Introduction to Psychology Focus Questions:
Chapter 1
1. What was Descartes’ version of dualism? How did it help pave the way for a science of psychology?
• The body (made of matter) is responsible for behavior aimed towards survival, and the soul (immaterial)
differentiates us from animals as it allows us to think, he believed that the soul and body interacted through the
pineal gland
• Paved way for science as attributed actions and processes to the physical body rather than the immaterial soul
2. What reasons can you think of for why Descartes’ theory, despite its intuitive appeal, was unsuitable for a complete
psychology?
• In his theory the soul produced thoughts and was responsible for the actions of the body, the actions of the body
can scientifically studied as it is made of matter however the immaterial cannot objectively be studied therefore
cannot be scientific
3. How did Hobbes’ materialism help lay the groundwork for a science of psychology?
• Hobbes disregarded the idea of an immaterial soul and attributed every thought and their physical reflections
to the body, this meant that every human action, motives, processes could be scientifically studied as they were
bound to the laws of nature
4. How did the nineteenth century understanding of the nervous system inspire a theory of behaviour called
reflexology?
• If all actions were controlled by the body as it is independent from the soul, this meant that an action was just
a nervous reaction to environmental stimuli (reflex) and all human action was just a response
5. How did the discoveries of localization of function in the brain help establish the idea that the mind can be studies
scientifically?
• Previously all human behavior had been attributed to the soul, now with the concept of the body being in charge,
the brain was the command center for behaviour and different parts of it corresponded to different behaviors,
therefore the functions of the immaterial soul were now attributed to the brain which was now within the realm
of science and could be studied
6. How would you explain the origin of complex ideas and thoughts according to British Empiricism? What role did
the law of association by contiguity play in this philosophy?
• Empiricists believed that we were all born as blank slates and all thoughts and ideas, and behaviors were
reflections of sensory experiences or learned from our environment. Small elemental ideas formed together to
create more complex thoughts.
• Association by contiguity→ when the mind encountered 2 ideas that occurred simultaneously of contiguously
an association would form between them (making the more complex)
7. How would you describe the influence that empiricist philosophy has had on psychology?
• Laid the foundations for a better understanding of learning and memory functions, and proposed a theory for
how sensory feedback adds up to form complex concepts
8. Why is the ability to learn dependent on inborn knowledge? In Kant’s nativist philosophy, what is the distinction
between a priori and a posteriori knowledge?
• Kant’s nativist philosophy argued that for a child to be able to obtain, memorize and utilize any idea the brain
most be able to know how to perform some of these abilities- a priori knowledge (we are born with these
abilities), info we obtained after birth via sensory experience (a posteriori knowledge) relied of a priori
knowledge to be known
, 9. How did Darwin’s theory of natural selection offer a scientific foundation for explaining behaviour by describing
its functions? How did it provide a basis for understanding the origin of a priori knowledge?
• Darwin’s theory of natural selection argued that as physical aspects promote survival and reproduction, so do
mental mechanisms and behavior.
• A priori knowledge allowed our ancestors to learn and survive therefore this was passed on genetically
10. How do neural, physiological, genetic, and evolutionary explanations differ from one another? How would you
apply these explanations toward an understanding of jealousy?
• Neural explanation→ explaining the effects of the processes and structures of the neural system on human
behaviour.
- Jealousy→ The neural connections of the brain and complex associations with it makes regarding past
experience with others concerns a neural explanation of jealousy
• Physiological explanation→ involves chemical and biological material as well, such as hormones and medicine
while explaining behaviour.
- The role hormones and various chemicals play in the process of thought and response to situations that
trigger jealousy
• Genetic explanation → different genes individuals inherit, and the causality between the differences between
these genes and human behaviour; basically how which genes affect which behaviors.
- The role of inherited genes and their role in defining characteristics of thought processes and reactions to a
possible threat to the relationship with a significant someone
• Evolutionary explanation→ working with humane functions and natural mechanics brought by evolution in not
only an individual, but the species as a whole.
- The role of various biological and social mechanisms in the human brain, developed through natural
selection, in defining the characteristics of jealousy-inflicted conflict and methods of coping with it
11. How do learning and cognitive explanations differ? How would you apply each of them toward an understanding
of jealousy?
• Learning explanation→ concerned with what kind of changes on the human behaviour certain environmental
experiences can inflict.
-used to analyze the jealous experiences of a person with past significant others. This would help understand
the thought patterns that led to a certain idea of jealousy, and how this inflicts a certain reaction towards the
potential threat or the significant other
• Cognitive explanations→ the effects of these environmental experiences to previous or inherent knowledge or
beliefs, and uses these effects on cognitive abilities as a step towards understanding how behaviour changes
through experience.
- take in account the unconscious memory and in-built mechanisms of the mind as well. This could help
understand what processes of the mind while thinking about a threatening relationship were involved in the
thought process – as well as what environmental and social stimuli was received and how it was processed to
come up with an idea and a response to perceived jealousy.
12. How do social and cultural explanations differ? How would you apply each of them toward an understanding of
jealousy?
• Social psychology→ is concerned with immediate results of social and environmental input on individuals and
groups
- analyzing a person’s idea about a relationship, what is perceived as a possible threat to a social relationship
• Cultural explanations→ observe a deal of settled social traditions as well, to draw a conclusion about their
effects on people’s behaviour and thoughts.
- the understanding of an agreed upon definition of social or romantic infidelity, what pattern of thoughts and
reactions and generally accepted for such situation and generally how it is seen convenient to deal with
them.
Chapter 1
1. What was Descartes’ version of dualism? How did it help pave the way for a science of psychology?
• The body (made of matter) is responsible for behavior aimed towards survival, and the soul (immaterial)
differentiates us from animals as it allows us to think, he believed that the soul and body interacted through the
pineal gland
• Paved way for science as attributed actions and processes to the physical body rather than the immaterial soul
2. What reasons can you think of for why Descartes’ theory, despite its intuitive appeal, was unsuitable for a complete
psychology?
• In his theory the soul produced thoughts and was responsible for the actions of the body, the actions of the body
can scientifically studied as it is made of matter however the immaterial cannot objectively be studied therefore
cannot be scientific
3. How did Hobbes’ materialism help lay the groundwork for a science of psychology?
• Hobbes disregarded the idea of an immaterial soul and attributed every thought and their physical reflections
to the body, this meant that every human action, motives, processes could be scientifically studied as they were
bound to the laws of nature
4. How did the nineteenth century understanding of the nervous system inspire a theory of behaviour called
reflexology?
• If all actions were controlled by the body as it is independent from the soul, this meant that an action was just
a nervous reaction to environmental stimuli (reflex) and all human action was just a response
5. How did the discoveries of localization of function in the brain help establish the idea that the mind can be studies
scientifically?
• Previously all human behavior had been attributed to the soul, now with the concept of the body being in charge,
the brain was the command center for behaviour and different parts of it corresponded to different behaviors,
therefore the functions of the immaterial soul were now attributed to the brain which was now within the realm
of science and could be studied
6. How would you explain the origin of complex ideas and thoughts according to British Empiricism? What role did
the law of association by contiguity play in this philosophy?
• Empiricists believed that we were all born as blank slates and all thoughts and ideas, and behaviors were
reflections of sensory experiences or learned from our environment. Small elemental ideas formed together to
create more complex thoughts.
• Association by contiguity→ when the mind encountered 2 ideas that occurred simultaneously of contiguously
an association would form between them (making the more complex)
7. How would you describe the influence that empiricist philosophy has had on psychology?
• Laid the foundations for a better understanding of learning and memory functions, and proposed a theory for
how sensory feedback adds up to form complex concepts
8. Why is the ability to learn dependent on inborn knowledge? In Kant’s nativist philosophy, what is the distinction
between a priori and a posteriori knowledge?
• Kant’s nativist philosophy argued that for a child to be able to obtain, memorize and utilize any idea the brain
most be able to know how to perform some of these abilities- a priori knowledge (we are born with these
abilities), info we obtained after birth via sensory experience (a posteriori knowledge) relied of a priori
knowledge to be known
, 9. How did Darwin’s theory of natural selection offer a scientific foundation for explaining behaviour by describing
its functions? How did it provide a basis for understanding the origin of a priori knowledge?
• Darwin’s theory of natural selection argued that as physical aspects promote survival and reproduction, so do
mental mechanisms and behavior.
• A priori knowledge allowed our ancestors to learn and survive therefore this was passed on genetically
10. How do neural, physiological, genetic, and evolutionary explanations differ from one another? How would you
apply these explanations toward an understanding of jealousy?
• Neural explanation→ explaining the effects of the processes and structures of the neural system on human
behaviour.
- Jealousy→ The neural connections of the brain and complex associations with it makes regarding past
experience with others concerns a neural explanation of jealousy
• Physiological explanation→ involves chemical and biological material as well, such as hormones and medicine
while explaining behaviour.
- The role hormones and various chemicals play in the process of thought and response to situations that
trigger jealousy
• Genetic explanation → different genes individuals inherit, and the causality between the differences between
these genes and human behaviour; basically how which genes affect which behaviors.
- The role of inherited genes and their role in defining characteristics of thought processes and reactions to a
possible threat to the relationship with a significant someone
• Evolutionary explanation→ working with humane functions and natural mechanics brought by evolution in not
only an individual, but the species as a whole.
- The role of various biological and social mechanisms in the human brain, developed through natural
selection, in defining the characteristics of jealousy-inflicted conflict and methods of coping with it
11. How do learning and cognitive explanations differ? How would you apply each of them toward an understanding
of jealousy?
• Learning explanation→ concerned with what kind of changes on the human behaviour certain environmental
experiences can inflict.
-used to analyze the jealous experiences of a person with past significant others. This would help understand
the thought patterns that led to a certain idea of jealousy, and how this inflicts a certain reaction towards the
potential threat or the significant other
• Cognitive explanations→ the effects of these environmental experiences to previous or inherent knowledge or
beliefs, and uses these effects on cognitive abilities as a step towards understanding how behaviour changes
through experience.
- take in account the unconscious memory and in-built mechanisms of the mind as well. This could help
understand what processes of the mind while thinking about a threatening relationship were involved in the
thought process – as well as what environmental and social stimuli was received and how it was processed to
come up with an idea and a response to perceived jealousy.
12. How do social and cultural explanations differ? How would you apply each of them toward an understanding of
jealousy?
• Social psychology→ is concerned with immediate results of social and environmental input on individuals and
groups
- analyzing a person’s idea about a relationship, what is perceived as a possible threat to a social relationship
• Cultural explanations→ observe a deal of settled social traditions as well, to draw a conclusion about their
effects on people’s behaviour and thoughts.
- the understanding of an agreed upon definition of social or romantic infidelity, what pattern of thoughts and
reactions and generally accepted for such situation and generally how it is seen convenient to deal with
them.
