Intro to Psychology

Mr. Kilford

The field of psychology is named in honor of the mythological Psyche, which means spirit or soul in both Greek, and Latin.

Know how her search for her lover is symbolic of our own search of the human mind.

Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behavior. Also viewed as a profession

Why study psychology?

1. Insight into behavior2. Practical information

Why Study Animals?

1. Simple Models

2. Greater Control

3. Readily Available at Minimal Cost

4. Ethical Considerations

James Olds (1973)

A considerable amount of important medical and behavio-ral research, some with potentially great benefits for humans, could be conducted without animal experimentation.

The mere fact that non-human animals are used, however, does not mean that ethical guidelines are not followed. Researchers must ensure that non-human animals are treated humanely.

Is Psychology Common Sense?

-A lot is, such as praising children to help change bad habits

-Long-term study by Lewis Terman

Tracked 1,528 gifted children into their 80’s to see how healthy their lives were, as opposed to those of average intelligence.

What can someone that studies psychology be?

-teacher-clergy person -psychiatrist-clinical psychologist-lawyer -FBI agentBeware! Anyone can say they are a therapist, so one should ask for academic and professional credentials.

The Simple Side of Psychology

-I’m O.K. You’re O.K.

-Jogging

-Hugging and Smiling

-Imagery

-No Problems? Still need therapy

Psychological Perspectives

Biological:looks to body to explain mind.

Hormones, genes, brain, and cns form the way we think, feel, and act.

Questions: How much of personality is inherited? Is there a gene for suicide?

Helped remove stigma of mental illness

Found medication to treat mental illness

Psychoanalytic: Views behavior as driven by powerful mental conflicts locked deep within unconscious.

Freud: mind is like an iceberg

•1st to use talking as a therapeutic technique

•1st to recognize that human behavior is not always rational or easy to explain

Behaviorist: Viewed humans as little more than robots. By manipulating the consequence they could change the behavior.

Thought behavior was as simple as ABC

Gave us:

-ability to shape behavior by rewarding desired actions

-ability to change behavior through punishment

Cognitive Perspective: “We’re much more than rats!” We don’t just react to the environment, we act on it.

•They look at how we acquire, organize, use and remember knowledge to guide behavior.

Gave us: 1. What we feel and do is determined by what we are thinking

2. Study mind through observations of problem solving tasks.

Sociocultural- Look at the culture to explain behavior.

•Why is anorexia high in United States?

•Why does violence vary from culture to culture

Gave us:

1. Culture teaches us rules and roles

2. Culture produces different versions of minds

Humanistic: Look at bright side of human nature. Problems arise when others get in the way.

Criticism leads to self doubt, distrust of our own judgements, inability to take charge.

Gave us:

•Self esteem movement

•Understanding of one’s perspective