Vikram Akam AP Psychology Per.

2 09/30/2011 Study Guide: History & Approaches Terms: Wilhelm Wundt German psychologist considered to be one of founding figures of psychology helped start Structuralism through one of his students William James supported pragmatism and functionalism Max Wertheimer Czech-born psychologist who was one of three founders of Gestalt psychology Dorothea Dix American activist on behalf of the indigent insane who created first generation of American mental asylums G. Stanley Hall childhood development and evolutionary theory strongly believed in Darwinism and opposed individualism believed that children must learn to be god-fearing, love country and develop strong body Abraham Maslow importance of focusing on positive qualities of people developed Humanistic psychology (every person has strong desire to realize his/her potential to reach a level of self-actualization Sigmund Freud theories of the unconscious mind and mechanism of repression dreams are sources of insight into unconscious desires psychosexual development, 3-part human psyche (id, ego, super-ego) John Watson established behaviorism aspects; Little Albert experiment Ivan Pavlov Russian psychologist who started Pavlovian psychology; also started classical conditioning, where an unconditioned stimulus while presented with a conditioned turns into a conditioned stimulus (dog salivation + bell) B.F. Skinner started operant conditioning, where individual modifies the occurrence and form of its own behavior due to the association of the association of the behavior with a stimulus differs from classical conditioning in that operant deals with modification of voluntary behavior or operant behavior, which operates on the environment and is maintained by its consequences, while classical conditioning deals with conditioning of reflexive behaviors Carl Rogers one of founders of humanistic human-centered approach to psychology; came up with the 19 propositions Jean Piaget theory of cognitive development and epistemological view together called genetic epistemology; believed that children and education were crucial to societys well-being and future Mary Whiton Calkins came up with concept of self-psychology Margaret Floy Washburn animal behavior and motor theory development Introspection self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations; conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining ones own thoughts and feelings Structuralism specific domain of culture may be understood by means of a structure modeled on language that is distinct both from the organizations of reality and those of ideas or the imagination (the third order) Functionalism mental states are constituted solely by their functional role mental states are casual relations to other states, sensory inputs, and behavioral outputs theoretical level between physical implementation and behavioral output only concerned with effective functions of the brain through its organization or its software programs Psychoanalytic theory/perspective refers to definition and dynamics of personality development which underlie and guide psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy; first laid out by Freud Behaviorism/perspective learning perspective philosophy of psychology based on proposition that all things that organisms do can and should be regarded as behaviors, and that disorders are best treated by altering behavior patterns or modifying the environment Humanist perspective adopts a holistic approach to human existence through investigations of meaning, values, freedom, tragedy, personal responsibility, human potential, spirituality, and self-actualization; believes that people are inherently good Biopsychology/Neuroscience application of principles of biology to study of psychological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in human and non-human animals (nerves, neurotransmitters, brain circuitry, etc.) Evolutionary perspective approach in social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, language, from modern evolutionary perspective; seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, functional products of natural selection or sexual selection; much of human behavior is output of psychological adaptations that evolved to solve recurrent problems in human ancestral environments Cognitive perspective choice of context or a reference from which to sense, categorize, measure, or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another Social-cultural perspective based on the assumption that our personalities, beliefs, and attitudes, and skills are learned from others; impossible to fully understand a person without understanding his/her culture, ethnic identity, gender identity, and other important sociocultural factors Gestalt psychology operational principle of Gestalt is that the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts

Questions: 1. Psychologys big debate is _ because 2. Psychologys three main levels of analysis are biological, psychological, and social-cultural. The biological level attempts to explore the natural selection of adaptive psychology and behaviors, genetic predispositions responding to the environment, brain mechanisms, and hormonal influences. The psychological level explores learned fears and other learned expectations, emotional responses, and cognitive processing/perceptual interpretations. The socialcultural level explores the presence of others, cultural/social/family expectations, peer and other group influences, and compelling models, such as in the media. The biopsychosocial approach incorporates each level into each other in many ways in an attempt to connect them (venn diagram). 3. 5 sub-fields of psychology are basic research, applied research, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, and psychiatry. Basic research is carried out for the sake of increasing knowledge, such as how and why a specific reaction occurs and what the properties of a substance are. Applied research is generally carried out to solve a problem using the basic research. Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses basic research and applied research in several broad domains. Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction to promote subjective well-being and personal development. Psychiatry is 4. The difference between clinical psychology and psychiatry is that, while both aim for a goal of alleviating psychological distress, clinical psychology does not involve people who prescribe medication. Psychiatrists are licensed physicians and see their patients as people with illnesses, prescribing drugs. 5. Timeline of key psychology trends: 1861: Paul Broca discovered area in left cerebral hemisphere for speech called Brocas area; neuropsychology 1874: Wilhelm Wundt and experimental psychology 1878: G. Stanley Hall and evolutionary psychology 1885: Hermann Ebbinghaus describes experiments on himself 1891: Mary Whiton Calkins founded lab, first by a woman 1900: Freud published Interpretation of Dreams, marking beginning of psychoanalytic thought 1903: John Watson and rat experiments described as classic of developmental psychobiology 1913: Watson and Behaviorist Manifesto 1920: Watson conducts Little Albert experiment, using young boy to make him afraid of white rats 1927: Ivan Pavlov published book on Classical Conditioning 1928: Jean Piagets book about reasoning and children published 1938: B.F. Skinner and behavior analysis 1942: Carl Rogers and humanistic approach 1953: B.F. Skinner and behavioral therapy 1971: Stanford prison experiment

6. Study chart of psychologys current perspectives (funpsych.wikispaces.com):

The Approach

The Definition Behavior and personality is the product of unconscious sexual and aggressive forces.

The Focus How does behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts?

Application Example: Alcoholism Does excessive drinking indicate an unconscious problem or conflict? Does drinking reduce inhibitions allowing the unconscious to surface? Is alcoholism learned? Can it be unlearned? Can new habits replace the alcoholic habits? What thought pattern precedes heavy drinking? Can the thoughts be analyzed and changed to curtail the drinking behavior? For what inadequacy do people try to compensate by drinking? Does alcohol give people a false sense of relief from inadequacy or lack of self-worth? Is alcoholism a disease? What role does genetics play in the development of alcoholism? How does alcohol affect the brain? How does alcoholism differ between cultures? What unique pressures of a particular culture contribute to alcohol abuse?

PSYCHOANALYTIC

BEHAVIORAL

Behavior is the product of learning and associations.

How do we learn observable responses (behaviors)?

COGNITIVE

Behavior is a consequence How do we encode, of internal thoughts. process, store, and retrieve Humans use mental information? processes to solve problems or develop personality characteristics. Behavior is a reflection of internal personal growth; we are not products of our environment, we all have free will. How do we reach our full potential, or self-actualize, and what prevents us from doing so?

HUMANISTIC

NEUROBIOLOGICAL

Behavior is a result of the How do the body and brain interplay of functions of the enable behavior? nervous system and biology.

SOCIOCULTURAL

Behavior is influenced by the rules and expectations of social groups and cultures.

How do behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures?