History Of Psychology Ch. 1 Introduction

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Active mind

Back 1

A mind that transforms, interprets, understands, or values physical experience. The rationalists assume an active mind.

Front 2

Anomalies

Back 2

Persistent observations that cannot be explained by an existing paradigm. Anomalies eventually cause one paradigm to displace another.

Front 3

Biological determinism

Back 3

The type of determinism that stresses the biochemical genetic, physiological, or anatomical causes of behavior.

Front 4

Causal laws

Back 4

Laws describing causal relationships. Such laws specify the conditions that are necessary and sufficient to produce a certain event. Knowledge of causal laws allows both the prediction and control of events.

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Confirmable propositions

Back 5

Within science, propositions capable of validation through empirical tests.

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Correlational laws

Back 6

laws that specify the systematic relationships among classes of empirical events. Unlike causal laws, the events described by correlational laws do not need to be causally related. One can note, for example, that as average daily temperature rises, so does the crime rate without knowing (or even caring) if the two events are causally related.

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Correspondence theory of truth

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The belief that scientific laws and theories are correct insofar as they accurately mirror events in the physical world.

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Determinism

Back 8

the belief that everything that occurs does so because of known or knowable cause, and that if these causes were known in advance, an event could be predicted with complete accuracy. Also, if the causes of an event were known, the event could be prevented by preventing its causes. Thus,the knowledge of an event's causes allows the prediction and control of the event.

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Double aspectism

Back 9

The belief that bodily and mental events are inseparable. They are two aspects of every experience.

Front 10

Dualist

Back 10

Anyone who believes that there are two aspect to humans, one physical and one mental.

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Eclectic approach

Back 11

Taking the best from a variety of viewpoints. The approach to the history of psychology taken in this text is eclectic because it combines coverage of great individuals, the development of ideas and concepts, the spirit of the times, and contributions from other disciplines.

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Emergentism

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The contention that mental processes emerge from brain processes. The interactionist form of emergentism claims that once mental states emerge, they can influence subsequent brain activity and thus behavior. The epiphenomenalist form claims that emergent mental states are behaviorally irrelevant.

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Empirical observation

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The direct observation of that which is being studied in order to understand it.

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Empiricism

Back 14

The belief that the basis of all knowledge is experience.

Front 15

Environmental determinism

Back 15

The type of determinism that stresses causes of behavior that are external to the organism.

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Epiphenomenalism

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The form of emergentism that states that mental events emerge from brain activity but that mental events are subsequently behaviorally irrelevant.

Front 17

Epistemology

Back 17

The study of the nature of knowledge.

Front 18

Free Will

Back 18

The belief that human thought or behavior is freely chosen by the individual and is therefore not caused by antecedent physical or mental events.

Front 19

Great-person approach

Back 19

The approach to history that concentrates on the most prominent contributors to the topic or field under consideration.

Front 20

Historical development approach

Back 20

The approach to history that concentrates on an element of a field or discipline and describes how the understanding of or approach to studying that element has changed over time. An example is a description of how mental illness has been defined and studied throughout history.

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Historicism

Back 21

The study of the past for its own sake, without attempting to interpret and evaluate it in terms of current knowledge and standards, as is the case with presentism.

Front 22

Historiography

Back 22

The study of the proper way to write history.

Front 23

Idealists

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Those who believe that ultimate reality consists of ideas or perceptions and is therefore not physical.

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Indeterminism

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The contention that even though determinism is true, attempting to measure the causes of something influences those causes, making it impossible to now them with certainty. This contention is also called Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

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Interactionism

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A proposed answer to the mind-body problem maintaining that bodily experiences influence the mind and that the mind influences the body.

Front 26

Irrationalism

Back 26

Any explanation of human behavior stressing determinants that are not under rational control--for example, explanations that emphasize the importance of emotions or unconscious mechanisms.

Front 27

Materialists

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Those who believe that everything in the universe is material (physical), including those things that others refer to as mental.

Front 28

Mechanism

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The belief that the behavior of organisms, including humans, can be explained entirely in terms of mechanical laws.

Front 29

Monists

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Those who believe that there is only one reality. Materialists are monists because they believe that only matter exists. Idealists are also monists because they believe that everything, including the "material" world, is the result of human consciousness and is therefore mental.

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Naive realism

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The belief that what one experiences mentally is the same as what is present physically.

Front 31

Nativist

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Anyone who believes that important human attributes such as intelligence are largely inherited.

Front 32

Nondeterminism

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The belief that human thought or behavior is freely chosen by the individual and is therefore not caused by antecedent physical or mental events.

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Normal science

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According to Kuhn, the research activities performed by scientists as they explore the implications of a paradigm.

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Occasionalism

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The belief that the relationship between the mind and body is mediated by God.

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Paradigm

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A viewpoint shared by many scientists while exploring the subject matter of their science. A paradigm determines what constitutes legitimate problems and the methodology used in solving those problems.

Front 36

Paradigmatic stage

Back 36

According to Kuhn, the stage in the development of a science during which scientific activity is guided by a paradigm. That is, it is during this stage that normal science occurs.

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Passive mind

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A mind that simply reflects cognitively one's experiences with the physical world. The empiricists assume a passive mind.

Front 38

Physical determinism

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The type of determinism that stresses material causes of behavior.

Front 39

Postdiction

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An attempt to account for something after it has occurred. Postdiction is contrasted with prediction, which attempts to specify the conditions under which an event that has not yet occurred will occur.

Front 40

Preestablished harmony

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The belief that bodily events and mental events are separate but correlated because both were designed to run identical courses.

Front 41

Preparadigmatic stage

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According to Kuhn, the first stage in the development of a science. This stage is characterized by warring factions vying to define the subject matter and methodology of a discipline.

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Presentism

Back 42

Interpreting and evaluating historical events in terms of contemporary knowledge and standards.

Front 43

Principle of falsifiability

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Popper's contention that for a theory to be considered scientific it must specify the observations that if made would refute the theory. To be considered scientific, a theory must make risky predictions.

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Psychical determinism

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The type of determinism that stresses mental causes of behavior.

Front 45

Psychophysical parallelism

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The contention that experiencing something in the physical world causes bodily and mental activity simultaneously and that the two types of activities are independent of each other.

Front 46

Public observation

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The stipulation that scientific laws must be available for any interested person to observe. Science is interested in general, empirical relationships that are publicly verifiable.

Front 47

Puzzle solving

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According to Kuhn, normal science is like puzzle solving in that the problems worked ion are specified by a paradigm, the problems have guaranteed solutions, and certain rules must be followed in arriving at those solutions.

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Rationalism

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The philosophical belief that knowledge can be attained only by engaging in some type of systematic mental activity.

Front 49

Reification

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The belief that abstractions for which we have names have an existence independent of their names.

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Relativism

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The belief that because all experience must be filtered through individual and group perspectives the search for universal truths that exist independently of human experience must be in vain. For the relativist, there is no Truth, only truths.

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Revolutionary stage

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According to Kuhn, the stage of scientific development during which an existing paradigm is displaced by a new one. Once the displacement is complete, the new paradigm generates normal science and continues doing so until it too is eventually displaced by a new paradigm

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Risky predictions

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According to Popper, predictions derived from a scientific theory that run a real chance of showing the theory to be false. For example, if a meteorological theory predicts that it will rain at a specific place at a specific time, then it must do so or the theory will be shown to be incorrect.

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Science

Back 53

Traditionally, the systematic attempt to rationally categorize or explain empirical observations. Popper described science as a way of rigorously testing proposed solutions to problems, and Kuhn emphasized the importance of paradigms that guide the research activities of scientists. Feyerabend believed it is impossible to give a generalized conception of science or scientific method.

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Scientific law

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A consistently observed relationship between classes of empirical events.

Front 55

Scientific theory

Back 55

Traditionally, a proposed explanation of a number of empirical observations; according to Popper, a proposed solution to a problem.

Front 56

Sociocultural determinism

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The type of environmental determinism that stresses cultural or societal rules, customs, regulations, or expectations as the causes of behavior.

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Universalism

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The belief that there are universal truths about ourselves and about the physical world in general that can be discovered by anyone using the proper methods of inquiry.

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Vitalism

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The belief that life cannot be explained in terms of inanimate processes. For the vitalist, life requires a force that is more than the material objects or inanimate processes in which it manifests itself. For there to be life, there must be a vital force present.

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Zeitgeist

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The spirit of the times.

Front 60

Uncertainty principle

Back 60

The contention that even though determinism is true, attempting to measure the causes of something influences those causes, making it impossible to now them with certainty. This contention is also called Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.