Psych 397 Chapter 9

Front 1

Comte de Buffon (1707-1788)

Back 1

One of the great French scientists of the 18th century remembered, among other things, for an early theory of geological evolution that challenged the strict biblical chronology advanced by Archbishop Ussher. Buffon was also one of the first of the modern scientists to offer a theory of organic evolution.

Front 2

Catastrophe Theory

Back 2

View of evolutionary change advanced by the French scientist Cuvier that earth-wrenching catastrophes may have annihilated entire species and that such catastrophes have produced abrupt changes in populations and their characteristics. Contrast with uniformitarianism.

Front 3

Vincenzo Chiarugi (1759-1820)

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Italian humanitarian who instituted reforms in the treatment and care of the mentally disturbed prior to Pinel in France. Chiarugi was one of the first to employ psychodrama as a therapeutic tool.

Front 4

Cosmogony

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The study of the origin of the cosmos or the universe.

Front 5

Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)

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French biologist who argued that evolutionary change is often abrupt because it is brought about by great natural catastrophes.

Front 6

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

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Modern evolutionary theorist who supported his theory of evolution by a wealth of empirical evidence. Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace also proposed a mechanism for evolution based on natural selection that was acceptable to a large number of scientists. Darwin was also a pioneer in the study of developmental processes in small children.

Front 7

Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802)

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Grandfather of Charles Darwin and a member of England's Lunar Society who argued that natural processes evolve without divine intervention. Erasmus' theory of evolution was based on the concept of inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Front 8

Demonology

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Literally, the study of demons, but the term also refers to belief in demons as causal agents.

Front 9

Dorthea Lynde Dix (1802-1887)

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American humanitarian reformer who worked for over forty years on behalf of the insane poor. Dix advocated a therapeutic climate for curable patients and humane living conditions for all patients.

Front 10

Francis Galton (1822-1911)

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Cousin of Charles Darwin and pioneer in the study of individuals differences. Galton emphasized the hereditary basis of individual differences.

Front 11

Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834-1919)

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German zoologist, one of the first to emphasize the importance of evolutionary theory to psychology.

Front 12

Heuristic Theory

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A heuristic theory fosters discovery, learning, and predictive efficiency.

Front 13

Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

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Belief held by many early theorists such as Erasmus Darwin and Lamarck that acquisitions of parents are passed on to offspring. This explanation of evolutionary change is rejected in mainstream biology at the beginning of the 21st century.

Front 14

Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard (1775-1838)

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A French teacher of hearing-impaired individuals and early pioneer in the training and treatment of mental deficiency.

Front 15

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

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German rationalist who is remembered for his naturalistic account of the origin of the solar system.

Front 16

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)

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French biologist remembered for his early original work on the nature of species and for an early theory of organic evolution based on the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Front 17

Pierre Simon de Laplace (1749-1827)

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French scientist who advanced an early naturalistic account of the solar system known as the nebular hypothesis.

Front 18

Charles Lyell (1797-1875)

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Often regarded as the founder of modern geology. His classic three-volume Principles of Geology presented a view of the evolution of the earth marked by the belief that change occurs over vast stretches of time. This view is sometimes called gradualism or uniformitarianism.

Front 19

Malleus Maleficarum

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Literally, The Hammer against Witches. A book published in 1486 by Dominican friars Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger that served as a guide for detecting and prosecuting suspected witches during the Inquisition.

Front 20

Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834)

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Author of An Essay on the Principle of Population that set forth the hypothesis that populations may outgrow their food supply because food supply tends to increase arithmetically while populations increase geometrically.

Front 21

Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815)

Back 21

French physician who proposed a magnectic therapy that allegedly eliminated sickness by restoring magnetic balance inside the body. Although his career was marked by controversy, he pioneered an early form of hypnosis that became known as mesmerism.

Front 22

Conway Lloyd Morgan (1852-1936)

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English biologist, philosopher, and psychologist who made extensive contributions to comparative psychology. He is remembered for a regulative principle that came to be known as Morgan's cannon which states "In no case may we interpret an action as the outcome of the exercise of a higher physical faculty, if it can be interpreted as the outcome of the exercise of one which stands lower in the psychological scale."

Front 23

Naturalism

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The doctrine that scientist procedures and laws are applicable to all phenomena.

Front 24

Natural Selection

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A concept employed by Darwin to account for survival and extinction. Darwin believed that in the population of any species, some variants are, by chance, better adapted to certain niches; other variants may, by chance, be less well adapted. Advantages or disadvantages of parents will be passed on genetically to offspring. Thus, there is a natural selection for survival and extinction.

Front 25

Nebular Hypothesis

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In astronomy, the hypothesis that the solar system evolved from bodies of rarefied gases and dust in interstellar space.

Front 26

Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny

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Belief advanced first by Ernst Haeckel that the history of the individual (ontogeny) recapitulates the history of the species (phylogeny).

Front 27

Philippe Pinel (1745-1826)

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French physician and humanitarian reformer who advanced an early modern classification system of mental disorders. Pinel is typically remembered for cleaning up living conditions for those who were mentally ill and advocating therapy instead of custodialism.

Front 28

William Thierry Preyer (1841-1897)

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Pioneer in child psychology whose classic book The Mind of the Child served as a powerful impetus for the study of developmental processes.

Front 29

Johann Christian Reil (1759-1813)

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One of the founders of modern psychotherapy and an early advocate of experimental studies of basic psychological processes.

Front 30

George John Romanes (1848-1894)

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English biologist and Darwinian who helped found a science of comparative psychology. He is often criticized for his anecdotal methods, but he was aware of the problems of anecdotalism and argued for a broad methodology.

Front 31

Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)

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Early American physician who argued for liberal reforms such as the abolition of slavery and of public whippings. His book Medical Inquiries and Observations upon the Diseases of the Mind advocated humane treatment for mentally ill patients. He understood the value of warm baths, meaningful employment, and a supportive psychological environment as part of the treatment program for patients.

Front 32

Margaret Sanger (1883-1966)

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American reformer deeply concerned about women's health issues. She was instrumental in making accurate information about contraception available to the public and was a founder of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Front 33

Edouard Seguin (1812-1880)

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French pioneer in the study and treatment of mentally deficient individuals. Seguin's efforts helped inspire fund-raising for training facilities for mentally deficient people. His work also encouraged the development of scientific studies of basic psychological processes.

Front 34

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

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English philosopher who attempted to apply evolutionary thought to all branches of human knowledge. Evolution was thus a unifying principle for his philosophy. He is sometimes regarded as a fore-runner of American functionalism.

Front 35

Daniel Hack Tuke (1827-1895)

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For many years, the head of the York Retreat in England and a key figure in promoting scientific studies of mental illness and humanitarian treatment of people who are mentally ill.

Front 36

William Tuke (1732-1822)

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Philanthropist who helped found the York Retreat in England. The York Retreat incorporated the most advanced humanitarian treatment techniques available in its day.

Front 37

Uniformitarianism

Back 37

The belief that evolutionary change is gradual and that most change occurs over vast stretches of time. Contrast with catastrophe theory.

Front 38

Alfred Russel Walace (1823-1913)

Back 38

Simultaneously with Darwin, advanced a theory of organic evolution based on the concept of natural selection.