...Evolutionary cognitive neuroscience Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 5(1). 2007. -233- Keywords: evolutionary cognitive neuroscience, modularity, evolved cognitive adaptations ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Introduction Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience (ECN) integrates comparative neuroscience, archeology, physical anthropology, paleoneurology, cognitive primatology, evolutionary psychology, and cognitive, social and affective neuroscience in an effort to identify and describe the neural mechanisms that have been forged by selection pressures during human evolutionary history that define the human mind, as well as identify comparative neural mechanisms for cognition. In its simplest form, evolutionary cognitive neuroscience is the merging of the fields of evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience using methodology from both disciplines and guidance from evolutionary meta-theory. In this coalescence, the identification of neural substrates of psychological adaptations is paramount. A recent volume (Platek, Keenan, and Shackelford, 2007) presents the first comprehensive overview of this emerging discipline, which is briefly reviewed here (see also Platek and Shackelford, under contract). This article consists of three major sections: 1) historical antecedents to and current state of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience, 2) a brief introduction to methods available to the evolutionary...
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...Cognitive psychology is a scientific subset of psychology that studies mental processes including thinking, memory, perception and learning. This discipline focuses on cognition and acquiring information. Cognitive psychology studies how an individual distinguishes, learns and retains information; thinks, rationalizes and responds. Cognitive psychology, according to the text, focuses on how a person feels on the inside. (Willingham, 2007). 1.2 Identify key milestones in the development of cognitive psychology as a discipline. Cognitive psychology developed as a deeper analysis of mental processes associated with behavioral psychology (behaviorism). The development of cognitive psychology is largely attributed to Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis. Its development includes several milestones and key approaches which make cognitive psychology one of the most important disciplines of psychology. The basic foundation of cognitive psychology is Alderian psychology. The evolution of cognitive psychology is evident in several main approaches which are presently influential: Ellis’s “Rationale Emotive Therapy” Beck’s works in cognitive therapy Computational cognitive approach Cognitive neuropsychology 1.3 Discuss the importance of behavioral observation in cognitive psychology. Observation must be made in order to understand and explain behavior. Cognition, in the mental and inner sense, can only be measured by observing behavior patterns; inner states are not visible. 1.4 Explain...
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...Organizational Psychology Alisa M. Davis Psych 570/Organizational Psychology March 28, 2012 University of Phoenix Organizational Psychology The field of organizational psychology focuses more on group type settings and situations, usually in offices and workplace environments. This field of psychology takes research and theories to intervene and communicate numerous strategies and applies them in group situations in both workplace and non-workplace settings. Psychologists in this field are usually focused on helping individuals better understand his or her interactions with others, so that each individual can better work together to accomplish goals at hand. This paper will define organizational psychology and explain the evolution of the field of organizational psychology. This paper will also compare and contrast organizational psychology with related disciplines and analyze the role of research and statistics in the field of organizational psychology. Definition of Organizational Psychology According to Rutgers On-line Dictionary (2007) the definition of organizational psychology has an in-depth meaning. The definition consists of intervening in a situation that deals with individuals in order to achieve one or numerous objectives. These objectives usually involve raising or improving performance, improving relationships and systems, enhancing equity and fairness and increasing subjective well being (Jex...
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...Foundations of Psychology John Stafford University of Phoenix PSY/300 Abstract There are several major approaches to psychological study with several other disciplines falling under these primary approaches. Ranging from psychodynamic to evolutionary perspectives, and rarely sharing a unified paradigm, psychology has advanced since the late 1800s to be a wide-ranging field of human study. Foundations of Psychology The study of psychology found roots in philosophy. However, Wilhelm Wundt, who founded the first psychological laboratory, led the recognition of psychology as a science in 1879. In the mid-to-late 1940s standards were put into place for the doctoral programs designed to place emphasis on a general knowledge of psychology. This knowledge included the history of psychology, and modern disciplines of physiological, comparative, developmental, and social psychology. Students were also required to gain an understanding of research methods, advanced statistics, and psychological scaling (Zlotlow, Peterson, & Nelson, 2011). Behavioral Foundations of Psychology The major topics covered in behavioral psychology include evolution, heredity, and adaptation and learning, mating habits, parenting behaviors, and primate study. Behavioral psychology primarily focuses on the study of animal behavior to obtain a deeper understanding of human behavior. Studies like Ivan Pavlov’s (1849-1936) research on classical conditioning, also referred to as “Pavlov’s Dogs,” he...
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...Psychological Perspective Paper Introduction Psychology is the study of human and animal behavior. There are various perspectives within psychology and the upcoming paragraphs deal with 6 psychological perspectives: Behavioral, Cognitive, Biological, Developmental, Psychodynamic, Sociocultural and Evolutionary. Psychological Perspectives All six perspectives seek to explore and examine human behavior and makes use of varying techniques in order to do so. Each perspective tries to search for answers to different questions, which exist about behavior. Each of these perspectives is different hence they have there own reasoning and explanation. Among the perspectives of psychology, many have been accepted some whereas others have had difficulty in being accepted. Behavioral Behavioral Psychology is a branch is psychology that claims that all behavior is learned through conditioning. The field is also known as behaviorism. The idea behind it is that all people acquire their behavior by interacting with their environment through classical condition or operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is the involuntary, or automatic, response to a stimulus (i.e. fight or flight response) where as Operant conditioning is that of a learned behavior through positive/negative reinforcement (consequences) or positive/negative punishment. (What Is Behavioral Psychology, 2011) Cognitive Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people...
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...heated arguments against science, particularly psychology and biology, seem to center around a perceived threat against humanity. For example, evolution was and still is challenged, in large part, because to believe in evolution means accepting natural selection and similarity among evolved species. Evolution threatens the uniqueness and even the superiority of humankind, according to many opponents. Similarly, the possibility of language in primates is refuted by many, I believe, in large part because this cognitive ability has been believed to be reserved only for humans. John Searle seems to be making a similar argument against what he refers to as “strong” artificial intelligence. Searle argues that “instantiating a program” (422) cannot lead to understanding as a human, or even an animal understands. Searle argues that machines or programs lack “intentionality”, and are meaningless. I sympathize with Searle that it is difficult to accept a machine that shares cognitive capabilities with a human. Such a hypothesis seems to challenge the core values of humanity, such as our individuality and our unpredictability, or diversity. The rational human mind is something that has set humans apart from all other things even before Descartes’ “cogito ergo sum.” However just as evolution and language capabilities among primates have challenged core beliefs about humanity, more recent discoveries made in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive...
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...Foundations of Psychology Jacob Wilkins PSY 300 July 29th 2013 Genevieve Molina Abstract A large part of psychology is devoted to discovering and treating mental health issues, but that's just the beginning when it comes to applications for psychology. As well as mental health, psychology can be used for a variety of issues that affect our health and daily life. Throughout the history of psychology it has branched into different thought. These schools of thought are used to explain different views on human thought and behavior. The different schools of thought in the field of psychology are; psychodynamic, behaviorism, cognitive, and the evolutionary perspective. While these schools of thought are sometimes seen to compete against each other, collectively each perspective has helped our understanding of psychology as a whole. The psychodynamic perspective is the approach that is considered the most popular with the discipline of psychology. Sigmund Freud, a Viennese physician. First developed this theory in the late 19th century. This approach was based on the fact that people's problems can not only be caused by physical pain or conscious thoughts, but by powerful unconscious motives. This way of thinking became popular due to its ability to explain human behavior. The psychodynamic perspective is based on three ideas. "First, people’s actions are determined by the way thoughts, feelings, and wishes are connected in their minds. Second, many of these mental events...
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...Cognitive Psychology The definition of cognitive psychology is, "a branch of psychology concerning the mental processes, including perception, thinking, learning, and memory; with respects to internal events occurring with sensory stimulation and overt oppression of behavior" (Merriam-Webster Inc., 2013). The importance of cognitive psychology is understood through various views, theories, and research studies. Cognitive psychology had many milestones encouraging the development of this branch of psychology beginning with ancient Greek times when merely thoughts and questions surrounded its understanding. The ancient Greeks knew little about the human mind and the mental processes it possessed. Cognitive psychology spawned a desire for people to understand how the mind works and what processes involve learning. Philosophers and early psychologists alike studied the mind. Speculating the workings of the mind and displaying consistent curiosity set the milestones seen today in the developments of cognitive psychology as a discipline (Willingham, 2007). Four Key Milestones in Cognitive Psychology Surprisingly, milestones dating back to the ancient Greek times have set a precedent in today’s views of cognitive psychology. Even though most of the Greeks' answers to their own questions about the mind and knowledge were incorrect, the assumptions they made contribute to the field of cognitive psychology...
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...What is clinical psychology? Clinical psychology is the “discipline that uses what is known about the principles of human behavior to help people with their numerous troubles and concerns they experience during the course of life in their relationships, emotions, and physical selves” (Plante, 2011). The paper will discuss the history and evolving nature of clinical psychology and how psychology is still changing overtime. Next, the paper will discuss the roles that research and statistics play into clinical psychology. Lastly, the paper will include the differences between clinical psychology and other types of health professions, such as clinical psychology versus social work, clinical psychology versus psychiatry, and clinically psychology versus school psychology. History and Evolving Nature of Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology has changed over the last 25 years. For starters the DSM-III was published as well as the APA standards were revised. The American Psychological Society was founded, as well as the APA published the findings from the Presidential Task force for evidence-practice. Two of the main evolved approaches would be the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach as well as the Humanistic Approach. The Cognitive-Behavioral Approach was popular in the 1970s and they were used for depression as well as “treatment focusing on changing thinking, feeling, and expectations became as important as the goal of changing overt behavior” (Plante, 2011). The Humanistic...
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...Analysis of Social Psychology People have been curious since the dawn of time and this curiosity has driven us to learn from and to understand the world around us. In order to fully understand our world, it was necessary for people to develop a method of study to explain what they experienced through the application of evaluation and analysis. Social psychology is the study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people (Kenrick, Neuberg & Cialdini, 2010). Social psychology is a division of psychology that analyzes the individual and their mental processes and how this can be applied to that persons interactions with society and also how interacting with society can influence the individuals thinking and behavior. By studying how people interact with each other, psychologists have been able to explain why people behave in certain ways and what their rationales are for their behavior. Social psychology is about understanding individual behavior in a social context, particularly the reciprocal interaction between the individual and the group that individual interacts with. As a scientific discipline, social psychology has only been around for a little longer that a hundred years. Since there are multiple ways to evaluate and attempt to understand how and why people interact with each other, social psychology has been referred to as a bridge discipline (Kenrick et al., 2010). This means that social psychology can be applied to many...
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...Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Ann Bacon Psy/410 Abnormal Psychology October 24, 2011 Kristi Lane University of Phoenix Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology What is abnormal psychology? Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with behaviors that are not considered normal as well as psychological phenomena such as dreams and altered mental states, which have not been explained. The goal of this branch of psychology is to understand abnormal behavior as well as to determine how and if the behavior needs to be addressed and to develop a treatment plan that will help individuals. This branch of psychology also recognizes that there are many influences such as environmental influences on psychological development. The goal of many mental health professionals is not to force an individual to achieve normality but to help individuals who struggle with mental and emotional disorders to achieve fulfilling and active lives. However, to completely understand what abnormal psychology is we need to understand the origins of abnormal psychology as well as the challenges of defining and classifying normal and abnormal behavior. It is also important to understand how abnormal psychology evolved into a scientific discipline as well as the different viewpoints or models of abnormal psychology. The following paragraphs will hopefully help us to completely understand the branch of abnormal psychology. Origins of Abnormal Psychology The field of abnormal...
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...Major Perspectives in Psychology Psychology is a discipline that asks and answers the fundamental question, why do we behave the way we do and think the way we think?. The best way to characterize the different approaches that are taken to answer the question of psychology is to identify them as major perspectives. The major perspectives represent fundamental assumptions that underlie the research questions and methods that are used in order to answer the questions of psychology. Most all perspectives define psychology as the discipline interested in studying human behavior and mental processes, but that covers a lot of ground and the causes of behavior and mental processes are not always clear. This outline will attempt to catalogue the major perspectives and give the reader a sense of the underlying assumptions, the philosophical foundations, the research methods, and the outcomes or practices that result from the efforts of researchers and practitioners. Let's just begin with a list of the perspectives and a short description. 1. Psychodynamic Perspective: Probably the approach that has been most popularly associated with the discipline of psychology for the past century is the psychodynamic, psychoanalytic perspective. Sigmund Freud, who was medically trained in neurology, developed a theory of personality that made the assumption that human motivation was propelled by conflicts between instinctual, mostly unconscious, psychological forces. He called...
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...Evolution of Cognitive Psychology General psychology studies behaviors and mental processes. Cognitive psychology focuses on scientifically studying mental processes (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2008). Cognitive psychologists do look at behaviors but they focus on how those behaviors relate to the mental processes an individual is experiencing. As individuals always have thoughts, mental processes have been in abundance, but did not come under scrutiny until the last several decades. Recently, mental processes and thinking have begun to be examined to learn how those processes or thoughts can affect an individual’s behaviors (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2008). As time has passed cognitive psychology has grown and evolved allowing a subdiscipline of psychology to be developed. Cognition Cognition is made up of several cognitive processes. The different processes can include memory, identifying, classifying, decision making, and attention (Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler, 2008). Individuals use several mental processes daily and rarely think about the process used because it is second nature. Individuals respond to their environment in ways that can seem reflex, but the reflex is in reaction to how the body sends the information to the mind, it is instantly processed, and an action is sent to be completed. The word “cognition” comes from the Latin word “cognosco,” meaning to discover, recognize, learn, study, investigate, or make decisions (Ruisel, 2010...
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...Psychology is a discipline that asks and answers the fundamental question, why do we behave the way we do and think the way we think?. The best way to characterize the different approaches that are taken to answer the question of psychology is to identify them as major perspectives. The major perspectives represent fundamental assumptions that underlie the research questions and methods that are used in order to answer the questions of psychology. Most all perspectives define psychology as the discipline interested in studying human behavior and mental processes, but that covers a lot of ground and the causes of behavior and mental processes are not always clear. This outline will attempt to catalogue the major perspectives and give the reader a sense of the underlying assumptions, the philosophical foundations, the research methods, and the outcomes or practices that result from the efforts of researchers and practitioners. Let's just begin with a list of the perspectives and a short description. 1. Psychodynamic Perspective: Probably the approach that has been most popularly associated with the discipline of psychology for the past century is the psychodynamic, psychoanalytic perspective. Sigmund Freud, who was medically trained in neurology, developed a theory of personality that made the assumption that human motivation was propelled by conflicts between instinctual, mostly unconscious, psychological forces. He called these intrapsychic elements the...
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...required readings for this essay, cited on the reference page, I was able to explore several views that help support my position on human nature. I believe that human nature is derived from a complex combination of genetic, or physiopsychology, behavioral, or cognitive psychology, and environmental, or social psychology. Simply put, human nature is a combination of both trait and state psychology. There are certainly practical advantages for considering even the simplest understanding of human nature as it relates to business, culture and productivity all of which I intend to prove throughout this reaction paper. Let’s examine physical psychology in more depth. Research has provided us with information suggesting that a person is born with certain abilities as it relates to the make-up of the brain, nerves, hormones and other physical factors. These items collectively create our psychological core of which sets limits as to how much information we can process. In other words, when we are born we’re “hard-wired” with a certain capacity to process and interpret information at some level. According to Nicolson (1998), humans are hard-wired due our drive for survival which stems from Darwin’s theory of evolution. This theory suggests that human nature, or life for that matter, all stems from the human ability to naturally evolve for survival and efficiency over the span of our existence. Aligned is the theory of natural selection which specifies that nature will automatically...
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