...science of psychology during the 19th century. History of Psychology Psychology was not well known as a separate discipline until the late 1800’s, its initial history can be traced back to the era of the early Greeks. All throughout the 17th century, Rena Descartes, a French philosopher, introduced the first idea of dualism, which is the explanation that the mind and body are separate parts that work together to create the human experience. “Many other issues still debated by psychologists today, such as relative contributions of nature vs. nurture are rooted in these early philosophical traditions” (Citizendium, 2010). Psychology has been often mistakenly viewed as a young discipline, in all actuality Psychology has roots extending from ancient Greece. The father of psychology is known as Aristotle, he wrote his thesis “ De Anima, Parva Naturalia approximately around 350 CE. Aristotle’s thesis is commonly regarded to as the first codification of psychology as a formal discipline. “ The foundations of modern psychology were laid by the 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who argued that scientific causes could be established for every sort of phenomenon through deductive reasoning” (Citizendium, 2010). Rene Descartes, Baruch Spinoza and G.W....
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...Nature vs. Nurture Troy Crosland WGU Issues in Behavior Science GLT1 Nature vs. Nurture Issues concerning the nature vs. nurture debate are amongst the oldest in science. This debate centers around the argument of biological and genetic contributions as opposed to those imposed on human development from environmental factors. Many scholars such as Descartes and Plato suggest many of our individual traits are inherited from our parents, they happen naturally regardless of any influence from our environment. John Locke and many other prominent thinkers have promoted the idea of tabula rasa (blank slate), which promotes the idea that when born our minds are like a blank slate ready to be shaped by experience and influence from our environment. (Cherry, 2011, p. 1) The controversy surrounding the nature vs. nurture debate is over whether children develop various attributes based on their genetics known as “nature” or is it more associated to how they are raised which is know as “nurture”. (Sessions & Larson, 2011, expression 1) So why does it matter if we are born intelligent, or become intelligent? There are many reasons the nature vs. nurture debate continues, her are a few reasons: * Parenthood/Relationships: If specific attributes are due to environmental factors (nurture), parents and educators can implement the most effective methods discovered in order to get the best results. If said attributes are determined to be more influenced by genetics (nature)...
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...evolution these things get embedded in our system. So, in a way, I believe that the Nature aspects are in fact influenced by our environment. The Nurture aspects influence the Nature aspects and vice versa. The skills we are born with influence the things we pick up from our environment. Cause and effect.A big debate in psychology is nature vs nurture. The argument is as to whether a person's gene's (nature) mold them into an individual or whether their environment and how they are raised plays a part. The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development. Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate. According to this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our experience. For example, when a person achieves tremendous academic success, did they do so because they are genetically predisposed to be successful or is it a result of an enriched environment? Today, the majority of experts believe that behavior and development are influenced by both nature and nurture. However, the issue still rages on in many areas such as in the debate on the origins...
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...Foundation of Psychology Psychology is the study of human behavior and mind. According to Psychology: The Study of Mental Processes and Behavior defined psychology as the scientific investigation of mental processes (thinking, remembering, feeling, etc.) and behavior. Psychology alone has more than one basic foundation. Psychology can be as broad as biology and as detailed as philosophy, because it includes humans who are very complex in nature. Psychology involves more than how people act; it includes their thought process, emotions, memories, and analysis of events. When psychology was first introduced people weren’t sure if it was a science separated from biology and philosophy. The major school of thought in psychology exemplifies the major theories within psychology. Over the years there are many schools of thoughts in psychology that has developed, that are in addition to the main eight which are structuralism, functionalism, rationalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, Gestalt psychology, and Cognitive Psychology. . The first school of thought, structuralism was endorsed by Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Bradford Titchner between 1890-1920 in Germany and the US. This school of thought analyzes the mental processes and broke in down into the most basic component. Techniques such as introspection was use to examine how the human mind processed information. Due to the concept of structuralism, John Dewey was credited as the founder of functionalism...
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...Westen, 2005). Psychology was (in some perspectives) stumbled upon in very early biological studies. It was observed that patients with head trauma injuries were test subjects to the identification of the correlation between the human brain and physical responses. This discovery opened the door to the study of human psychology. The finding that the human brain interacted with the body in producing reactions and actions led to an entirely new world of study filled with fascinating aspects, now known as psychology. The foundation of psychology is built largely upon philosophy and was rooted from such philosophers such as Aristotle and Descartes. Psychology has been traced back as far as the seventeenth century, but did not evolve into a separate discipline until the 1800’s. Rene Descartes was the first to introduce dualism. Dualism is the assertion that the mind and body are two separate entities that interact together to form the human experience. The debates of yesterday are still often contemplated. For example...
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...QUESTION 1 (B) - Students who go to class half an hour later than the prescribed start time for eight classes in a semester lost every desirable privileges (breaks during class, no football games, graduation dinner etc.). After the rule was implemented, there seemed to be a marked improvement in student attendance in class. How does operant conditioning explain the students’ behavior? Introduction Operant conditioning was thoroughly studied by Burrhus Frederick Skinner (B.F. Skinner), which he confirmed that someone learning ability is displayed by his or her behavior. When a factor in the person’s environment changes the consequences that they endure from their learning, can cause a positive or a negative impact on their behavior, which he categorize as reinforcers or punishments. Therefore, Operant Conditioning is a tool that can influence a person’s increasing or decrease his or her behavior by the consequences of their behavior. Operant conditioning will be illustrated by the behavior of the students when removing negative reinforcement or punishment or adding positive reinforcement or punishment (Robins et al, 2013). In this paragraph, the student’s behavior will be explained using Negative Reinforcement with the illustration of their behavior being increased frequently, towards the termination of the unfavorable consequence, which is, not having the privileges. From the question, the students attended to class early, which is their behavior, in order to avoid...
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...and topics should the subject of psychology deal with? What methods of research should be used when studying psychology? Should research be used in order to influence education, public policy and other aspects of human behavior? Is psychology a science? Should psychology focus on internal mental processes or on observable behavior? Physiology and Philosophy While psychology did not really emerge as a separate science until the latter half of the 19th century, its initial history can be traced right back to the ancient Greeks. During the 1600's, the famous French philosopher, Rene Descartes, introduced the concept of dualism, which stressed on the fact the body and the mind were basically two separate entities that interacted together to form the normal human experience. Many of the other issues that are still debated by psychologists today, like relative contributions of nature vs. nurture, are deep-rooted in these early philosophical concepts. So why is psychology different from...
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...limitations of common sense as a social practice (ensuing from the way knowledge is shared and communicated) and intrinsic limitations (limited viewpoint). Extrinsic limitations Extrinsic limitations can be bias or dogmatic. Bias limitations is insights based on personal experiences are difficult to distinguish from one's preferences, desires or fears. Dogmatism limitation is when beliefs based on common sense become embedded in a particular cultural framework, they are very difficult to change and often become dogmatic. Limitations of common sense as a social practice Limitations can be intangible or elusiveness in nature. According to this limitation, common sense is based on clues often too complex and subtle to be rationally explained and systematically described. Intrinsic limitations Intrinsic limitations are limited in scope and inaccurate in nature. Limited scope means that common sense is limited one’s own experiences which is not taking into account all aspects of reality. Imprecision limitations mean that common sense relies on ‘rule of thumb' methods and, therefore, is not very precise. With those limitations listed, it is no wonder why critical thing is more reliable. Critical thinking is judicious (deliberate and thorough) thinking (correct reasoning) about what to believe and, therefore, what to do. Critical thinking is neither negative, passive, destructive, nor adversarial; it is not cold, calculating, and unfeeling;...
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...,Introduction * Anthropology -The study of the lives and cultures of human beings, alive or dead. -They also study the evolution of these cultures over time as well as significant changes. * Sociology -Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and societies. -They also study the interactions among these groups and the individuals within them. * Psychology -The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. -Psychologists look at how the brain functions and what is the result on peoples personalities, behaviors, and attitudes. <Introduction to Sociology> * What is sociology? - The social science discipline that looks at the development and structure of human society (institutions) and how it works - Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior * Sociology subjects matter - Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts * Hierarchy - Hierarchy is the ranking system used in any particular environment based on authority or power - Each position or role requires a certain type of expertise which is valued by society - In order to distinguish between these roles people are expected to dress and act in a certain way - On any given day we can play many different roles in society – eg. A parent can drive their kids to school and then go to work and teach their students * The roles...
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...PSYCHOLOGY and your life chapter 1 introduction to ps ychology 2 chapter outline A Gift of Life It was every subway rider’s nightmare, times two. Who has ridden along New York’s 656 miles of subway lines and not wondered: “What if I fell to the tracks as a train came in? What would I do?” And who has not thought: “What if someone else fell? Would I jump to the rescue?” Wesley Autrey, a 50-year-old construction worker and navy veteran, faced both those questions in a flashing instant yesterday and got his answers almost as quickly. Mr. Autrey was waiting for the downtown local at 137th Street and Broadway in Manhattan around 12:45 p.m. He was taking his two daughters, Syshe, 4, and Shuqui, 6, home before work. Nearby, a man collapsed, his body convulsing. Mr. Autrey and two women rushed to help, he said. The man, Cameron Hollopeter, 20, managed to get up, but then stumbled to the platform edge and fell to the tracks, between the two rails. The headlights of the No. 1 train appeared. “I had to make a split decision,” Mr. Autrey said. So he made one, and leapt. Mr. Autrey lay on Mr. Hollopeter, his heart pounding, pressing him down in a space roughly a foot deep. The train’s brakes screeched, but it could not stop in time. Five cars rolled overhead before the train stopped, the cars passing inches from his head, smudging his blue knit cap with grease. Mr. Autrey heard onlookers’ screams. “We’re O.K. down here,” he yelled, “but I’ve got two daughters up there...
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...feL82809_ch01_002-047.indd Page 2 8/2/10 9:46 PM user-f465 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Psychology /Users/user-f465/Desktop feL82809_ch01_002-047.indd Page 3 8/2/10 9:46 PM user-f465 /Users/user-f465/Desktop Key Concepts for Chapter 1 MODULE 1 What is the science of psychology? ● What Psychologists at Work are the major specialties in the field of The Subfields of Psychology: Psychology’s Family Tree psychology? ● Where do psychologists Working at Psychology PsychWork: Licensed Social Worker work? MODULE 2 What are the origins of psychology? ● What are the major approaches in contemporary psychology? ● What are psychology’s key issues and controversies? ● What is the future of psychology likely to hold? A Science Evolves: The Past, the Present, and the Future The Roots of Psychology Today’s Perspectives Applying Psychology in the 21st Century: Psychology Matters Psychology’s Key Issues and Controversies Psychology’s Future MODULE 3 What is the scientific method? ● What role Research in Psychology do theories and hypotheses play in The Scientific Method psychological research? ● What research Descriptive Research methods do psychologists use? ● How do Experimental Research Psychological Research psychologists establish cause-and-effect relationships using experiments? MODULE 4 What major issues confront psychologists conducting research? Research Challenges: ...
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...Different schools of Psychology to the advancement of the field of Psychology Psychology began or has its roots in philosophy, the mother of all sciences. Aristotle in his works speaks rather remotely on different aspects of psychology. Among some of Aristotle’s major and famous works namely metaphysics, De Anime; he speaks of the soul which in profound consideration could come to the conclusion that it sounds synonymous with our modern understanding of ‘mind’. Thus psychology was a part of philosophy from the very beginning through it stands independently now. Further long before Aristotle existed; philosophers like Thales, Pythagoras, Heraclites and Parmenides spoke on the same subject even though it was not that much elaborated. Here we cannot forget the contribution made by Plato. He very clearly explains in his dialogues further on this matter. Psychology originated very simply as a result of the development of the metaphysical approach of the people of different times. In sociology it is an acceptable fact that the prevailing circumstances and state of a particular social milieu make a great impact on a particular matter. This impact varies from place to place time to time depending on the social characteristics. By inferences the aforementioned is the reason why there are different schools in psychology. When we analyses it stands to reason that all psychologists were trying to deal with the same matter. They have seen the same problems or the issues with regard to ‘mind’...
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... * Etc. * What is behavior driven by? * Mind * Body * Environment Basic Research vs. Applied Research * Basic Research is the seeking of more knowledge but not to solve a problem * Applied Research is using knowledge to solve a problem Figuring out what a part of the brain does is an example of? Basic Research Knowing what a part of the brain does and using that information to analyze why a part of a person’s brain isn’t working correctly? Applied research BEGINNINGS OF PSYCHOLOGY Who established the first laboratory devoted to Psychology, when, and where? * William Wundt, 1879, Leipzig, Germany Before 1800, questions of the mind were reserved for what field? * Philosophy From 1800 to 1879, rapid advances took place in what field? * Physiology Early psychology applied what methods to the study of the mind? * Physiological NEURONS 1600: Descartes & the Garden of St. Germain * Statues “came to life” as he walked through the garden * Gave way to thought about reflexes What are reflexes? * Reflexes are simple behaviors. They are FAST, AUTOMATIC, REACTIONS, to STIMULATION What are the three processes in a reflex, in order? * Reception – Stimulation from the senses * Transmission – Neurons * Reaction – Muscles Rene Descartes considered what aspect of reflexes? *...
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...A2 Religious Studies Revision Booklet To be used alongside the textbook and your classnotes. Contents G581: Philosophy of Religion Religious Language......................................................………p.1 Religious Experience........................................................…...p.7 Miracles..................................................................…………...p.12 Nature of God............................................................………...p.16 Life and Death.........................................................…………..p.20 G582: Religious Ethics Meta-ethics...........................…………………………………….p.25 Free Will and Determinism………………………………….……p.28 Conscience.......................…………………………………….…p.32 Virtue Ethics………………………………………………………..p.36 Sexual Ethics…………………………………………………...….p.40 Environment and Business Ethics……………………………….p.44 Religious Language Introduction The problems of religious language: • If we use language univocally about God, then we are limiting him / making him like a human • If we use language equivocally about God, we cannot be sure what the word means when applied to God • Are statements about God supposed to be cognitive – if so, what evidence proves / disproves them? • Are statements about God supposed to be non-cognitive – if so, do they have any meaning? The Verification...
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...Abstract Academic achievement of a student is always a main concern for the parents that hoping for the success of their children. In fact, there are factors influencing academic achievement of a student in Malaysia. First of all, social life became a main factor to influence a student in especially from the family, friends and tutors where there might have both positive and negative impact upon the children. Apart from that, the advanced technology in this current era, co-curricular, physical evidence and personality of a student will also play their role in influencing their academic achievement. This article will discuss all the factors in depth for better understanding. Introduction: Technology There has always been a hot topic in news discussing students’ academic achievements every year, and this has become the main concern for the parents hoping for a bright future awaits for their children. Despite the odd, we often see students often panic before the major examination, burning midnight oil to strive their best to achieve flying colours. How do we determine the success of a student? In fact, there are numbers of factors influencing academic achievement of a student in Malaysia. This article will be discussing on every factors thoroughly to discover the factors that are able to cause serious impact upon academic achievements for a student. Personality Social What factors...
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