Psychology 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Gestalt Psychology, Empiricism, Terror Management Theory

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Psychology chapter 1: the science of behaviour. Psychology: the scientific study of behaviour and the factors that influence it. Behaviour: both actions we directly observe and inner mental processes. Takes into account biological, individual, and environmental factors. Humans and gods were very different from other living things. Humans reasoned while animals behaved instinctively without reason. Humans were similar to animals, but smarter. Placed humans at the top of a scale of intelligence. Found a distinction between mind and body and they intersected at pineal gland. Some human behaviour is instinctive, other based on reason. Empiricists (nurture): behaviour is shaped by experience; deny the influence of genetic factors. Nativists (nature): behavious is inborn; all due to genetics. Basic research: the quest for knowledge purely for its own sake: goal is to describe how people behave and to identify the factors that influence behaviour, research is carried out in a lab or in real-world settings.