controversy is whether intelligence is __________ or derives from __________.

Answer 5

inherited; experience

Question 6

Define dualism as it relates to psychology.

Answer 6

idea that the mind and body are separate entities that interact

When you think of Dualism you should think of Descartes, who said “I think therefore I am” (Cogito ergo sum).

Question 7

What is monism?

Answer 7

the idea that the brain and the mind are the same thing, and that every mental state is reducible to an identical brain state

Question 8

Plato and Descartes, believers in dualism, are on the side of __________ in the nature vs. nurture controversy.

Answer 8

nature

Descartes believed knowledge was innate and the pineal gland was considered the mind.

Question 9

Which side in the nature vs. nurture controversy are Aristotle and Locke, believers in monism, on?

Answer 9

nurture

Locke’s “tabula rasa” translates to “blank slate” suggesting that knowledge is learned through experience.

Question 10

Psychology grew out of which discipline(s) in Ancient Greece?

Answer 10

philosophy, physiology, and biology

Question 11

Who is credited with the foundation of scientific psychology?

Answer 11

Wilhelm Wundt, who performed the earliest studies in 1879 in Germany, is considered the father of the discipline of psychology. He created the first lab dedicated to psychological research, and wanted to measure consciousness.

Question 12

__________ examines the structure of the mind and basic elements of consciousness. Proponents of this system felt that consciousness should be the data of psychology and the best way to research was by using individuals who were trained in introspection.

Answer 12

Structuralism

Question 13

Define Introspection

Answer 13

Introspection is the process whereby observers look inward and objectively analyse their sensory experience.

Question 14

Name the first president of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Answer 14

G. Stanley Hall

Question 15

Who was Edward Titchener?

Answer 15

Titchener, a researcher at Cornell University, was one of the earliest structuralists. He felt that psychology should study the structure of consciousness, and that meant studying sensations, images, and affections (emotions).

Question 16

__________ was the first woman to receive her Ph.D. in psychology.

Answer 16

Margaret Floy Washburn

Question 17

Define functionalism as it relates to psychology.

Answer 17

Functionalism was the school of thought that was a reaction to structuralism. Functionalism studies how the mind adapts to its environment. Functionalism was interested in individual differences, whereas structuralism was interested in groups of people

Question 18

Who was Mary Whiton Calkins?

Answer 18

first female president of the American Psychological Association (APA)

Question 19

Name three of the earliest functionalists.

Answer 19

1. William James
2. James Cattell
3. John Dewey

Question 20

How did William James contribute to functionalism?

Answer 20

James published psychology’s first textbook, called The Principles of Psychology, from a functionalist perspective.

Question 21

Which psychological approach does this statement reflect?

Behaviour results from learning through experience.

Answer 21

Behavioural

Question 22

What is behaviour modification?

Answer 22

set of techniques to help individuals unlearn habits that have led to psychological problems

Question 23

Describe Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning experiments.

Answer 23

Pavlov, an early behaviourist, in his famous classical conditioning experiment, trained dogs to salivate in response to the sound of a bell.

Question 24

What did John Watson believe psychology should study?

Answer 24

Watson, one of the earliest behaviourists, felt psychology should be the science of overt behaviour and reject the study of mental processes.

Question 25

Who is the psychologist behind operant conditioning of rats and pigeons?

Answer 25

B.F. Skinner

Question 26

Define: operant conditioning

Answer 26

A learning process in which organisms learn to behave in certain ways to obtain rewards and avoid punishments. Uses rewards and punishments to modify voluntary behaviours.

Question 27

What is Gestalt psychology?

Answer 27

A school of thought that studies how people perceive the world, and how they organize information into patterns and configurations. Suggests that people perceive objects and situations as a whole, rather than as individual components. This is because the brain organizes information into meaningful wholes.

Question 28

Max Wertheimer was a _____ psychologist.

Question 29

What are the ABCs of behaviour according to the behavioural approach?

Question 30

Where do behavioural geneticists believe behaviour comes from?

Question 31

Who is the father of psychoanalysis?

Question 32

According to psychoanalysis, early life experiences are related to the development of one’s __________ later in life.

Question 33

Other than Sigmund Freud, name four psychologists who associate with the psychoanalytic perspective.

Question 34

The __________ approach studies unconscious motives, while the biological approach studies chemical processes.

Question 35

What is the difference between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind?

Question 36

Define: repression

Question 37

__________, unlike behaviourists, believe free will guides behaviour and leads to personal growth.

Question 38

Define: humanism

Question 39

Name two psychologists who associate with the humanistic approach.

Question 40

Technological advances and physiological research formed the basis of the __________ approach.

Question 41

According to the biological perspective, behaviour is related to the __________ processes within the nervous and endocrine systems.

Question 42

Which psychological approach does this statement reflect? Behaviours that contribute to survival and reproduction are naturally selected.

Question 43

Who was the inspiration behind the evolutionary approach to psychology?

Question 44

Which psychological approach focuses on thinking, language, and how humans receive, store, and process information?

Question 45

Who first studied the cognitive development of children?

Question 46

The structuralists studied consciousness, thinking, and memory. This area of psychology is currently known as __________.

Question 47

Which psychological approach does this statement reflect? People from different cultures interpret gestures, body language, and verbal language differently.

Question 48

Organize in chronological order from earliest to latest, based on when each became popular: sociocultural approach behavioural approach humanistic approach

Question 49

Instead of calling themselves bio-cog-socio-humanists, these psychologists would identify as being __________ psychologists.

Question 50

Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals evaluate and treat mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders.

Question 51

What do counselling psychologists specialize in?

Question 52

What do developmental psychologists study?

Question 53

__________ psychologists study the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

Question 54

Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals study how humans improve technology and consumer products

Question 55

Forensic psychologists study the relationship between psychology and __________.

Question 56

Health psychologists study the biological, social, and psychological factors surrounding health and __________.

Question 57

What do industrial/organizational psychologists specialize in?

Question 58

Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals examine the relationships between the brain, nervous system, and behaviour.

Question 59

__________ psychologists explore attitudes, traits, and goals of individuals.

Question 60

Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals examine methods for discovering and interpreting psychological data.

Question 61

Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals assist patients with mental disabilities, developmental disabilities, and disabilities from physical trauma.

Question 62

What do school psychologists specialize in?

Question 63

What do social psychologists study?

Question 64

Identify the type of psychologist: These individuals assist athletes in narrowing their focus on goals, increasing motivation, and coping with the fear of failure.