PSYC1003 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Confirmation Bias, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Psychology Today
TEST 1: Material Overview
Chapter 1: The Evolution of Psychology
Names you should know:
Wilhelm Wundt
G. Stanley Hall
James Baldwin
Edward Titcher
William James
John Watson
Sigmund Freud
B.F. Skinner
Abraham Maslow (1908–1970)
Carl Rogers (1902–1987)
Key Points:
Structuralism vs. Functionalism: Who Won the Battle?
Behaviourism:
– scientific study of behaviour
– behaviour = overt or observable responses or activities
– study of consciousness abandoned
– emphasized the environment (nurture)
– focus on stimulus–response relationships
– S–R psychology
Unconscious Mind:
- psychoanalytic school of thought
- emphasis on unconscious processes influencing behaviour
- unconscious conflict related to sexuality plays a central role in behaviour
Behaviourism Revisited:
- environmental factors determine behaviour
- responses that lead to positive outcomes are repeated
- responses that lead to negative outcomes are not repeated
- more controversy regarding free will and the debate between nature vs. nurture
Humanism:
- psychoanalysis and behaviourism were de-humanizing
- emphasis on the unique qualities of humans: freedom and personal growth
Applied/Clinical Psychology:
- professional services to the public
- WW II
Return of Cognition:
- mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge
- application of scientific methods to studying internal mental events
- cognitive psychology: the new dominant perspective?
Biological Psychology:
- behaviours explained in terms of physiological processes (neuroscience)
Evolutionary Psychology:
- natural selection occurs for behavioural, as well as physical, characteristics
Cultural Diversity:
- increased interest in how cultural factors influence behaviour
- growing global interdependence
- increased cultural diversity
Positive Psychology:
- uses theory and research to better understand the positive aspects of human existence
- positive subjective experiences
- individual traits
- positive institutions and communities
Psychology Today:
- thriving profession and science
- studies behaviour and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it
- applies accumulated knowledge to practical problems
Major Research Areas:
- Developmental
- Social
- Experimental
- Physiological
- Cognitive
- Personality
- Psychometrics
Applied Areas of Specialization:
- Clinical
- Counselling
- Educational/school
- Industrial/organizational
Unifying Themes of Psychology
- Psychology is empirical
- Psychology is theoretically diverse
- Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context
- Behaviour is determined by multiple causes
- Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage
- Behaviour is influenced jointly by heredity and environment
- People’s experience of the world is highly subjective
Document Summary
Behaviour = overt or observable responses or activities. Unconscious conflict related to sexuality plays a central role in behaviour emphasis on unconscious processes influencing behaviour. Behaviourism revisited: environmental factors determine behaviour responses that lead to positive outcomes are repeated responses that lead to negative outcomes are not repeated. More controversy regarding free will and the debate between nature vs. nurture. Psychoanalysis and behaviourism were de-humanizing emphasis on the unique qualities of humans: freedom and personal growth. Behaviours explained in terms of physiological processes (neuroscience) Natural selection occurs for behavioural, as well as physical, characteristics. Cultural diversity: increased interest in how cultural factors influence behaviour. Uses theory and research to better understand the positive aspects of human existence. Psychology today: thriving profession and science studies behaviour and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it applies accumulated knowledge to practical problems. Behaviour is influenced jointly by heredity and environment. People"s experience of the world is highly subjective.
