PS 101 - Midterm Summary: Key
Concepts in Psychology
Tuesday September 9th – Lecture #2
What is Psychology?
- Study of mental processes and behaviour
- Mental Processes: “activities of our brain when engaged in thinking, observing the
environment, and using language”
What’s missing? – Feelings
What’s redundant? – What do these mental processes have in common. (Thinking, Observing,
Language)
- All these mental processes (Thinking, Observing, Language) are a cognitive state
Where does Psychology come from?
- Philosophy (Mind) + Physiology (Body / Behaviour) = Psychology
2 prominent schools of thought:
1) Structuralism (Wundt): What is the structure of consciousness?
- What are the smallest elements of consciousness.
- Did this via introspection: An analysis of consciousness into its basic elements
Ex: What are the basic elements that comprise the conscious experience of eating a Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cup???
- Steps / Sense / Element of consciousness (Basically more in depth of sense):
1) Seeing RPB on counter / Sight, Body / Pupils Dilate (Excited), Heart pounding
2) Picking it up / Touch / Smooth on finger tips
3) Rip open package / Touch, Smell / Edges of wrapper are serrated on fingers, Whiff lf
Chocolate
4) Taking a bite / Touch / Middle melts
Basically we are learning of breaking the process of eating a RPBC into its basic elements
, Goal: Describe
Concepts in Psychology
Tuesday September 9th – Lecture #2
What is Psychology?
- Study of mental processes and behaviour
- Mental Processes: “activities of our brain when engaged in thinking, observing the
environment, and using language”
What’s missing? – Feelings
What’s redundant? – What do these mental processes have in common. (Thinking, Observing,
Language)
- All these mental processes (Thinking, Observing, Language) are a cognitive state
Where does Psychology come from?
- Philosophy (Mind) + Physiology (Body / Behaviour) = Psychology
2 prominent schools of thought:
1) Structuralism (Wundt): What is the structure of consciousness?
- What are the smallest elements of consciousness.
- Did this via introspection: An analysis of consciousness into its basic elements
Ex: What are the basic elements that comprise the conscious experience of eating a Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cup???
- Steps / Sense / Element of consciousness (Basically more in depth of sense):
1) Seeing RPB on counter / Sight, Body / Pupils Dilate (Excited), Heart pounding
2) Picking it up / Touch / Smooth on finger tips
3) Rip open package / Touch, Smell / Edges of wrapper are serrated on fingers, Whiff lf
Chocolate
4) Taking a bite / Touch / Middle melts
Basically we are learning of breaking the process of eating a RPBC into its basic elements
, Goal: Describe
