Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Psychology and Sociology

Understanding Key Theories of Intelligence

The Triarchic Theory by Sternberg is composed of the componential subtheory (process data acquisition, process implementation, and metacomponents), the experiential subtheory (intelligence operation applied to new experiences and automaticity), and the contextual subtheory (practical intelligence: selection, modification, and adaptation as basic mechanisms of operation). The primary focus of this theory is to determine the functioning of intelligence.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, by Gardner, proposes various types of intelligence. Each type has distinct features and functions, which can be described, explained, and evaluated independently.

This theory presents a pluralistic conception of the... Continue reading "Understanding Sternberg, Gardner, and Feuerstein's Theories of Intelligence" »

Theoretical Estimates

Rationalism

Rationalism: All we know is already in our minds at birth. Learning is an upgrade of that knowledge. The environment acts as a trigger.

Evolutionary Psychology

Nativist approaches. Representatives: Chomsky.

Partnership

Knowledge is the mental representation of the associations observed in the external world. The basis of knowledge is sensory experience: Empiricism.

• Neoassociationism: Partnerships between mental events.
• Connectionism: Representing knowledge as multiple, massive, and distributed (meta fora of the brain).

Constructivism

Synthesis between rationalism and partnerships. Sources of knowledge: the innate and the empirical. The resulting internal representations of actions in the world are active constructions.... Continue reading "Understanding Theoretical Estimates in Human Development" »

The Landscape of Emotional Life

• Affective processes (emotions and feelings)
• Affective states (mood and bodily states)

Defining Emotion

Emotion is an internal emotional reaction of some duration, with a beginning and an end, directed toward an object (concrete or abstract). It is classified as positive or negative (pleasure vs. displeasure) and accompanies cognition and learning.

Key characteristics of emotion include:

1. No universally accepted definition.
2. Accompanied by autonomic, endocrine, and skeletomotor responses.
3. Dependence on subcortical areas such as the hypothalamus and brainstem (e.g., amygdala).

Key Affective Concepts

Affective Process

A psychological experience or response with a beginning and an end, aimed at a specific object.

Affective State

A... Continue reading "Neurobiology of Emotion: Brain Mechanisms and Theories" »

Personality: Key Aspects

Personality encompasses the total sum of inherited and acquired psychic qualities that are characteristic of a person, making them unique. It can be understood through three main components:

1. Total Psychic Qualities: The inherited and acquired psychic qualities that define an individual and make them unique.
2. Temperament: A person's reaction to stimuli, stemming from their constitutional psychic abilities and qualities, as the way a person reacts depends basically on their inheritance.
3. Character: The distinctive behavior patterns characteristic of an individual.

Understanding Culture

The term culture refers to the lifestyle of any society, not just to areas that society considers higher or more desirable. There is no society... Continue reading "Human Nature: Personality, Culture, and Fundamental Needs" »

What is Reason?

Reason is the human capacity that allows us to understand ourselves and the world around us. It enables us to express this knowledge through language. Our language is primarily auditory, relying on our sense of hearing. However, reason depends on other capacities:

• Senses
• Memory
• Imagination
• Will

Emotions and Feelings

Every human being is an individual unit. All we know of reality is perceived through sentient intelligence and emotional affect. Through mutual recognition, we realize our participation in the world of intersubjectivity. True dialogue requires cordial reason.

Emotions: Our capacity to connect with others and integrate them into our lives generates feelings and emotions. These are generally pleasant, but can sometimes be... Continue reading "Understanding Human Reason and Emotions" »

Basic Considerations in Motor Development

• Reasons to study human motor development.
• The areas or domains of behavior.
• The question of stages, phases, or periods.
• The problem of terminology.
• The question of heredity and environment.
• Research in the study of motor development.

Learning Objectives

• Argue cases for the study of motor development.
• Discriminate between various areas of behavior.
• Analyze the different stages or periods of evolutionary development.
• Define the specific terms of the study.
• Distinguish the influence of heredity and environment.
• Analyze human research procedures.

The Science of Human Development

Motor development is an autonomous, specific, and integrated area within the Science of Human Development. It is considered a subsystem within... Continue reading "Foundations of Human Motor Development" »

Developmental Stages, Phases, and Periods

Individual human development scholars accept the division of life and the development process based on different characteristics:

• Biologists: Infancy, childhood, adolescence, and old age.
• Cognition: Stages in the evaluation of knowledge (Piaget, Kohlberg, Kagan).
• Affective-Relational Field: Oral, anal, phallic, etc.

Core Terminology in Human Development Studies

Basic terminology in the study of human development includes: Development, Human, Growth, Maturation, Adaptation, Environment.

Explanation of Concepts

Development

Changes that humans undergo throughout their lives. It involves the maturation of the organism, its structures, body growth, and the influence of the environment. Human development occurs in... Continue reading "Understanding Developmental Stages, Growth, Maturation, and Heredity" »

The Polysemic Nature of Sport

Sport is a polysemic concept. Since its inception in 19th-century English society (often viewed as a “school of life”), it has evolved into today's forms: recreational sport, professional sport, and school sport. These forms share common elements:

• Exercise
• Game
• Agonism (Competition)

Characteristics of Modern Sport

Modern sport often exhibits the following traits:

• Specialization
• Organization
• Machining (Mechanization/Standardization)
• Productivity
• High Technology
• Economic Performance
• Promotion

Challenges in Professional Sport

Professional sport, especially when influencing children, presents several challenges:

1. Mimicry and Results Orientation

Professional sports often prioritize mimicry chasing results. While children naturally... Continue reading "Sport, Education, and Pedagogical Concepts: Definitions and Challenges" »

Individual and Society: Tensions and Harmony

Tensions in the Individual-Society Relationship

Rejection

When the majority social group does not accept or recognize certain individuals as full members, it often leads to actions considered deviant from societal norms. Factors motivating social rejection include religious, cultural, and racial differences.

Self-Exclusion

The opposite of social rejection is self-exclusion. This tension arises when an individual does not identify with the community's parameters, feels dissatisfied with their surroundings, and ignores cultural norms. This can stem from incomplete family socialization, severe childhood trauma, or an abrupt societal change.

Marginalization

Resulting from social rejection and self-exclusion,... Continue reading "Individual and Society: Tensions, Harmony, and Human Behavior" »