History & Systems Ch. 7-8

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structuralism

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school of psychology, associated with Titchener, that focused on identifying the structural elements of human conscious experience, primarily through basic laboratory and introspective methods

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functionalism

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school of psychology, favored by most early American psychologists; focused on the study of human conscious experience from an evolutionary perspective, concerned with studying

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drill courses

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instructional courses in basic laboratory techniques, predominant in American universities in late nineteenth Century

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observer

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name used for someone participating in a psychological experiment in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, so-called because the primary activity was observing one's mental activities through introspection

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systematic experimental introspection

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form of introspection associated with Kulpe and Titchener, in which the experience of complex mental events was followed by detailed introspective descriptions; a more elaborate form of introspection than Wundt's

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introspective habit

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the result of extensive practice with introspection, this was a dissociative ability to make mental notes about an experience while the experience was occurring

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stimulus error

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to be avoided for proper introspection, according to Titchener, this was a tendency to report the products of conscious experience instead of the conscious experience itself

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attributes

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In Titchener's system, these were the ways of classifying the various elements of conscious experience; for example, the element of sensation had the attributes of quality, intensity, duration, and clarity

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social Darwinism

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the belief that evolutionary forces were natural and inevitable and that any attempt to disrupt them (e.g.. By creating programs for the poor) was misguided and doomed to failure; associated with Spencer

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reflex arc

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basic unit of behavior, reduced by physiologists into the stimulus producing sensation, the central processing producing and idea, and the motor response; analysis rejected by Dewey, who argued that the arc should be seen instead as a coordinated unit that adapted the individual to the environment

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progressive education

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associated with Dewey, an approach to education that emphasized making the student an active learner (learning by doing)

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trial-and-error learning

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Thorndike's explanation for the behavior of his cats in puzzle boxes - they escaped by trying various behaviors until hitting on one that worked; also used by Morgan to provide a parsimonious explanation for the behavior of dogs escaping from yards

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connectionism

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Thorndike's model of learning, emphasizing the development and strengthening of connections between stimulus situations and responses that became stronger with trial and error learning

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law of effect

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Thorndike's principle that behaviors that were effective in problem solving would be strengthened (stamped in), while behaviors that were not effective would be weakened (stamped out)

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law of exercise

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Thorndike's principle that learned connections between stimuli and responses were strengthened with additional practice

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ethology

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the study of animal behavior in its natural surroundings; associated with Lorenz, but with roots in Spalding's work

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transfer

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the effect of learning in one situation on learning in a second situation; could be positive or negative; pioneer studies by Woodworth and Thorndike

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S-O-R model

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proposed by Woodworth to recognize the importance of the organism intervening between stimulus and response

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drive

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term referring to the motivational processes (e.g., the hunger drive), introduced to psychology by Woodworth as an example of a factor that intervenes between stimulus and response; important intervening variable for Hull

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independent variable

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any variable in research that can be directly manipulated by an experimenter; this usage introduced by Woodworth

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dependent variable

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any variable in research that is measured as an outcome of an experimental study; this usage introduced by Woodworth

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mental test

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any test designed to measure mental activity or ability; term introduced in 1890 by Cattell

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completion test

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mental test designed by Ebbinghaus to measure mental fatigue in school children; because it focused on higher mental activity, it anticipated the approach later taken by Binet

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individual psychology

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label used by both Binet and Adler; for Binet, psychology should focus on ways of identifying and measuring individual differences (e.g., mental testing) rather than on general laws

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mental level

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term used by Binet to indicate a child's level of mental functioning; those in need of remediation scored two levels below the norm for their chronological age

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mental age

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mistranslation of Binet's mental level; indicated a child's level of mental ability, reported in terms of years

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moron

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term invented by Goddard as a label for adolescents or adults scoring at a mental age of 8 through 12

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intelligence quotient

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term invented by Stern and used by Terman in the Stanford-Binet tests; "IQ" equaled mental age divided by chronological age, the result multiplied by 100

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meritocracy

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a model of society based on the idea that the most mentally competent should be the leaders; championed by most American mental testers, especially Terman

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attrition

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methodological problem in longitudinal research, when participants drop out of the study; notably low in Terman's longitudinal study of giftedness

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army alpha

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group intelligence test developed by Yerkes for testing the abilities of literate soldiers in World War I

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army beta

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group intelligence test developed by Yerkes for testing the abilities of illiterate soldiers in World War I

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nativism

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an extreme nationalist tendency, in which outsiders are considered inferior and dangerous; characterized by the United States in 1920's, contributing to restrictions placed on immigration

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forensic psychology

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the application of psychology to the law, pioneered by Munsterberg

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ergonomics

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study of how systems and equipment can be best designed to avoid human error; pioneered by Gilbreth