Study notes Theory subtest 1 14/09/20
Chapter 1: The science of psychology.
Lecture notes.
Psychology deals with ‘human’ mental processes and behaviour.
Three key aspects:
§ Explanation;
§ Prediction;
§ Intervention (influence/modify behaviour).
Kinds of psychology:
§ Biological;
§ Cognitive;
§ Social;
§ Developmental;
§ Personality.
Developmental psychology by Piaget.
§ Sensorimotor: 1-2 years;
§ Pre-operational: 2-7 years;
§ Concrete operational: 7-11 years;
§ Formal operational: 11-? years.
Personality psychology.
§ Phobias as a form of ‘prepared learning’;
§ Phobias as taught behaviour;
§ Phobias with a hereditary component.
The history of psychology.
The term mental processes refer to all the internal, covert (hidden) activity in our minds, such as
thinking, feeling and remembering.
Objective introspection:
The process of examining and measuring one’s own thoughts and mental activities.
Structuralism:
Early perspective in psychology associated with Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener, in
which the focus of study is the structure or basic elements of the mind.
1
, Study notes Theory subtest 1 14/09/20
Functionalism:
Early perspective in psychology associated with William James, in which the focus of study is
how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work and play.
Gestalt psychology:
Early perspective in psychology focusing on perception and sensation, particularly the
perception of patters and whole figures.
Psychoanalysis:
An insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasizing the revealing of unconscious
conflicts; Freud’s term for both the theory of personality and the therapy based on it.
Behaviourism:
The science of behaviour that focuses on observable behaviour only.
In 1879, psychology began as a science of its own in Germany with the establishment of Wundt’s
psychology laboratory.
Many of psychology’s early pioneers were minorities such as Hispanic and African Americans who,
despite prejudice and racism, made important contributions to the study of human and animal behaviour.
Functionalism influenced the modern fields of educational psychology, evolutionary psychology and
industrial/organizational psychology.
Watson and Rayner demonstrated that a phobia could be learned by conditioning a baby to be afraid of
a white rat.
Mary Cover Jones, one of Watson’s more famous students in behaviourism and child development, later
demonstrated that a learned phobia could be counter conditioned.
2
Chapter 1: The science of psychology.
Lecture notes.
Psychology deals with ‘human’ mental processes and behaviour.
Three key aspects:
§ Explanation;
§ Prediction;
§ Intervention (influence/modify behaviour).
Kinds of psychology:
§ Biological;
§ Cognitive;
§ Social;
§ Developmental;
§ Personality.
Developmental psychology by Piaget.
§ Sensorimotor: 1-2 years;
§ Pre-operational: 2-7 years;
§ Concrete operational: 7-11 years;
§ Formal operational: 11-? years.
Personality psychology.
§ Phobias as a form of ‘prepared learning’;
§ Phobias as taught behaviour;
§ Phobias with a hereditary component.
The history of psychology.
The term mental processes refer to all the internal, covert (hidden) activity in our minds, such as
thinking, feeling and remembering.
Objective introspection:
The process of examining and measuring one’s own thoughts and mental activities.
Structuralism:
Early perspective in psychology associated with Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener, in
which the focus of study is the structure or basic elements of the mind.
1
, Study notes Theory subtest 1 14/09/20
Functionalism:
Early perspective in psychology associated with William James, in which the focus of study is
how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work and play.
Gestalt psychology:
Early perspective in psychology focusing on perception and sensation, particularly the
perception of patters and whole figures.
Psychoanalysis:
An insight therapy based on the theory of Freud, emphasizing the revealing of unconscious
conflicts; Freud’s term for both the theory of personality and the therapy based on it.
Behaviourism:
The science of behaviour that focuses on observable behaviour only.
In 1879, psychology began as a science of its own in Germany with the establishment of Wundt’s
psychology laboratory.
Many of psychology’s early pioneers were minorities such as Hispanic and African Americans who,
despite prejudice and racism, made important contributions to the study of human and animal behaviour.
Functionalism influenced the modern fields of educational psychology, evolutionary psychology and
industrial/organizational psychology.
Watson and Rayner demonstrated that a phobia could be learned by conditioning a baby to be afraid of
a white rat.
Mary Cover Jones, one of Watson’s more famous students in behaviourism and child development, later
demonstrated that a learned phobia could be counter conditioned.
2
