I want to check if my answers are accurate and thorough. Thank you

Hebb thought that psychology was a biological science. He acknowledged that many problems addressed by psychology were social and clinical, but in the end, psychology should focus on understanding humans as animals.

What is your definition of psychology?

Do you agree or disagree with Hebb? Why?

What elements of psychology today are based on science?

What elements of psychology today are based on art?

My answer:

Question 1

I define psychology as a scientific study of mind and behavior, including how people think, feel, and behave and the biological and environmental factors that influence these processes. It examines several aspects, including personality, social interaction, and cognition.

I agree with Hebb that psychology should strive to understand humans and animals. Understanding the human mind and behavior begins with understanding the biologically based aspects of psychology, such as genetics, physiology, and neuroscience. However, Hebb was convinced that physical processes can account for all mental functions, resulting from the dualism belief that the mind and body are two distinct entities. I have to argue with this view because it falls short of explaining complex feelings, thoughts, and consciousness.

Many psychology disciplines today are based on science because they rely on research methods and statistical analysis based on theories and hypotheses. These disciplines include but are not limited to cognitive, developmental, psychobiology, human factors, abnormal, and social psychology. For instance, psychobiology focuses on the biological basis of behavior and mental processes. It uses scientific methods such as neuroimaging techniques like fMRI, EEG, and PET scans to study brain activity, the nervous system, and other biological factors influencing our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Human Factors psychology deals with human performance and interaction with objects and the environment. It uses scientific methods to formulate hypotheses, experiments, and statistical analysis to draw a scientific conclusion.

Some psychology disciplines today based on art include but are not limited to community psychology, psychotherapy, and the psychology of happiness. As mentioned in the lecture, the psychology of happiness is understood more in a subjective manner than the objective approach of the other disciplines that use scientific methods. For instance, measuring happiness is subjective to the individual and how they feel at that given moment and time. Psychotherapy is not considered a science because it relies more on skills andexperience to help people improve their lives and does not involve systematically studying the mind and behavior. Community psychology is also seen as an art because it requires experts and professionals to use their judgment and creativity to create strategies and develop suitable plans that target the community's needs.

Psychology is a broad and complex discipline that uses methodological approaches. Even if certain fields, like community and psychotherapy, are viewed more as arts than sciences, they rely on scientific study and data analysis from other psychology fields, such as psychobiology and social psychology, to inform their practices and discussion. Psychology is a scientific field that studies the mind and behavior using empirical methods and serves as a foundation for other related disciplines.

Question 2)

Watch the videos of the TED talks by Chalmers and Dennett in the Midterm module. (See Midterm 1 in Modules for links to the two TED talks.) Chalmers and Dennett disagree on the concept of consciousness. At one point, they took their debate on the road and gave lectures at various universities around the country.

Which of these thinkers is closest to your position?

What led you to agree with Chalmers or Dennett?

Do you agree with Chalmers that the Cartesian theater is a valid view of consciousness? Provide evidence to support your position.

Do you agree with Dennett that the Cartesian theater is a "trick" created by the brain? Provide evidence to support your position.

My answer;

Question 2

I view Chalmers' position on consciousness to be closer to my position on the issue of consciousness than Dennett's position. Chalmers' view of consciousness as a phenomenon that physical processes cannot fully explain is something I believe as well. I also agree with Chalmers in his stand that consciousness is subjective. We experience the world subjectively, each having a unique perspective. For instance, each student answering this question will come to a conclusion based on their perspective and consciousness understanding. This means that physical processes by themselves cannot account for this subjectivity. He believes consciousness is a unique and emerging feature of the brain rather than the sum of its parts. For instance, dreams are an example of consciousness of emergent property of the brain. Dreams are complex, vivid experiences that occur during sleep. They can be realistic and often involve fear, happiness, or sadness. They originate in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is involved in memory and consolidation. The hippocampus combines memories from different brain parts to create new, dream-like experiences. In addition, dreams, like consciousness, are subjective experiences that can not be measured.

Chalmers does not regard the Cartesian theater as an accurate representation of consciousness. He contends that it cannot account for the subjective nature of consciousness and is inconsistent with our knowledge of the physical brain. He asserted the "hard problem of consciousness," which is the challenge of explaining how the brain's biological functions result in the subjective experiences of consciousness. The split-brain experiment's findings suggest that consciousness is not confined to a single brain region. The fact that consciousness is distributed throughout the brain, as opposed to being limited to the Cartesian theater, supports Chalmers' claim that neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for consciousness exists.

I find myself in disagreement with Dennett's view that the Cartesian theater is a "trick" created by the brain and that consciousness is an illusion. Just because something is not physically accessible or seen doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We experience consciousness as accurate, and there is no reason to believe it is an illusion. For instance, when we flip the light switch, we don't see the electrical current flowing through the wires or the power source that generates this electricity. However, we know these things exist because we see the effect of their operation - the light turns on. Thus, just as the unseen electricity powers the morning, the unseen consciousness is real and not an illusion. We know it's there because we experience its effects. I also disagree with Dennett because I believe that consciousness is not simply a byproduct of biological adaptation or a simple result of information processing. Instead, I believe consciousness is a complex phenomenon that develops and changes over time. For example, studies have shown that consciousness can be affected by factors such as attention, emotion, and motivation. This suggests that consciousness is not a fixed or static phenomenon. It is dynamic and responsive to our environment.