mental set

Examples of mental set in the following topics:

• Problem Solving

  • A mental set is an unconscious tendency to approach a problem in a particular way.
  • Our mental sets are shaped by our past experiences and habits.
  • Functional fixedness is a special type of mental set that occurs when the intended purpose of an object hinders a person's ability to see its potential other uses.
  • Standardized procedures of this nature often involve mentally invented constraints of this kind.
  • An algorithm is a series of sets of steps for solving a problem.

• History of Cognition

  • "Cognition" is a term for a wide swath of mental functions that relate to knowledge and information processing.
  • Cognition is the set of all mental abilities and processes related to knowledge, including attention, memory, judgment, reasoning, problem solving, decision making, and a host of other vital processes.
  • These numerous approaches to the analysis of cognition are synthesized in the relatively new field of cognitive science, the interdisciplinary study of mental processes and functions.

• Defining "Normal" and "Abnormal"

  • An individual with mental illness may avoid social settings altogether; for example, an individual struggling with depression may choose not to see or speak with friends and family for fear of "bringing them down" or "being a burden."
  • Distorted perception of the incidence of mental illness.
  • Although approximately one in three people will experience mental illness at some point in their life, there are still many people who do not acknowledge mental illness as a public health concern.
  • This means that mental illness seems far less common than it actually is.
  • The National Alliance on Mental Illness aims to reduce societal stigma and shaming of various mental illnesses.

• Comparative Psychology

  • Comparative psychology is the scientific study of animal behavior and mental processes, which can lead to a deeper and broader understanding of human psychology.
  • Darwin's theory led to several hypotheses, one being that the factors that set humans apart—such as higher mental, moral, and spiritual faculties—could be accounted for by evolutionary principles.
  • George John Romanes was also highly influential in the development of comparative psychology; following Darwin's work, he set out to prove that animals had a “rudimentary human mind.”
  • The field examines such things as individual behavior, interaction with the environment, reproduction, grooming and hygiene, how different life forms learn, forms of motivation, and mental capacities.
  • A wide variety of species have been studied by comparative psychologists in order to gain insight into the behavior and mental processes of nonhuman animals.

• Defining Psychology

  • Psychology is the scientific study of human mental processes and behavior.
  • This field ultimately aims to benefit society, partly through its focus on better understanding of mental health and mental illness.
  • Clinical psychology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and mental illness.
  • Researchers and other non-clinical psychologists often work in university psychology departments or teach in other academic settings (e.g., medical schools or hospitals).
  • Some are employed in industrial and organizational settings, in health-care settings, in the media, in sports, or in forensic investigation and other law-related fields.

• The Limbic System

  • The limbic system combines higher mental functions and primitive emotion into one system.
  • The limbic system is a complex set of structures found on the central underside of the cerebrum, comprising inner sections of the temporal lobes and the bottom of the frontal lobe.
  • It combines higher mental functions and primitive emotion into a single system often referred to as the emotional nervous system.
  • It is not only responsible for our emotional lives but also our higher mental functions, such as learning and formation of memories.
  • The limbic system is the reason that some physical things such as eating seem so pleasurable to us, and the reason why some medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, are caused by mental stress.

• Goals of Psychology

  • The overarching goal of psychology is to understand the behavior, mental functions, and emotional processes of human beings.
  • The overarching goal of psychology is to understand the behavior, mental functions, and emotional processes of human beings.
  • Psychologists usually work in one of three fields – basic research, mental health, or applied psychology.
  • This view sees human nature as a product of a universal set of psychological adjustments to problems arising in the environment.
  • Neuropsychology studies the brain involvement in mental processes.

• Substance Abuse and Health

  • The psychoactive effects of drug abuse occur when the drugs impact the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that control normal mental and physical functioning.
  • Substance abuse can have a notable adverse effect on mood, increase the risk of mental illness, and exacerbate preexisting symptoms.
  • In addition to adversely altering the mental health of users, substance abuse can have a significant and long-lasting impact on the body.
  • A user's mental state may cause them to take unnecessary risks or engage in self harm or aggressive behavior toward others.
  • Yet another set of secondary effects stems from the unhealthy conditions in which substances are often consumed: for instance, sharing or using unsterilized needles can cause users to contract AIDS, hepatitis, or other diseases.

• Careers in Psychology

  • In many countries, clinical psychology is a regulated mental-health profession.
  • Educational psychology studies how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and schools as organizations.
  • This subfield focuses on the biological aspects of behavior and mental processes, and there are different specialties within this subfield.
  • Careers in health settings can vary widely and include health psychology (sometimes called health-and-wellness psychology), occupational-health psychology, and medical psychology.
  • Health psychology concerns itself with understanding how biology, behavior, and social context influence health and illness; health psychologists generally work alongside other medical professionals in clinical settings, although many also teach and conduct research.

• History of Intelligence Testing

  • A child's "mental age" was the age of the group which had a mean score that matched the child's score.
  • So if a five year-old child achieved at the same level as an average eight year-old, he or she would have a mental age of eight.
  • The original formula for the quotient was Mental Age/Chronological Age x 100.
  • However, the relationship between IQ score and mental ability is not linear: a person with a score of 50 does not have half the mental ability of a person with a score of 100.
  • This test is a nonverbal group test typically used in educational settings, designed to measure the reasoning ability associated with g.