Have you ever wondered…

Why do I like the people, food, or music that I like?

Or, why do I not like certain things or have an irrational fear of certain things (like _____ (you fill in the blank)(you fill in the blank))?

Why do I get down or up when my favorite song comes on the radio?

Why did I cheat on my test…my boyfriend…my girlfriend…?

Why do I get so tired or maybe bored in a class?(of course not in psychology though)(of course not in psychology though)

Or…Have you ever wondered??

Are first-born children more driven to achieve? Does handwriting or the way I position myself in bed offer any clues to my personality?Do my dreams really mean anything?Does hypnosis really work?

Why my family or my relationships look so dysfunctional at times and what to do about it?

Many people turn to “Psychology” in search of answers…

We watch Dr. Phil or Oprah or listen to Dr. Drew

We read articles on psychic powers

We try hypnosis We buy books on self-help, the

search for love and the meaning of dreams

This is often referred to as “Pop” Psychology“Pop” Psychology

We also will turn to Psychology We also will turn to Psychology but a different kind and in a but a different kind and in a

different waydifferent way How does this psychology actually differ?How does this psychology actually differ?

It is not built on fads or what is It is not built on fads or what is popular on tv but it relies on popular on tv but it relies on research and scienceresearch and science

It attempts to figure out why people It attempts to figure out why people think, feel, and do what they dothink, feel, and do what they do

Hopefully this course will give you the tools to answer Hopefully this course will give you the tools to answer many questions and maybe by the end of the year, many questions and maybe by the end of the year, you will be able to tell me why you behave the way you will be able to tell me why you behave the way you do!you do!

So…AP Psychology

What?? Why?? Who?? How?? When??

What is – AP Psychology?

AP Psychology is intended to be equivalent to an introductory college level course in psychology

So, does this So, does this mean it will mean it will be hard??be hard??

Why take AP Psychology?

See which one works for you..... I have a desperate curiosity to learn the inner

workings of human behavior. I want to take as many AP courses as I can so

my transcript makes me look really smart. I want to skip a course in college and save

myself (really my parents) some money I heard this was an interesting class. I need a 4th credit for Social Studies and I

don’t want a history class.

Why – AP Psychology …on a serious note…

You should take this class if you are interested in the field of psychology or just knowing more on why people act the way they act

You should take this class if you are thinking of taking psychology in college

You should take this class if you want a challenging and exciting experience

You should take this class if you are willing to work hard

How – can you survive AP Psychology??

#1 - Set Expectations of yourself Figure out what you want out of this class

and why you are here A good score on the test and college

credit for the class? A good grade on your report card? A good gpa? A challenging experience? If none of these fit…maybe try another

class

How – can you survive AP Psychology??

#2 – Learn the Expectations of your teacher What does your teacher expect from you?

Come to class everyday prepared to work hard, learn about psychology, and have fun

Come to class everyday open to new ideas, concepts, and activities

Come to class everyday being honest to your teacher, your classmates, and yourself – what does this mean?? - “But I did study!! Really!!”

When – AP Psychology If you decide that this class is what you

expected and you can meet both my expectations and yours, you will be taking an AP Exam Two parts – Multiple Choice and Essay - “free

response”

For those of you who aren’t sure about the exam, just know on average a student saves around $3000 per AP exam passed. 

The exams are scored on a scale 1 through 5. 

A five means you say to yourself "I am a psychology god and should be worshipped daily with sacrifices of small animals" 

A four means you say to yourself "I know my stuff and can manipulate people and bend them to my will

A three means you say to yourself " I know just enough to get a solid C in college", (this (a 3) is the last of the non-embarrassing scores)

If you get a 2 you will say "I could have passed if I didn't spend the night before the exam watching America’s Next Top Model“

If you get a 1 you will probably say "What is sicologi?"

So…..

Finally to what you are all here for…

What exactly is Psychology?

What is Psychology?What is Psychology?Two competing viewsTwo competing views

Two figures in the history of psychology had Two figures in the history of psychology had different ideas on how to define it…different ideas on how to define it…

William Wundt “what goes on “what goes on inside our inside our minds”minds”

John Watson- “not what is in “not what is in our heads, but our heads, but what behavior what behavior do you do you display”display”

Observable behavior – you Observable behavior – you cannot observe thoughts cannot observe thoughts but you can observe how but you can observe how someone responds to someone responds to situationssituations

Inner sensations or Inner sensations or mental processes - mental processes - “what feelings or “what feelings or thoughts does someone thoughts does someone have?”have?”

Psychology: Modern Psychology: Modern DefinitionDefinition

The science of behavior andand mental processes.

Behavior – anything an organism does- any action we can observe and record

Mental Processes – internal subjective experiences we infer from behavior

Four goals in PsychologyFour goals in Psychology To describe what people doTo describe what people do

Sometimes this is hard to do - Sometimes this is hard to do - why?why?• We all view the world differentlyWe all view the world differently• We see each other through the filters of our prior We see each other through the filters of our prior

experiences, our cultural values, and our beliefs experiences, our cultural values, and our beliefs (what we will later call a schema)(what we will later call a schema)

To explain why people think, feel, and act To explain why people think, feel, and act the the way they doway they do What are the motives and how do people respond to What are the motives and how do people respond to

things that happen?things that happen? Why is this an important goal??Why is this an important goal?? Even if we can’t change what has happened, Even if we can’t change what has happened,

understanding the reason why it happened can give understanding the reason why it happened can give people a sense of comfort and control and maybe we people a sense of comfort and control and maybe we can prevent it from happening againcan prevent it from happening again

Four goals of PsychologyFour goals of Psychology To predict what and when something will To predict what and when something will

happenhappen Maybe stop something bad before it happens…Maybe stop something bad before it happens…

however…however…• real life doesn’t always cooperate with psychologyreal life doesn’t always cooperate with psychology• Why is this an important point to keep in mind??Why is this an important point to keep in mind??

•Some of the best theories and ideas don’t Some of the best theories and ideas don’t always work in the real world - with real always work in the real world - with real people and real situationspeople and real situations

To change the parts of human behavior To change the parts of human behavior that cause us painthat cause us pain Refer to last point…but remember this is a Refer to last point…but remember this is a

goalgoal

Psychology’s Big IssuesPsychology’s Big Issues

Besides the four goals of psychology, there are several issues that we will address and debate all year long

Stability vs. Change

Rationality vs. Irrationality

Nature vs. Nurture

Stability v. ChangeStability v. Change

Do we change over time in distinct and universal stages or do we basically remain the same drooling, slobbering, simple beings of our beginnings?

Do these things change? Personality traits, sense of humor, tastes, etc…

Can a shy child become the teenage class clown? Do we become adults or are we always just big kids? Do our personalities change in different situations?

Rationality vs. Rationality vs. IrrationalityIrrationality

Are we wise or not? Why do we do things that

are bad for us when we know they are bad? We screw up, we make

mistakes, and we lose sight of good judgment

But, we often don’t change behavior, we don’t seem rational

Nature vs. NurtureNature vs. Nurture

Am I the way I am because I was born that way or because of my surroundings?

Biology (genes) vs. Experience

Can I ever be like these people, or does nature give me limitations?