Week 2 Flashcards
What is Psychology, History of Psychology & Contemporary Psychology (23 cards)
What is psychology?
scientific study of the mind, brain & behaviour
What are the roots of psychology?
Philosophy & Physiology: asking about validity of sensory experiences
What are the ancestors of psychology and who were the founders?
Phrenology: theory by Franz Gall
- bumps of the skull due to shape of brain & bumps are indicators of personality
Psycophysics: invented by Gustav Fechner
- science of defining quantitative relationships b/w physical & psychological events
What is (2nd ancestor)’s law?
Fechner’s law: relationship b/w stimulus & sensation magnitude
- stimulus intensity increase, larger changes needed for change to be detected by perceiver
Who were the important figures in the early history of psychology?
- Wilhelm Wundt: introspection & structuralism
- William James: functionalism
- John B. Watson: behaviourism
- Freud & Jung: psychoanalysis
What is introspection?
Self-observation of one’s own conscious experience
What is structuralism?
Identification of basic ‘structures’ of psychological experience
What is functionalism?
Mind = function of organism, studies function/purpose of that consciousness
Who were the prominent female figures?
Mary Calkins: 1st woman president of American Psychological Association
Margaret Washburn: Animal behaviour experiments, 1st woman PhD, 2nd woman president
What is behaviourism?
Studies from observation & measurement only
Allowed for understanding of learning & importance of scientific rigor
What is psychoanalysis?
Uncovers unaware internal processes
What are the dominant viewpoints in psychology today?
- Cognitivism
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Empiricism
What is cognitivism?
Studies interpretation of events
What is cognitive science?
Research involving scientific explanations of intelligent behaviour
What is neuroscience?
Scientific study of nervous system
What is empiricism?
Gathers knowledge through observation
What are the limits of psychology as a science?
Can’t investigate all questions asked, especially things not testable with data
e.g. religion
What is the physiological vs. psychological dichotomy?
Body/Brain vs. Mind
Who invented Cartesian Dualism and what is it?
Philosopher René Descartes
Universe composed of 2 elements: physical matter & human mind
What are the key aspects of Cartesian Dualism?
- Brain not capable of v. complex things, so there must be a mind
- Only humans have minds & can think
What are the problems with Cartesian Dualism?
- Even complex human cognitions can be affected by damage/stimulation to brain
- Asomatognosia: disease where patient isn’t aware of parts on one side of body - Non-human species possess many “human” psychological processes
- Mirror Self-Recognition Test in Chimpanzees
What is the nature vs. nurture dichotomy?
Whether humans & other animals inherit/acquire behavioural capacities through learning
- Nature: European Ethologist, behaviour from genetic inheritance
- Nurture: North American Behaviourists, right behavioural manipulations can change person
What are the perspectives of analysis in psychology?
- Social Culture Influences
- Psychological
- Biological
