Chapter 1: The Science of the Mind- The Discipline of PsychologyTastes We can taste:Sweetness- 1:200 parts of waterBitterness- 1:2 million parts of waterThis trait is adaptive: most poisons and toxins taste bitter so this trait has served us in detecting harmTaste sensitivity decreases over a lifespanIntrospection- the personal observation of our own thoughts, feelings and behaviorPsychology- the scientific study of behavior and mental process(the mind)Behavior- any action that we can observeWhat are Psychology’s RootsBeing chased is the most common dreamPhilosophy- the discipline that systematically examines basic concepts including the source of knowledgePhysical science- any science that studies nonliving matter, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geologyPhilosophers and psychologists both examine the nature of the self, the effects of early experience, the existence of free will and the origin of knowledgeBoth examine nature vs. nurtureThe Philosophers’ QuestionsPlato- first philosopher to ask what is the mindHis version of the mind had 3 parts: reason, spirit, and apetiteFreud- also divided the mind up: id(inborn aggressive and sexual impulses), the ego(self), and the superego(conscience)Dualism- the idea that body and mind are quite different and separateBodies are physical and minds are nonphysical and mysteriousMonism- the idea that mind and body are not separateThe mind is the result of activity in the brainDualism became better known in renaissance times while monism is the contemporary scientists beliefHormones vs reactions (mind and body interact)Argued about nature vs nurtureBorn with blank slate and experience filled itEmpiricism- viewed the mind as a blank slate at birth that was filled with ideas gained by observing the worldContributed the ideas: 1)empiricism is the foundation for science itself which allowsus to gain knowledge through careful and systematic observation, resulting in empirical results. 2) empiricism guided the 20th century behaviorists, psychologists who examined behaviors that were the result of experience and that could be directly observedContemporary psychologists view not “nature vs. nurture” but a complex combination of both.Psychology is a major hub science meaning it is connected to many different other sciencesThe physical scientists’ methods7,000 years ago healers would drill holes in their patients head to cure themsome of them survivedGreek physicians-noticed the connnections of the brian to the sense organs and recognized the brain as the source of emotional problems.Personality is affected by body fluidsYellow bile(gastric fluid), black bile, blood, and phlegmSad person- excess of black bileCheerful- lot of bloodBleeding a patient were applications of this theoryA simple sensory nerve carries one type of info, not multiple typesPushing on your eye you see a light- the nerves do not know how to process information about touch or pressure so they only have 1 type of message, which is light.Helmholtz- experiment having people push a button when they felt a touchWhen thigh touched, reaction faster than when toe touchedThigh is closer to brain proving the toe needed more time to send the impulseProved that voluntary behavior did not occur instantly as thoughtFechner-identified the softest sound a person could hearHow did the science of psychology begin?Wilhelm Wundt and StructuralismWilhelm Wundt- first psychologist; first documented psychological experimentHow quickly does a person respond to hearing?Goal of psychology was to understand consciousnessStructuralism- an approach in which the mind is broken into the smallest elements of mental experience.Gestalt PsychologyRejected structuralists’ psychologyGestalt- means form or wholeKnown for their work in perception“A I3 C” vs. “12 13 14”William James and FunctionalismA response to Darwin’s Origin of SpeciesFunctionalism- viewed behavior as purposeful, since it let to survivalInstead of structure of mind, they focused on why behavior and mental processes work in a particular wayWilliam James- STREAM OF CONSIOUSNESS- the flow of ideas people experience while awakeBehaviors that enhance survival are repeated and those that are damaging are abandonedIf we dream it must be because dreaming improves our chances of survivalThey also rejected the breaking mind into elements notionThe experiment that launched Gestalt psychologyUsed a toy stroboscope to see if perceived movement between two stimuli can be explained.This work can be seen in “moving” words in scrolling electric signsThe Behaviorists and the Cognitive RevolutionBehaviorism- an approach to psychology that features the study and careful measurement of observable behaviorsMany behaviorists restricted their research to studies using animalsIvan Pavlov- experimented on dogs and their digestive system. Found that dogs associated signals with the arrival of food and salivated. This type of learning or association is now known as Pavlovian conditioningMany of our emotional responses associated with environmental cues are the result of this type of learningJohn Watson- experimented learning with rats. Had a ‘blank slate’ and “nurture” approach“give me 20 babies and I’ll make them into anything”He applied his understanding of association with advertisement and discovered that blindfolding participants could not tell the different between bands of cigs and now the ad industry relates their products to good things which is the basis of all of advertising now.Edward Thorndike- proposed a law of effect, which suggested that behaviors followed by pleasant or helpful outcomes would be more likely to occur in the future whereas behaviorsfollowed by unpleasant or harmful outcomes would be less likely to occur. Cognition-covers the very private and internal mental processes the behaviorists avoided studying-information processing, thinking, reasoning, and problem solvingUlric Neisser gave this field its name.Computer technology allowed for these psychologists to use math and computer models to demonstrate the mental processes leading to observable behaviors.Cognitive neuroscience- seeks to identify brain structures and functions involved in processing informationLanguage learningBehaviorists: children acquired language in response to feedback such as parental approval or being understoodLinguists: human beings are born with innate mechanisms for learning languageClinical Roots: Freud and the