Psych Boost Origins Of Psychology

• What is the definition of psychology?

  Scientific study of the brain and behavior
• How long has psychology been a field of science?

  About 150 years
• Who is considered the first person to study behavior scientifically?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• What did Wundt establish in the 1870s?

  The world's first psychological laboratory
• What is structuralism in psychology?

  Describing the mind's simplest components
• What method did Wundt use in his research?

  Introspection
• How did Wundt control his experiments?

  By controlling experimental conditions
• What is the significance of making inferences in Wundt's research?

  It allows guesses about internal processes
• What is a criticism of Wundt's introspective methods?

  Participants may provide biased self-reports
• What did behaviorists focus on in psychology?

  Observable stimulus-response mechanisms
• How did behaviorists view the mind?

  As a black box
• What is the difference between behaviorists and social learning theorists?

  Social learning theorists include internal processes
• What do humanists argue about human behavior?

  Humans have free will in decision-making
• What analogy do cognitive psychologists use for the mind?

  Similar to a computer
• What has allowed psychologists to study the active brain?

  Tools like fMRI scanners
• What are the key components of scientific methodology in psychology?

  • Systematic observation
  • Controlled experiments
  • Objectivity
  • Empirical methods
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Wundt's approach to psychology?

  Strengths:

  • Established psychology as a science
  • Used controlled methods

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Subjective introspection
  • Reliance on inferences
• What are the main psychological approaches introduced in the timeline?


  1. Psychodynamics (Freud)
  2. Behaviorism (Pavlov, Skinner)
  3. Social Learning Theory
  4. Humanism
  5. Cognitive Psychology
  6. Biological Psychology