PSY 401 1st Edition Lecture 4 Outline of Last Lecture I Issues in Historical Studies Continued a Linear Progressive b Chaos Theory c Big Picture II Philosophical Issues a Importance of Philosophy for Psychology b Philosophies of Science i Khun ii Popper c Epistemology i Rationalism ii Empiricism Outline of Current Lecture II Philosophical Issues Continued A Nature vs Nurture B Reductionism vs Holism C Monism vs Pluralism D Mind vs Brain a Psychogeny E Mind Body Problem a Monistic Theories Current Lecture I II Nature vs Nurture A Nature heredity and genetic traits determine behavior a Example imprinting a young animals comes to recognize another animals as a guardian figure if separated from mother at birth B Nurture environment is responsible for behavior a Example Behaviorism Watson believed that he could punish and reinforce any child in order to craft them into the adult he wanted them to be i e lawyer criminal regardless of heredity Reductionism vs Holism A Reductionism molecular study of behavior based on reduced simple parts These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute III IV a Analogy can describe a building in many different ways such as by its blueprint the way it looks form outside the patterns of the bricks or by looking at individual molecules B Holism Behavior and cognition should be studied as a whole a Studying neurons firing does not give information about the process b Example When looking at an illusion reductionism would look at each individual block of ink but this does not tell you why you perceive the illusion Holism allows you to look at the organization of the blocks on a higher level of analysis look at the blocks of ink in relation to each other Monism vs Pluralism A Monism belief that one theory or approach can explain all psychological phenomena a Example behaviorism when it first began B Pluralism belief in many explanations of behavior and cognition a Example what causes drug addiction Looking at rats i Monism Rat in a skinner box without any other stimulation but access to drug Found the rat essentially committed suicide by constantly taking the drugs Showing that drugs cause addiction ii Pluralism Put them in a rat park which had other stimulating things to do as well as access to the drugs Found that the rats did not constantly go back to take the drugs Concluded the rats in bad social circumstances skinner box were more likely to develop a dependency Showing that it is a multitude of reasons they may become addicted biopsychosocial model Mind vs Brain A Brain easy to explain because it is physical B Mind not something that you can directly examine consciousness a Psychogeny study of the origin and development of the mind where does it come from and how does it change over time i Identity theory a person s mind is endowed at a single point in time in its full form 1 Consistent with religious perspectives when you get a soul 2 Two main issues with theory a No consensus regarding the specific point in time arbitrary time line b Where does the mind come from some religions would say God ii Emergentism at a certain point in time the mind emerges but it emerges from the brain therefore since the brain develops over time so does the mind V 1 Developmental theories Piaget 2 Several Issues with theory a Not sure what degree of complexity is necessary for emergence b Arbitrary time c How do subjective experiences play into the development of the brain and mind Mind Body Problem relationship between the mind cognitive and the body physiology A Monistic Theories only have one or the other the other is an illusion the question of interaction disappears a Materialism the body is the only true reality the mind does not actually exist i Issues with approach 1 Cannot answer how subjective experience ties in 2 Does not make the connection between neurons firing and the feeling of consciousness b Idealism the ultimate reality consists of ideas or perceptions and is not physical i Consciousness generates the material world the things surrounding you are not really there ii Example drugs the things you may be seeing are not really there c Epiphenomenalism the mind is secondary phenomena byproduct arising from the body brain i Example light flashing on a CD player is a byproduct of it playing music the light does not have influence over the workings of the CD player is just a phenomena B Dualistic Theories the mind and the body both exist and might interact a Interactionism
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