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Chapter 1
Intro
17
Psychology
Not Applicable
01/25/2011

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

 

 

Psychology

Definition

the scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental processes.

 

Psychologists are behavioral scientists.

Subject=individual

Term

 

 

Major goals of psychology

Definition

 

to describe, explain, predict or control behavior

Term

 

 

Behavior

Definition

Observable, measurable action.

 

Means by which both animals & humans adjust to their environment.

Term

 

 

Objectivity

Definition

 

The need to record observable behavior as fact

Term

 

 

Structuralism

Definition

Contents of the mind--"What" not 'Why'

 

All human experience could be understood as the combination of simple elements

 

Attacked: Reductionistic, Elemental, Mentalistic

Term

 

 

Functionalism

Definition

Minds with a purpose

William James--what mental processes do for a person’s adaptation and survival.

John Dewey--School of functionalism

Learned habits to adapt to environment

Term

 

 

Mary Whitin Calkins

Definition

 

First psychology labs in the United States

 

Invented important techniques for studying memory

Term

 

 

Margaret Floy Washburn

Definition

 

1st woman to recieve PHD in psychology

2nd to lead APA

3rd performed early research in crossspecies psychology (The Animal Mind 1908)

Term

 

 

Helen Thompson Wooley

Definition

 

Gender differences

(arose from social experiences)

Term

 

 

Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Definition

 

Gender differences

(differences in creativity and intelligence)

Term

 

 

Psychodynamic Perspective

Definition

behavior results from powerful inner forces beyond our immediate awareness (innate instincts, biological drives, and attempts to resolve conflicts between personal needs and society’s demands)

Reduce tension

Sigmund Freud--early childhood as the timeframe during which personality was formed.

Term

 

 

Behaviorist Perspective

Definition

seek to understand how environmental stimuli influence behavior

Antecedent-->Behavioral Response-->Consequence

John Watson "psychology should seek laws that govern observable behavior across species"

B.F. Skinner--> Humans also!!!

Term

 

 

Humanistic Perspective

Definition

Humans are not controlled by unconscious drives or external environment; have the choice

Carl Rogers/Abraham Maslo-natural tendancy towards psychological well being

Human life as a whole & not elemental

Term

 

 

Cognitive Perspective

Definition

human thought and all the processes of knowing, such as attending, thinking, remembering, and understanding

An individuals subjective reality is more important than it's objective reality

Jean Piaget/Noam Chomsky (language aquisition)

Term

 

 

Biological Perspective

Definition

Explains behavior in terms of genese, brain, the nervous system, and endocrine system

Complex behavior can be understoon by breaking up the behavior into smaller units

Term

 

 

Evolutionary Perspective

Definition

Extends natural selection to explain how mental abilities evolve

Much longer temporal focus

Charles Darwin

Term

 

 

Sociocultural Perspective

Definition

 

Cross-cultural differences in the causes and consequences of behavior

"The Self"

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