Chap 5

• In ancient greece, Socrates and his student Plato argued that


  humans possess innate knowledge that is not obtainable simply by observing the physical world.
• aristotle belived that


  we derive truth from the physical world
• The Greek's ideas are an example of

  Dualism
• Dualism


  everything is either body or spirit.
• Why was there a period of little systematic investigation of psychological issues a log time ago

  bc people thought that the "spirit" portion of human nature could not be studied scientifically
• Rene Descartes believed that


  everything in the physical world behave in observable, predictable ways, but the mind is not subject to these natural laws. The mind and body interact
• John Locke believed in


  empiricism, and that we are born knowing nothing (with tabula rasa), and all knowledge must derive from experience.
• Empiricism


  Acquisition of truth through observations and experiences
• Thomas Hobbes believed that


  idea of soul or spirit is meaningless, and materialism
• materialism


  only thing that exists is matter and energy, and consciousness is simply a by-product of the brain
• Charles Darwin..


  proposed the theory of natural selection in "On The Origin of Species"
• Wilhelm Wundt


  founder of science of psychology. Opened lab to study consciousness. Introduced structuralism.
• Edward Titchener


  Student of Wundt. First one to bring science of psychology to the US. Built on structuralism.
• Introspection


  examination of one's own thoughts and feelings. Subject describing their conscious experience.
• Structuralism


  entails looking for patterns of thought through introspection
• William James


  Founder of functionalism
• Dorothea Dix


  Founder of the first public mental hospital in the US. Activist for rights of mentally ill poor people.
• Mary Whiton Calkins


  First female graduate student in psychology. Denied PhD. First female APA president.
• Margaret Floy Washburn


  First female PhD in psychology. Second female APA president
• G. Stanley Hall


  first APA president
• Today, about what fraction of doctorates in psychology are held by women?

  2/3
• About what percent of past APA presidents were women?

  50%
• Biological approach


  seeks to understand the interaction between anatomy and physiology and behavior. Researchers may use CAT scans, MRIs, EEGs, or PET scans
• Behavioral Genetics approach


  Takes into account biological dispositions (体質）and the extent of influence that the environment had on the manifestation of that trait.
• Behavioralist approach


  believes that psychology is the study of observable behavior, and mental events are unimportant.
• Classical conditioning


  First identified by Ivan Pavlov. When you pair an unconditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus
• Little Albert Experiment


  By John Watson. Unconditioned stimulus=loud sounds

  Neutral stimulus=White and furry stuff
• What is positive and negative reinforcement/punishment

  positive: addition of stimulus

  negative: removal of stimulus
• Operant conditioning


  subject learns to associate a behavior with an environmental outcome. Described by B.F. Skinner through the Skinner Box.
• Skinner box


  Controlled environment used in operant conditioning experiments with animals. Usually consists of a lever or button that when pressed, food (reward) is dispensed or a punishment like mild electric shock.
• behavior modification


  By applying behavioral methods, learn habits can be unlearned. Used because psychological problems can be considered the product of learned habits.
• Cognitive approach (aka cognitive behavioral approach)


  To understand people's behavior, we must first understand how they think. Largely replaced purely behavioral approach as the predominant psychological method used in US.
• Humanistic approach


  emphasize personal values and goals and how they influence behavior. Developed in response to dissatisfaction with behaviorism's inattention to the mind and its function. Rooted in the philosophical tradition of studying roles of consciousness, free will, and awareness of the human condition.
• Abraham Maslow


  proposed the idea of self-actualization
• Self-actualization


  The need for individuals to reach their full potential in a creative way. Attaining this means accepting yourself and your nature, while knowing your limits and strengths.
• Carl Rogers


  Said that unconditional positive regard in interactions is important. Also positive self-concept is a critical factor in attaining self-actualization.
• Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic approach/theory


  Importance of early childhood experiences and a child's relationship with their parents to the development of personality. The psychoanalytic approach to therapy focuses on unconscious conflicts, and resolves these through uncovering information that has been repressed (buried in the unconscious)
• Sigmund Freud


  Developed the psychoanalytic theory. Drew distinction between the conscious and unconscious mind
• Sociocultural approach


  cultural values vary from society to society and must be taken into account if one wishes to understand, predict, or control behavior.
• Evolutionary approach


  Draws upon the theories of Darwin. Behavior can best be explained in terms of how adaptive it is to our survival. For example, fear is an evolutionary response; without fear, our survival would be jeopardized