PSYC 1103 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Memory, Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSYC 1103
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Lecture 1 :What is Psychology 8/30/17
What is psychology ?
● The science that figures out what's wrong with people
● The scientific study of mind (mental processes) and behavior
Sigmund Freud’s view of human nature
● Negative view about psychology
Psychology is the science of :
● Human development
● Achievement
● Creativity
● Social interactions
Psychology in historical perspectives
● Biology and physiology
● Western philosophy
● Wilhelm Wundt
○ Identified “structures” of the mind… structuralism
○ Introspection: “look inward” - method used to study structures
○ Systematic, detailed self reports
● James functionalism
○ Human interactions with environment
○ Focus on naturalistic observations of the whole unit
○ Identified the functions and purposes of the mind (what do mental processes
accomplish?)
● Contemporary approaches:
○ Current psychological perspectives
■ Biological approach: focuses on heredity, the brain and nervous system
● Neuroscience: study of structure, function, development, genetics
& biochemistry of the nervous system
● Brain and nervous system are central to understanding behavior,
thought and emotions
■ Behavioral approach: focuses on the environmental determinants of
observable behavior
● Behaviorism
○ Dominated psychological research during 1st half of 20th
century
○ Contradicted genetics’ focus on heredity
○ Rejected focus on thought processes
○ Stimulus -> response
■ Psychodynamic approach emphasizes:
● Unconscious thought
● Conflict between drives and demands of society
● Early childhood family experiences ( they have changed who you
are now)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● Humanistic approach emphasizes:
○ Positive human qualities
○ Capacity for positive growth
○ Free will
● Cognitive approach emphasizes:
○ The mental processes involved in knowing
■ Perception, Attention, Memory, Problem solving
○ Information processing: how humans interpret incoming info, weigh it, store it and
apply it
● Evolutionary approach: uses ideas such as adaptation, reproduction and a natural
selection to explain human behavior
○ Charles Darwin.. key ideas:
■ Environmental changes alter. Courses of evolution
■ Competition for resources and reproductive males
■ Genetic characteristics that promote survival and reproduction are
favored
● Sociocultural approach: examines how social and cultural environments influence
behavior and mental processes
○ Ex . Cultural differences in roles
○ Ex . Individualistic cultures : individuals viewed as unique and distinct from their
social group.. value independence
■ Subjects : prefer to work on tasks that they have had previous success
with ( emphasizes their success )
○ Ex. Collectivistic cultures : emphasize social group and individual's role within
that group.. valuing interdependence
■ Subjects: prefer to work on tasks that they already had difficulty with ( self
critical view )
● Notable behaviorist
○ B.F Skinner - experiments with animals (gave pigeon food for turning counter
clockwise)
○ John Watson - “little albert” experiment (loud noise presented with rat. Even after
loud noise was removed baby was still then afraid of rat)
● Aims of psychology
○ Describe
○ Explain
○ Predict
● Towards these aims..
○ Curiosity
○ Objectivity
○ Skepticism
○ Critical thinking
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The science that figures out what"s wrong with people. The scientific study of mind (mental processes) and behavior. Introspection: look inward - method used to study structures. Focus on naturalistic observations of the whole unit. Identified the functions and purposes of the mind (what do mental processes accomplish?) Biological approach: focuses on heredity, the brain and nervous system. Neuroscience: study of structure, function, development, genetics. Brain and nervous system are central to understanding behavior, thought and emotions. Behavioral approach: focuses on the environmental determinants of observable behavior. Dominated psychological research during 1st half of 20th century. Conflict between drives and demands of society. Early childhood family experiences ( they have changed who you are now) Information processing: how humans interpret incoming info, weigh it, store it and apply it. Evolutionary approach: uses ideas such as adaptation, reproduction and a natural selection to explain human behavior. Genetic characteristics that promote survival and reproduction are favored.
