Summary of the substance of exam 1 for the Brain and Behavior course. The summary consists of the following chapters of the book: Cacioppo H.1 (p. 1-29) and Kalat H.1 (p 30-75, inc. module 4.1), H.2 (inc. module 14.1), 3, 4.
Introduction to Psychology
Introspection: a personal observation of your own thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Philosophy: the discipline that systematically examines basic concepts, including the source of
knowledge.
Natural sciences: sciences that study the physical and biological events that occur in nature.
Empiricists viewed the mind as a ‘blank state’ at birth, which then was filled with ideas gained by
observing the world.
Herman von Helmholtz – reaction time
- participants push a button when they felt a touch. Thigh touched > faster reaction than when a toe
was touched. Toe is farther form the brain.
- these types of discoveries about the physical aspects of mind convinced scientists that the mind
was not supernatural and could be studied scientifically.
- just physiology
Gustav Fechner – mental processes in hearing
- presenting sounds of different intensities. Participant responds ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
- measuring mental processes.
Highlights in the Philosophical and Scientific Roots of Psychology
Person or group Things to remember
Ancient Greek philosophers Observations can be accounted for by natural,
not supernatural, explanations.
British empiricists Knowledge is the result of experience.
Ancient physicians The brain is the source of the mind.
17th- and 18th- century natural scientists Discoveries about sensation and movement
showed that the mind was physical.
Hermann von Helmholtz Studies of reaction time reinforced the idea of
the mind as physical.
First psychologist: Wilhelm Wundt
Structuralism: an approach in which the mind is broken into the smallest elements of mental
experience.
,Gestalt psychology: an approach that saw experience as being different from the sum of its
elements. Context is important.
Functionalism: an approach that saw behavior as purposeful and contributing to survival.
- William James
Humanistic psychology: an approach that saw people as inherently good and motivated to learn and
improve.
Behaviorism: an approach that features the study and careful measurement of observable behaviors.
Freudians vs. humanistic
The Freudians and humanistic psychologists had conflicting views on human nature, with the
Freudians believing that we are naturally selfish and aggressive and the humanistic psychologists
believing that we are naturally good.
Thorndike & Skinner
- interested in the effects of consequences on how frequently behaviors were performed.
- Skinner: effects of reward and punishment on future behavior. Skinner boxes (animal tests).
- Thorndike: law of effects. (pleasant outcomes, more likely to occur in future, unpleasant less).
Pioneering Approaches to Psychology
Foundation of psychology Things to remember
Wilhelm Wundt Structuralism Behavior can be broken down
into its components.
Max Wertheimer Gestalt psychology Breaking behavior into
components loses meaning.
William James Functionalism Behavior is purposeful and
contributes to survival.
Sigmund Freud Psychodynamic theory Ideas about the unconscious
mind, the role of experience in
abnormal behavior, and new
approaches to therapy laid a
foundation for later study in
personality and therapy.
Abraham Maslow Humanistic psychology People are naturally good and
are motivated to improve.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov Behaviorism Experience is the primary
source of behavior.
Ulric Neisser Cognitive revolution Private mental processing can
be studied scientifically.
,Psychological Perspectives
Biological psychology: the psychological perspective that focuses on the relationships between mind
and behavior, as well as their underlying biological processes, including genetics, biochemistry,
anatomy, and physiology; also known as behavioral neuroscience.
- biological psychologists explore the relationships among mind, behavior, and their underlying
biological processes.
Evolutionary psychology: a psychological perspective that investigates how physical structure and
behavior have been shaped by their contributions to survival and reproduction.
- evolutionary psychologists are interested in how our modern behaviors are shaped by our species’
history.
Cognitive psychology: a psychological perspective that investigates information processing, thinking,
reasoning, and problem solving.
Developmental psychology: a psychological perspective that examines the normal changes in
behavior that occur across the life span.
Social psychology: a psychological perspective that examines the effects of social environment on
the behavior of individuals.
Clinical psychology: a psychological perspective that seeks to explain, define, and treat abnormal
behaviors.
Cultural diversity: variations in the practices, values, and goals shared by groups of people.
Personality: an individual’s characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Summary & Key terms
Behaviorism: an approach that features the study and careful measurement of observable behaviors.
Biological psychology: the relationships among mind, behavior, and their underlying biological
processes.
Clinical psychology: a psychological perspective that seeks to explain, define, and treat abnormal
behaviors.
Cultural diversity: variations in the practices, values, and goals shared by groups of people.
Developmental psychology: examines the normal changes in behavior that occur across the life
span.
Evolutionary psychology: how our modern behaviors are shaped by our species’ history.
Functionalism: an approach that saw behavior as purposeful and contributing to survival.
Gestalt psychology: an approach that saw experience as being different from the sum of its
elements. Context is important.
, Humanistic psychology: an approach that saw people as inherently good and motivated to learn and
improve.
Introspection: a personal observation of your own thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Mind: the brain and its activities, including thought, emotion, and behavior.
Natural sciences: sciences that study the physical and biological events that occur in nature.
Personality: an individual’s characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Philosophy: the discipline that systematically examines basic concepts, including the source of
knowledge.
Psychology: the scientific study of behavior, mental processes, and brain functions.
Social psychology: examines the effects of social environment on the behavior of individuals.
Structuralism: an approach in which the mind is broken into the smallest elements of mental
experience.
Genetics
Mind-brain problem/mind-body problem: the question of how mind relates to brain activity.
Biological psychology: the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms
of behavior and experience.
The brain is composed of cells called:
- neurons
- glia
3 main points to remember:
- Perception occurs in your brain.
- Mental activity and certain types of brain activity are, so far as we can tell, inseparable.
* mental activity = brain activity
* monism: this position is known as monism, the idea that the universe consists of only one
type of being. Opposite is dualism.
- Be cautious about what is an explanation and what is not.
Biological explanations of behavior fall into four categories:
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