Psychology

Evidence gathered from careful observation

"study of the mind" Became popular in Europe and America in the 1800's. Inspired by Joseph Gall. Classic psuedoscience-sheer nonsence.

Committed terrible blunders- argued that different brain areas accounted for specific character and personality traits, such as "stinginess" and "religiousity" and that such traits could be read by reading the lumps on the skull.

Freud's ideas that evolved into a broad theory of personality. Both his theory and methods of treating people with emotional problems became this.

An early scientific psychology that emphasized the funcrtion, (purpose of behavior) as apposed to its analysis and description. Leader was William James

A leader of Functionalism. attempted to grasp the nature of the midn through introspection. Asked how various actions help a person or animal adapt to the environment

Obscure neurologist. Became convinced that depressed, nervousa dn obsessive people had mental, not bodily cuases. Distress was due to conflicts and emotional traumas that had originated in early childhood. Theories became known as Psychoanalysis.

Focuses on how bodily events affect behavior, feelings and thoughts.

Study how physical events interact with events in the external environment to produce perceptions, memories and behavior. Investigate the contribution of genes and other biological factors to the development of abilities and personality traits. Ex. Excessive anxiety can be caused by a chemical imbalance.

Focuses on how genetically influencd behavior that was functional or adaptive during our evolutionary past may be reflaced in many of our present behaviors, mental processes, and traits

Concerned with how the environment and experience affect a person's actions. Ex. Anxiety symptoms often bring hidden rewards, such as being excused from exams

Focus on the environmental rewards and punishers that maintain or discourage specific behaviors. do not invoke the mind to explain behavior; prefer to what they can stick to and measure directly.

Example of the Learning Perspective

Combine elements of behaviorism with resarch on thoughts, values, and intentions. Believe that people learn not only by adapting their behavior to the environment but also by imitating others and by thinking about the events happining around them

Emphasizes what goes on in people's heads-how people reason, remember, understand language, solve problems, explain experiences, aquire moral standards and form beliefs. Ex. Anxious people often think about the future in distorted ways.