A P P SYCHOLOGY: UNIT I

Introductory Psychology: History & Approaches

“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that fits all cases...”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

PART ONE

What is Psychology?

What is Psychology?

The Literal Definition The study of the soul

The Formal Definition The scientific study of

behavior and mental processes

Questions to Consider Do our feelings always match our behaviors? Do our thoughts always match our feelings?

What is Psychology?

Primary Goals of Psychology Measurement & description Understanding & prediction Application & control

PART TWO

Big Issues in Psychology

“You don’t know your own mind…” – Jonathan Swift

Big Issue #1: Nature v. Nurture

How much of our human behavior and characteristics are innate? The role of…

Inheritance Genetics

How much of our human behavior and characteristics are due to experience? The role of…

Experience “Tabula Rasa”

Big Issue #2: Mind & Body

What is the relationship between the mind & the body? Does the mind control the

body or does the body control the mind?

Is the mind nothing more than the body?

Might the body itself be a product of the mind?

Big Issue #2: Mind & Body

Dualism v. Monism Dualism suggests that the brain is physical and

that the mind is something else entirely… Classical Dualism

The mind controls the body (through the pineal gland)

Parallelism The mind & body are isolated; exist in separate

worlds Epiphenomenalism

The brain causes the mind

Big Issue #2: Mind & Body

Dualism v. Monism Monism suggests that the brain & the mind are

one in the same Idealism/Solipsism

Both the mind & body exist in a mental realm Solipsism suggests that the entire universe exists

in the mind Materialism

Both the mind & body are physical; there is no non-physical mental world

Big Issue #3: Evolution

Darwin attempted to explain the huge variety of life Evolution is NOT about

progress; it’s about adaptation

Individuals DO NOT evolve; species do

Why is this important in psychology?

PART THREE

Psychology: A Brief History

Nazca Culture (100CE – 800CE)

Evidence of trephination

The science of psychology began in the late 1800s; however, the concept has been around since the beginning of time…

Psychology: A Brief History

(Early) Significant People: Socrates (469-399 BCE) Hippocrates (460-377 BCE) Plato (428-348 BCE) Aristotle (384-322 BCE) Bacon (1561-1626) Descartes (1595-1650) Locke (1632-1704)

Psychology: A Brief History

Throughout its history, psychology has experienced FIVE distinct “waves” of thought

Historical “Waves” Introspection (Structuralism & Functionalism) Psychoanalysis Behaviorism Gestalt Psychology Eclectic Psychology

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave ONE: IntrospectionWilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Father of psychology Established first psychological

laboratory in Germany (1879)

Hoped to measure “atoms of the mind”

Influential Students G. Stanley Hall Edward Titchener

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave ONE: IntrospectionEdward Titchener (1867-1927)STRUCTURALISM

The mind’s structure… Focused on introspection, or

looking inward Interested in the question “what?” Studied the basic elements of

conscious experience

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave ONE: IntrospectionWilliam James (1842-1910)FUNCTIONALISM

The mind’s function

Focused on the function/purpose of behavior

Interested in the question “why?”

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave TWO: PsychodynamicSigmund Freud (1856-1939)PSYCHODYNAMIC

Focused on the unconscious mind

How do underlying forces of personality determine conflict, motivation and desires?

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave THREE: BehaviorismJohn Watson (1878-1958)BEHAVIORISM

Dismissed introspection Believed that feelings are

inconsequential; all that mattersis observable behavior

Redefined psychology as “the study of observable behavior…”

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave FOUR: Gestalt Max Wertheimer (1880-1941)GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

The study of thinking, learning & perception

Focused on the ways in which people interpret sensory information to acquire knowledge

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts…”

Psychology: A Brief History

Psychology: A Brief History

Wave FIVE: Eclectic ECLECTIC PSYCHOLOGY

Modern psychologists tend to be more eclectic than their predecessors

Use ideas, theories and research from multiple perspectives according to the needs of their clients

PART FOUR

Psychology: Current Approaches

The Biological Approach

Determinant of Behavior Hereditary/biochemical processes

Primary Focus Brain & nervous system; genetics; hormones

Example Question To what extent are traits such as intelligence,

personality, sexual orientation and depression attributable to our genes?

Big Names James Olds, Roger Sperry, David Hubel

The Biological Approach

SCENARIO Scout, your loyal dog, died unexpectedly last

week… Since then you’ve become depressed, you’ve

stopped eating & you’ve had trouble sleeping… What would a psychologist from the

biological school of thought think about your current state?

The Behavioral Approach

Determinant of Behavior Environment/stimulus conditions

Primary Focus Specific overt responses

Example Question What is the most effective way to alter behavior,

say, to lose weight or to stop smoking?Big Names

John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov

The Behavioral Approach

SCENARIO Becky fails AP Psychology, AP Biology & AP

Calculus the fall semester of her senior year... She becomes depressed & uses food as her

crutch... As a result, she begins to engage in binge eating

and rapidly gains weight… What might a psychologist from the

behavioral school of thought think about Becky’s situation?

The Cognitive Approach

Determinant of Behavior Stimulus conditions/mental processes

Primary Focus Mental processes; thoughts; language

Example Question How do we use information in remembering?

Reasoning? Problem Solving?Big Names

Jean Piaget, Noam Chomsky, Herbert Spencer, George Miller

The Cognitive Approach

SCENARIO John meets a girl… His hopes are high and asks for her number… She rejects him and refuses to give him her

digits… How does he react to this rejection?

What might a psychologist from the cognitive school of thought think about John’s reaction to being rejected?

The Humanistic Approach

Determinant of Behavior Unique aspects of the “human experience”

Primary Focus Human experience; human potentials; self-

actualizationExample Question

How can we overcome barriers to our personal growth?

Big Names Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow

The Psychodynamic Approach

Determinant of Behavior Early life experiences

Primary Focus Unconscious drives; unconscious conflicts

Example Question How can someone’s personality traits & disorders

be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives?

Big Names Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler

The Psychodynamic Approach

SCENARIO Bob has intimacy issues... He finds it difficult to get close to others and to

successful relationships… What might a psychologist from the

psychodynamic school of thought think about Bob’s issues?

The Socio-Cultural Approach

Determinant of Behavior Cultural norms

Primary Focus Cross-cultural patterns of attitudes and

behaviorsExample Question

How are humans alike as members of one human family? As product of different environmental contexts, how do we differ?

Big Names Patricia Greenfield, John Berry

The Evolutionary Approach

Determinant of Behavior Natural selection/adaptive processes

Primary Focus Behavior in terms of adaptive value

Example Question How does evolution influence behavioral

tendencies?Big Names

David Buss, Martin Daly, Margo Wilson

PART FIVE

Psychology: Subfields

AREA/ SUBFIELD

FOCUS OF RESEARCH

Developmental

Human development across the lifespan; womb to tomb which includes infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood & old age.

Social Interpersonal behavior & the role of social forces in governing behavior; includes attitude formation, prejudice, attraction, etc.

Educational How people learn & the best way to teach them; includes curriculum design, teacher training, achievement testing, etc.

Health How psychological factors relate to the maintenance of physical health and the causation, prevention & treatment of illness.

Physiological The influence of genetic factors on behavior and the role of the brain, nervous system, etc. in the regulation of behavior.

AREA/ SUBFIELD

FOCUS OF RESEARCH

Experimental

Encompasses the traditional core topics of psychology; sensation, perception, learning, conditioning, motivation, and emotion.

Cognitive

“Higher” mental processes, such as memory, reasoning, information processing, problem solving, decision-making, etc.

Personality

Describing/understanding individuals’ consistency in behavior; factors that shape personality & personality assessment.

Psychometrics

The measurement of behavior and capacities, usually through the development of psychological tests.

Psychology's Subfields

DevelopmentalSocial/PersonalityEducationalCounselingResearchCognitiveSchoolOtherClinical Industrial

Employment of Psychologists

Colleges & Univer-sitiesPrivate (not for profit)Private (for profit)Business & Gov-ernmentSchoolsSelf-employed