PSYCH101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1.2: Zeitgeist, Psychophysics, Personality Psychology

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Paul Wehr

Document Summary

Empiricism = a philosophical tenet that knowledge comes through experience; idea that knowledge is based on careful observation, not on common sense or speculation. Free will vs. determinism (psychology = both! Zeitgeist = general set of beliefs of a particular culture, at a. Can be used to explain why psychology took so long (until 1800s) What is zeitgeist? specific time in history to become scientific. Psychophysics = the study of the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world. Clinical psychology = the field of psychology that concentrates on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Brain localization = the idea that certain parts of the brain control specific mental abilities and personality characteristics: ex. Phrenology study of idea that mental capacities and personalities can be measured by the contours, bumps, and ridges distributed across the surface of the skull.