psychology (modern definition)
the scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner thoughts and feelings)
psychology (c. 1920's)
the science of mental life
psychology (c. 1960's)
the scientific study of observable behavior
trephination
(stone age) the act of drilling holes into the human skull to release "evil spirits
tabula rasa
Aristotle and John Locke - belief that all people are born blank, all learning comes from experience
monism
the presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing
nature vs. nurture
name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior
clinical psychologist
Ph.D holder who treats people using psychotherapy. May not prescribe medication.
psychiatrist
M.D who uses medication to treat psychologically disease patients
psychologist
A scientist who studies the mind and behavior of humans and animals
Wilhelm Wundt
Originated idea of structuralism; in 1879 founded first psychology laboratory in world at University of Leipzig; introspection, basic units of experience
structuralism
analysis of conscious experience into its basic parts
functionalism
a psychology based on the assumption that all mental process are useful to an organism in adapting to the environment
introspection
a method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings (fallen out of favor)
Edward Bradford Titchner
He introduced structuralism, and was a student of Wilhelm Wudnt; He also encouraged introspection.
William James
Psychologist that studied functionalism. Contributions: studied how humans use perception to function in our environment
Mary Calkins
APA's first female president (eligible for a Ph.D in psychology but did not receive it because of her gender). Student of William James.
Margaret Floy Washburn
First woman to receive Ph.D in psychology
behavioral approach
An approach to psychology emphasizing that human behavior is determined mainly by what a person has learned, especially from rewards and punishments
social learning theorists
Believe that personality is the sum of all the ways that we have LEARNED to act, feel, and think.
Sigmund Freud
Austrian physician whose work focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality formation; founded psychoanalysis
psychoanalytic theory
A theory developed by Freud that attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior
neo-freudians
psychologists who took Freud's philosophies and altered them to what they thought
humanistic approach
approach to psychology that sees humans as basically good and striving to reach their ideal self
Carl Rogers
American humanistic psychologist who developed client-centered therapy
Abraham Maslow
humanistic psychologist who developed a theory of motivation (hierarchy of needs) that emphasized psychological growth
self-actualization
self fulfillment the realization of all ones potential. highest point on Maslow's pyramid.
cognitive approach
examines how we process, store, and use information and how this information influences what we attend to, perceive, learn, remember, believe, and feel
Gestalt School of Psychology
idea that the whole of the experience is qualitatively different from the sum of the distinct elements of that experience - perception
biological approach
psychological perspective concerned with physiological and biochemical factors that determine behavior and mental processes
eclectic approach
an approach to psychotherapy that, depending on the client's problems, uses techniques from various forms of therapy
biological influences
hormonal influences, brain mechanisms, genetic predispositions, natural selection of adaptive traits
psychological influences
learned emotional responses, emotions, cognitive processing
social/cultural influences
presence of others, models (media), peer influences
replication
the repetition of an experiment in order to test the validity of its conclusion
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
double-blind procedure
An experimental procedure in which neither the subjects of the experiment nor the persons administering the experiment know the critical aspects of the experiment. Used to guard against both experimenter bias and placebo effects.
placebo effects
The fact that subjects' expectations can lead them to experience some change even though they receive an empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment.
placebo
an innocuous or inert medication
skepticism
a doubting or questioning attitude
critical thinking
a questioning attitude regarding psychologists' assumptions and hidden values
operational definitions
clear, precise definitions and instructions about how to observe and measure concepts and variables
ethics
the philosophical study of moral values and rules