Explain the distinction between dualism and materialism.
- Dualism: Mind and body are fundamentally different substances
- Materialism: All mental phenomena are reducible to physical phenomena
Dualism is associated with philosophers like René Descartes, while materialism is linked to Thomas Hobbes.
Explain the distinction between realism and idealism.
- Realism: Perceptions are a faithful copy of the physical world
- Idealism: Perceptions are interpretations of the physical world
John Locke championed realism, while Immanuel Kant supported idealism.
Explain the distinction between empiricism and nativism.
- Empiricism: Knowledge is acquired through experience
- Nativism: Some knowledge is innate and preprogrammed
Philosophers like John Locke supported empiricism, while Immanuel Kant advocated for nativism.
What is the definition of psychology?
The scientific study of mind and behaviour
Mind refers to private events (thoughts and feelings), while behaviour refers to public events (observable actions).
Who is the philosopher associated with dualism?
René Descartes
Descartes believed in the separation of mind (immaterial) and body (material).
Who is the philosopher associated with materialism?
Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes argued that the mind is what the brain does, rejecting the notion of an immaterial substance.
What does philosophical realism assert?
Our perceptions of the physical world are a faithful copy of information from the world
This view was championed by John Locke.
What does philosophical idealism assert?
Our perceptions are interpretations of the information that enters through our sensory apparatus
Immanuel Kant argued that perceptions are not direct copies but interpretations.
According to empiricism, how is knowledge acquired?
Through experience
Philosophers like Locke believed that newborns are a blank slate upon which experience writes.
According to nativism, how is knowledge acquired?
Some knowledge is innate rather than acquired
Kant argued that humans are born with basic knowledge that allows them to learn more.
What is the tabula rasa concept?
The idea that newborns are a blank slate
This concept is associated with John Locke’s view of empiricism.
What did Kant mean by ‘perceptions without conceptions are blind’?
Without prior knowledge, people cannot perceive the world
Kant believed that certain concepts must be hard-wired into the mind.
True or false: Most modern psychologists embrace dualism.
FALSE
Most psychologists lean towards materialism, believing mental phenomena are explainable through physical processes.
What is the nature-versus-nurture debate?
Questions about the influence of genetics (nature) versus environment (nurture) on behavior and knowledge
Psychologists explore how both factors contribute to human development.
Define introspection and explain how it was used in structuralism.
Introspection: analysis of subjective experience by trained observers
Used by Edward Titchener to report on moment-to-moment experiences.
Define natural selection and explain how it influenced functionalism.
Natural selection: process by which adaptive attributes become prevalent in a population
Influenced functionalism by suggesting that psychological characteristics also evolved for adaptive purposes.
Who was Hermann von Helmholtz and what was his contribution to psychology?
Hermann von Helmholtz: physician and physicist who studied reaction times
His experiments helped establish the speed of nerve transmission.
What significant contributions did Wilhelm Wundt make to psychology?
- Taught the first psychology course
- Published the first psychology textbook
- Opened the first psychology laboratory
Wundt’s work laid the foundation for experimental psychology.
What is structuralism in psychology?
Structuralism: approach that attempts to isolate and analyze the mind’s basic elements
Developed by Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener.
What method did Edward Titchener pioneer in psychology?
Systematic self-observation, known as introspection
Trained observers reported their raw experiences to discover basic elements of consciousness.
What were the three basic dimensions of sensation identified by Wundt?
- Pleasure/Pain
- Strain/Relaxation
- Excitation/Quiescence
These dimensions underlie the words used to describe subjective experiences.
What was William James’s view on subjective experience?
Subjective experience is like a river (stream of consciousness)
He believed psychologists should focus on the function of mental processes rather than isolating their elements.
Define functionalism in psychology.
Functionalism: approach that emphasizes the adaptive significance of mental processes
Developed by William James and others, influenced by Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
