General Psychology

Prologue

Why Psychology?

Answers questions about why we do the things we do.

Teaches us to think critically about ideas. Impacts us, regardless of the career we

choose. Is part of our everyday lives.

The Power of Birth Order by Elizabeth DiProperzioEach time Elizabeth Moore returns from the supermarket, she expects her

sons to help her unload groceries from the car. Her oldest, 13-year-old Jake, is always the first to help, while her youngest, 8-year-old Sam, complains the whole time. Meanwhile, her middle son, 10-year-old Ben, rarely makes it out

of the house. "He gets held up looking for his shoes. By the time they've turned up, we're done," says the West Caldwell, New Jersey, mom. "It amazes

me how different my children are from one another."How do three kids with the same parents, living in the same house, develop

such distinct personalities? A key reason seems to be birth order. Many experts believe that a child's place in the family is intertwined with the

hobbies he chooses, the grades he'll earn in school, and how much money he’ll make as an adult. "For siblings, the differences in many aspects of

personality are about as great as they would be between a brother and a sister," says Frank Sulloway, Ph.D., author of Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives. Birth order isn't the only factor that

contributes to how a kid turns out, but giving it consideration can help you understand your kids' personalities -- so you can help them succeed in their

own unique ways

Birth Order

First Born– Tend to have higher IQ’s than siblings– Outearn siblings– Type A personalities– Typically inflexible

Research that supports the idea:– Oldest children enjoy about 3,000 more

hours of quality time with their parents between ages 4 and 13 than the next sibling will get. (Brigham Young University)

– Undivided attention may have a lot to do with why firstborns tend to be overachievers, (Temple University)

– Firstborns were more likely to make at least $100,000 annually compared with their siblings (Careerbuilder.com)

– They often have an intense fear of failure, so nothing they accomplish feels good enough (Child Therapist)

Last Born– Natural charmers– Risk Takers– Less prepared for “real world”– Tend to feel less important

Research that supports the idea:– Score higher in "agreeableness" on

personality tests than firstborns (Dr. Sulloway – research, UC Berkely)

– More likely to play sports like football and soccer than their older siblings, who preferred activities like track and tennis (not cited)

– Youngests are masters at getting out of chores and are often seen as "too little" to participate (Child Therapist)

– parents react with less spontaneous joy at their accomplishments (Leman, author of The Birth Order Book)

Birth Order

Middle Born– Go-with-the-flow types – Open to compromise– Tend stronger bonds with friends than

siblings– Feel that their needs and wants are

ignored

Research that supports the idea:– Middle born score higher in

agreeableness than both their older and younger siblings (Sulloway)

– Usually youngest when sleep away from home (Marist College)

– 1/3 of parents with three children admit to giving their middle child far less attention than they give the other two (survey – Thebabywebsite.com)

What is Psychology?

Before 300BC, Greek Philosopher Aristotle theorized about: – Learning/memory– Motivation/emotion– Perception/Personality

Birth of Psychology as we know it occurred in 1879 Germany

What is Psychology?

William Wundt– Professor at Univ of Leipzig– Conducted the very 1st

psychological experiment– Attempted to measure “atoms of the mind”:

the fastest and simplest mental process– Created a machine that measured the time lag between people

hearing a ball hit a platform and pressing a telegraph key. 1/10 of a second when asked to press key when they heard the sound 2/10 of a second when asked to press key when “consciously aware”

of perceiving the sound

Earliest Schools of Thought

Structuralism– Wundt’s student Edward

Titchner introduced to America

– Believed that introspection, looking inward was the way to discover the structural elements of the mind.

– Ex. Look at a rose and report on immediate sensations, feelings, images and how they relate

– Very subjective

Functionalism– William James

(philosopher/psychologist)– Focused on how are mental

and behavioral processes function; how they enable us to adapt, survive and flourish.

– Believed thinking was adaptive -it’s how our ancestors survived

– Influenced by Charles Darwin

Other Early Influences on Psychology

Sigmund Freud (physician) – theory of personality based on internal sexual drives

Ivan Pavlov (physiologist) – focused on learning as a conditioned response to stimuli

Jean Piaget (biologist)– observed children in order to develop theory of how the mind develops.

Psychology Evolves

Behaviorism: Psychology should be observable with no focus on mental processes.

Humanistic Psychology: Focus on the importance of current environmental influences on growth potential, as well the importance of needs for love and acceptance satisfied.

Cognitive Neuroscience: Study of brain activity and how it is linked to the way we think, perceive, remember and express ourselves.

So Really…What is Psychology?

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior: Anything an organism does – any action that we can record and observe.

Mental Processes: The internal, subjective, experiences we assume because of our behavior.

Psychology will help you understand why people think, feel and act as they do.

Psychology’s BIGGEST Question

Nature vs. Nurture – What is it? – Nature: genetics– Nurture: environment

What are some controversial Nature vs. Nurture questions?– Gender roles– Sexuality– Psychological Disorders

The Biopsychosocial Approach

An integrated viewpoint that attempts to give a more complete picture of any given behavior or mental process.

The Biopsychosocial Approach

Addiction– Biology: Does addiction run in your family?– Psychology: Do you have an “addictive

personality”?– Social: Do you work in an environment that lends

itself to access to drugs/alcohol?

The Case of Andrea Yates

The Case of Andrea Yates

Youtube video Small Group Activity:

– From a Biopsychosocial perspective, why would a mother kill her 5 children?

The Case of Andrea Yates

What we know– Bio: Postpartum Depression with Psychosis, Mood

disorders ran in her family (2 sibs on meds), Doctor had taken her off medicine one month before murders.

– Psycho (Cognitive): suffered from low self esteem; psychotic features, believing she was possessed and that her children weren’t developing properly.

– Social: Husband was not actively involved in childrearing; became pregnant for 5th time despite doctors recommendations to have no more children, Western culture is very individualistic (lack of social support).

Psychology’s Main Subfields

Basic research: building knowledge base– Personality traits vs. states– Links between brain and mind

Applied research: solving practical problems– Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Counseling Psychology – coping, helping through challenges and crisis

Clinical Psychology – assessment and treatment Psychiatry-medical doctors who treat physical

manifestations of disorders, administer medications