PSYC 1150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Kiss Principle, Alien Abduction, Falsifiability
4 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
William james (1842-1910), often regarded as the founder of american psychology, once described psychology as a nasty little subject. psychology is difficult to study, and simple explanations are few and far between. Psychology: the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour. Levels of analysis: rugs on a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological influences and higher level tied most closely to social influences. Introspection: method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences. Structuralism: school of psychology that aimed to identify the basic elements of psychological experience. Functionalist: school of psychology that aimed to understand the adaptive purposes of psychological experience. Behaviourism: school of psychology that focuses on uncovering the general laws of learning by looking at observable behaviour. Cognitive psychology: school of psychology that proposes that thinking is central to understanding behaviour. Cognitive neuroscience: relatively new field of psychology that examines the relation between brain functioning and thinking.
