Chapter 1

Question 1

define psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of behaviour and the mind

Question 2

define basic research

Answer 2

research that reflects the quest for knowledge purely for its own sake

Question 3

define applied research

Answer 3

research designed to solve specific practical problems

Question 3

what are the 5 goals of psychology?

Answer 3

• To describe how people & other species behave e.g. depressed behaviour.
• To understand the causes of these behaviours e.g. exposure to daylight.
• To predict how people & animals will behave under certain conditions e.g. compare seasonal variations.
• To influence behaviour through control of causes e.g. control exposure of light.
• To apply psychological knowledge for the enhancement of human welfare e.g. phototherapy

Question 4

There are 3 different levels of explanations.
what are they?

Answer 4

1. Biological explanations
2. Cognitive/psychological explanations
3. Environmental explanations

Question 5

define mind-body interactions

Answer 5

Relations between mental processes in the brain & the functioning of other bodily systems

Question 6

what is the mind-body problem?

Answer 6

is the mind separate or part of the body’s activities, and what is the exact relationship between the two

Question 7

Descartes was a mind-body dualist - what does that mean?

Answer 7

the mind is a spiritual entity not subject to physical laws

Question 8

Mind & body interact but are fundamentally different - how?

Answer 8

• Mind comes from God.
• The body is a machine.

Question 9

Where does the mind-body interaction occur according to Descartes?

Answer 9

in the pineal gland

Question 10

what do we know about the pineal gland now?

Answer 10

The pineal gland is responsible for releasing melatonin, which helps with sleep patterns (secreted during nighttime where there is no light)

Question 11

If the mind is nonphysical then it can’t be studied via ?

Answer 11

physical means

Question 12

what is monism? (Hobbs)

Answer 12

The mind is not a separate spiritual entity but simply a product of physical events in the brain

Question 12

Descartes’ rationalism was replaced by John Locke’s???

Answer 12

empiricism

Question 13

define empiricism

Answer 13

the pursuit of truth through observation and experience.

Question 13

what did John Locke believe?

Answer 13

we have to learn everything – born as a blank state

Question 14

2 beliefs of empiricism:

Answer 14

• All knowledge comes from the senses.
• Observation is more valid than reason.

Question 15

what is psychophysics

Answer 15

the study of how the experience of sensations depends on the characteristics of physical stimuli (light, smell etc. allowed mathematical measurement – not subjective allows to correlate physical properties of the world and mental processes

Question 16

Psychology began in …… by ………..

Answer 16

Psychology began in 1879 in Leipzig by Wilhelm Wundt – opened a research institute (labs) dedicated to specifically psychological studies and research.

Question 16

Wundt intended psychology to be the science of

Answer 16

the mind – the science of consciousness

Question 17

Wundt believed that the mind could be studied partly by ………

Answer 17

breaking it down into its basic components

Question 18

who started structuralism

Answer 18

• Started by Edward Titchener, an English student & associate of Wundt’s

Question 19

• Structuralists used a method called ….. to study sensations.

Answer 19

introspection (looking within),

Question 20

how did introspection work?

Answer 20

• Participants presented with various kinds of sensory stimuli & trained to describe their inner experiences of them. Object, lights colours and people would break these down into their constituent parts.

Question 21

why was introspection criticised?

Answer 21

unreliable - Affected by perception, memory, bias. Psychology is interested in how people act in the world, not how objects make them feel

Question 22

Darwin believed

Answer 22

* Behaviours could be inherited

Question 23

* The next major school after Structuralism was ?

Answer 23

Functionalism

Question 24

define functionalism

Answer 24

* The function of the mind is more important than the structure.

Question 25

functionalists emphasised ....

Answer 25

overt observable behaviour than private mental sensations & memories.

Question 26

3 things freud based his theory on:

Answer 26

* Focus on the idea of a dynamic unconscious. * Based on his personal introspection & his clinical observations. * Problems must be psychological & unconscious.

Question 27

Freud came up with free association (define)

Answer 27

people think freely and say what comes into their mind – gets around the unconscious by digging around them

Question 28

how did free association work?

Answer 28

* Patients would often reveal painful & long ‘forgotten’ experiences. * Often, after recalling & reliving these experiences, the patients’ symptoms would improve.

Question 29

the behaviorist view focuses on...

Answer 29

the role of the external environment on behaviour

Question 30

Behaviour is jointly determined by:

Answer 30

1. habits learnt from previous experience 2. stimuli in our immediate environment.

Question 31

behaviourism is rooted in the philosophical school of ????

Answer 31

empiricism

Question 32

Behaviourism began as a formal school with the work of?

Answer 32

J.B. Watson

Question 33

Skinner believed that the causes of human behaviour reside in ?

Answer 33

the outer world

Question 34

Skinner examined how behaviour is shaped by ?

Answer 34

rewarding & punishing consequences.

Question 35

Skinner"s approach is known as ...

Answer 35

radical behaviourism, and it is rejected by many psychologists.

Question 36

Behaviourism restricted psychology to observable behaviour – this meant that?

Answer 36

mental life was off-limits for scientific study.

Question 37

3 approaches challenged behaviourism - name and explain

Answer 37

* Cognitive Behaviourism: our expectations and thoughts interact with learning and the environment to affect how we behave * The Humanistic Perspective: emphasizes personal responsibility, growth and finding meaning in one’s existence. * The Cognitive Perspective: the study of mental processes and how they develop / influence behaviour.

Question 38

define culture

Answer 38

the values, beliefs, behaviours & traditions shared by large groups of people & passed on over generations – is important for psychology.

Question 39

the biological approach examines ...

Answer 39

how brain processes & bodily functions regulate/influence mind & behaviour & addresses the role of genetics & evolutionary history.

Question 40

biological approach can be broadly divided into two fields: name and explain both

Answer 40

1. Behavioural Neuroscience: The role of brain processes and physiology on behaviour, sensation, emotion and thought. 2. Evolutionary Psychology: This field stresses that many human mental abilities and behavioural tendencies are by products of millions of years on evolution.