Origins of Psychology

• What is psychology defined as?

  The 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 approach did Wundt use in his research?

  Structuralism
• What is introspection in Wundt's research?

  Recording conscious experiences objectively
• Why is Wundt's introspective method criticized?

  Participants may provide biased self-reports
• What is the main criticism of Wundt's inferences?

  They are educated guesses that could be wrong
• What did behaviorists focus on in their research?

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

  As a black box
• Who are two key figures in behaviorism?

  Pavlov and Skinner
• What do social learning theorists emphasize?

  The role of internal mental processes in learning
• How do cognitive psychologists compare the mind to a computer?

  Both have inputs and outputs for processing
• What is the focus of biological psychology?

  The link between brain areas and abilities
• What technological advancement has aided biological psychology?

  fMRI scanners
• What are the key psychological approaches introduced in the timeline?

  • Psychodynamics (Freud)
  • Behaviorism (Pavlov, Skinner)
  • Social Learning Theory
  • Humanism
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Biological Psychology
• What did Freud develop in psychology?

  The concept of the unconscious mind
• What did humanists argue against in psychology?

  The reduction of human experience to simple factors
• How do cognitive psychologists study mental processes?

  By creating theoretical models of mental processes
• What is the significance of studying psychology as a science?

  It allows for objective and systematic research
• Why is research methods a significant part of psychology courses?

  It helps evaluate psychological studies effectively
• How did Wundt's work influence modern psychology?

  It established controlled methods for studying behavior
• What is the role of demand characteristics in Wundt's research?

  They can bias participants' self-reports
• What is the main focus of cognitive psychology?

  Understanding internal mental processes
• How has technology impacted biological psychology?

  It allows for the study of active brain functions
• What is the significance of Wundt's first psychological laboratory?

  It marked the beginning of psychology as a science
• What did Wundt aim to change in the study of the mind?

  From philosophy to empirical scientific research
• How did Wundt's methods differ from those of behaviorists?

  Wundt used introspection, behaviorists rejected it
• What is the relationship between psychology and empirical methods?

  Psychology relies on empirical methods for validity
• What is the main goal of humanistic psychology?

  To achieve self-actualization
• How do cognitive psychologists view the mind?

  Similar to a computer's processing system
• What is the significance of the timeline of psychology?

  It shows the development of various approaches
• What is the impact of biological psychology on mental health treatments?

  It has led to effective biological treatments
• What is the role of empirical methods in psychology?

  To systematically study the natural world
• Why is it important to learn psychological terminology?

  To communicate effectively in writing
• How does Wundt's work relate to modern psychological research?

  It laid the foundation for scientific methods
• What is the purpose of the key term list provided on the website?

  To help students learn terminology
• What is the relationship between psychology and empirical methods?

  Psychology relies on empirical methods for validity
• What is the significance of Wundt's first psychological laboratory?

  It marked the beginning of psychology as a science
• What did Wundt aim to change in the study of the mind?

  From philosophy to empirical scientific research