AP Psychology
AP Psychology Midterm Study Guide #1
Unit 1: Psychology's History and Approaches
1.Definition of Psychology? Disciplines it is rooted in?
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental process; it seeks to answer how and why we think, feel, act as we do. Psychology is rooted in philosophy and biology.
2.What is the difference between nativism and empiricism? Which ancient philosophers/early psychologist were nativist? which were empiricist?
Nativism is the argument that all our skills and abilities are native, or born in use. (Nature) Socrates and Plato Renee Descartes (dualism, body is a vessel for the mind to experience) Charles Darwin
Empiricism is the argument that says our brain has capabilities to learn from our environment and that is the way we become who we are. Aristotle Francis Bacon
John Locke (Tabula rasa, blank slate)
3.What is Psychology's historic big issue?
Psychology's big historical issue is Nature versus Nurture. Whether we are the way we are because our nature, genes and trait, or is base on the environment we live in.
4.Who is considered the first scientific psychologists? What was his contribution?
5.What are the seven different approaches to psychology?
Approach
Focus
Examples
Biological
The way the body & brain enable our emotions, memories, the impact of genes on individual differences.
Studying the brain circuits that cause us to be “red in the face”
Evolutionary
Natural Selection of traits (only the strong survive)
Studying how anger help our ancestors survive
Psychodynamic
How behavior comes from our unconscious drives
Jazmine not liking things Jalisha do, because unconsciously she knows it is the bad in her (Jazmine).
Behavioral
We learn to react by observing throughout our lives
Being afraid of Tigers because you grown up told and seeing ppl afraid of tigers
Cognitive
How we process, store, and retrieve info
Studying how we process a situation affects our anger.
Humanistic
Trying to
Unit 1: Psychology's History and Approaches
1.Definition of Psychology? Disciplines it is rooted in?
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental process; it seeks to answer how and why we think, feel, act as we do. Psychology is rooted in philosophy and biology.
2.What is the difference between nativism and empiricism? Which ancient philosophers/early psychologist were nativist? which were empiricist?
Nativism is the argument that all our skills and abilities are native, or born in use. (Nature) Socrates and Plato Renee Descartes (dualism, body is a vessel for the mind to experience) Charles Darwin
Empiricism is the argument that says our brain has capabilities to learn from our environment and that is the way we become who we are. Aristotle Francis Bacon
John Locke (Tabula rasa, blank slate)
3.What is Psychology's historic big issue?
Psychology's big historical issue is Nature versus Nurture. Whether we are the way we are because our nature, genes and trait, or is base on the environment we live in.
4.Who is considered the first scientific psychologists? What was his contribution?
5.What are the seven different approaches to psychology?
Approach
Focus
Examples
Biological
The way the body & brain enable our emotions, memories, the impact of genes on individual differences.
Studying the brain circuits that cause us to be “red in the face”
Evolutionary
Natural Selection of traits (only the strong survive)
Studying how anger help our ancestors survive
Psychodynamic
How behavior comes from our unconscious drives
Jazmine not liking things Jalisha do, because unconsciously she knows it is the bad in her (Jazmine).
Behavioral
We learn to react by observing throughout our lives
Being afraid of Tigers because you grown up told and seeing ppl afraid of tigers
Cognitive
How we process, store, and retrieve info
Studying how we process a situation affects our anger.
Humanistic
Trying to