Chapter 1 Psychology Evolution of a Science William James Author of The Principles of Psychology Psychology the scientific study of mind and behavior Mind the private inner experience of perceptions thoughts memories and feelings Behavior observable actions of human beings and nonhuman animals Functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI allows scientists to scan a brain to determine which parts are active when people read learn etc Psychological processes are adaptive promote welfare and reproduction of organisms that engage in processes Psychology s Roots The Path to a Science of Mind Structuralists tried to analysze brain by breaking it down into basic components Functionalists focused on how mental abilities allow people to adapt to their environments Nativism the philosophical view that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn Plato Philosophical empiricism the view that all knowledge is acquired through experience Aristotle Phrenology theory that specific mental abilities and characteristics are localized in specific regions of the brain Franz Joseph Gall Physiology the study of biological processes especially in the human body Stimulus sensory input from the environment Reaction time the amount of time taken to react to a specific stimulus William Wundt s lab for psychological sciences was the birthplace of psychology as an independent field of study Consciousness a person s subjective experience of the world and the mind Structuralism the analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind Wundt Introspection subjective observation of one s own experience Functionalism study of the purpose mental processes serve in enabling people to adapt to their environment Natural Selection the features of an organism help it survive and reproduce are more likely to be passed onto future generations Darwin G Stanley Hall founded the American Journal of Psychology 1st psych Journal in the US and the American Psychological Association The Development of Clinical Psychology Hysteria a temporary loss of cognitive or motor functions usually as a result of emotionally upsetting experiences Hypnosis an altered state of consciousness characterized by suggestibility Unconscious part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awareness but influences conscious thoughts feelings and actions Psychoanalytic theory an approach that emphasizes the importance of unconscious mental processes in shaping feelings thoughts and behaviors Freud Psychoanalysis bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness to better understand psychological disorders Humanistic psychology an approach to understanding human nature that emphasizes the positive potential of human beings Maslow Rogers o Needed to grow to reach full potential The Search for Objective Measurement Behaviorism Takes Center Stage Behaviorism advocated that scientists restrict themselves to the scientific study of objectively observable behavior stimulus response Response action or physiological change elicited by a stimulus Reinforcement consequences of a behavior determine whether it will be more or less likely to occur again Return of the Mind Psychology Expands Illusions errors of perception memory or judgment in which subjective experience differs from objective reality Max Wertheimer Gestalt psychology emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts Cognitive psychology scientific study of mental processes including perception thought memory and reasoning Behavioral neuroscience an approach to psychology that links psychological processes to activities in the nervous system and other bodily processes Cognitive neuroscience attempts to understand the links between cognitive processes and brain activity Evolutionary psychology explains mind and behavior in terms of the adaptive value of abilities preserved over time by natural selection Beyond the Individual Social and Cultural Perspectives Social psychology study of the causes and consequences of sociality Norman Triplett Cultural psychology study of how cultures reflect and shape the psychological processes of their members holds culture makes little to no difference for most o Absolutism psychological phenomena significantly across cultures o Relativism holds psychological phenomena are likely to vary The Profession of Psychology Past and Present Clinical psychologists asses or treat people with psychological problems Counseling psychologists assist people in dealing with work career divorce etc School psychologists guide students parents and teachers Industrial organizational psychologists focus on issues in the workplace
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