The Big Ideas
Chapter 2 focuses on the influence of what broad area of thought on the development of psychology?
Philosophy
What does mechanism mean in the context of Chapter 2?
What is the idea that the universe - and many things within it- could be understood as operating like a machine, according to predictable laws.
Which philosopher is associated with the mind-body problem discussed in chapter 2?
Who is Rene Descartes
Name ONE of the three philosophical foundations discussed in this section.
Positivism, Materialism, or Empiricism
Empiricism says we gain knowledge through this
What is experience
True or False
Psychology developed completely independently of philosophical ideas.
False
What does the phrase "clockwork universe" suggest?
What is that the universe operates in an orderly, predictable, mechanical way, much like a clock.
What 2 entities did Descartes distinguish in his discussion of human beings?
What philosophical position emphasizes knowledge based on observable, scientific facts
What is positivism
Our five ___________ are important to empiricism because they help us experience the world.
What are the senses?
This approach tries to explain something by breaking it down into smaller parts.
What is reductionism.
A machine that could perform calculations was an example of this idea: people could use machines to imitate human abilities.
What is automata?
What is the mind-body problem?
The philosophical question of how the mind and body are related and how something mental can interact with something physical.
Which philosophical position emphasizes the physical or material basis of reality?
What is materialism
Why is empiricism important to psychology?
It contributed to the idea that knowledge about human behavior should be based on experience, observation, and evidence.
This philosophical approach says knowledge should be based on observation and evidence.
What is positivism?
Why was the idea of mechanism important to the development of psychology?
It encouraged the belief that behavior and bodily processes could be studied scientifically and explained through lawful, measurable processes.
According to Descartes' view, the body could be understood in largely __________ terms.
What is mechanical?
What is empiricism
Which philosopher is associated with the idea that the mind begins without built in knowledge and that experience helps shape what we know.
Who is John Locke?
This philosophical approach emphasizes learning through experience and the senses
What is empiricism?
The idea that people could be understood as machines helped encourage scientists to study human behavior in a more ___________ way.
What is scientific?
A student says: "My brain is physical but my thoughts aren't something I could hold in my hand. So how can a physical brain produce a mental experience?"
What major philosophical problem is the student describing?
What is the mind-body problem?
A scientist says: "I don't want to speculate about things that cannot be observed or scientifically investigated. Give me evidence."
Which philosophical influence does this statement most strongly reflect?
What is positivism
Which school of thought heavily adopts empiricism?
What is behaviorism