Why did Timmy hit Sally?

The Early History and Scopeof Psychology

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and

mental processes

What does that mean?

Psychology is a SCIENCE – we rely on academic, structured methods in order to answer questions about human behaviors…

What does that mean?

BEHAVIORS are physical actions, generally things that we can observe, though they may be internal as well – things like standing up, laughing, dancing, yelling, fighting, digestion or neural activity

What does that mean?

MENTAL PROCESSES are the internal workings of our minds, like our thoughts, feelings, and dreams

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.2. An old friend who once saved your life.3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Twins, Genes vs. Environment Sexuality – Nature v. Nurture

Socrates, and his student Plato (Greek Philosophers)

Human behavior and knowledge is pre-disposed and genetically built-in (Nature).

IE. If you are intelligent, you were born with a smart brain. If you are athletic, you were born with strong muscles and balance. If you are violent, depressed, or forgetful, you were born with a brain disorder.

Aristotle (Greek Philosopher)Human behavior and knowledge is

not preexisting; it grows from the experiences stored in our memories (Nurture).

IE. You are violent because you watched it on television. You are smart because you studied. You are kind because you were loved.

John Locke (British Philosopher)Tabula rasa (Empiricism) –

literally means “blank slate”The theory that the mind is at birth a

"blank slate" without rules for processing data, and that data is added and rules for processing it form solely by our sensory experiences.

Rene Descartes (French Philosopher)

Early dissections led to the early understanding of mind/body connections (biological psychology).

Francis Bacon (English Scientist)

Stressed the scientific principles of observation and experimentation when evaluating human behavior

Edward Titchener (Structuralism) Structuralism was the first school of

psychology Broke down mental processes into the most

basic components (structures) of conscious experience.

What did you see? Hear? Taste? Smell? Feel? (Introspection)

Based on this, how did you behave?

IE. If you were shown an apple, and asked to explain what you saw, you would describe the color, the shape, the smell, the texture, etc…. all of the things that combine to make it an apple for you. If those experiences combined to create a tasty sensation, you’d eat it. Someone else, shown the same apple, might describe the apple in similar, or very different terms, and either eat it or not

William James (Functionalism)

Focused less on the how of sensation and perception, but rather on the why. Emphasized the process of how thoughts formed, changed, and how they adapted.

Wilhelm WundtGerman professor who established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany.

The Modern Perspectives

Evolutionary PsychologyAttempts to explain

psychological traits—such as memory, perception, or language—as adaptations, that is, as the functional products of natural selection

IE. Certain food aversions (toward bitter tastes, or certain colored foods) may help a species survive. The universality of facial expressions allows foreign cultures to communicate basic emotions (smile, peaceful meeting…scowl, war)

Humanistic Perspective

Humanists believe that we choose most of our behaviors and these choices are guided by physiological, emotional, or spiritual needs. Humanists stress free will and individual choices that lead us to fulfilling our greatest potential.Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

Some examples of needs are:We buy food because we’re hungry.We buy guns to feel safe.We read the singles ads for love

and friendship.We fight to earn respect.We earn degrees to be educated.

Psychoanalytic PerspectivePsychoanalysts believe that

the unconscious mind (including unresolved conflicts, childhood trauma, repressed memories) controls much or our thought and action. Sigmund Freud

IE. Adam chews on his pencils because his mother didn’t breast feed him long enough or show him enough love as a child. The chewing on the pencil top unconsciously represents the bonding between child and mother.

Diane’s boyfriends always seem to look a lot like her father, who abandoned her when she was a child. The boyfriends unconsciously represent her need to find her father.

Biopsychology (Neuroscience)Biopsychologists

explain human behavior in terms of biological processes, including the functions of the brain, hormones, genetics, and the physical functions of the body.

IE. Chuck is always hungry due to a problem with his hypothalamus. Kathy can’t sit still or pay attention due to an excess or loss of acetylcholine. James can’t remember events for more than 10 seconds at a time due to a damaged hippocampus. Susan is an alcoholic because her mother and grandmother were.

Behavioral Perspective Behavioral psychologists

explain human thought and behavior by looking strictly at observable behaviors and what reaction organisms get in response to specific stimulus.Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F.

Skinner

Why does Regina get such good grades?For every A, Regina gets $100For every A, Regina doesn’t have to wash

the dishes for a monthFor every grade less than an A, Regina loses

phone privileges for a monthRegina knows that an A average will get her

into a better college, and that going to a better college is associated with a higher salary

Cognitive Perspective

Cognitive psychologists explain human behavior in terms of how we mentally process and interpret our environment. Cognitive psychologists study internal, brain-based activities, such as memory processes, problem solving, perception, and language.

IE. Why can’t Jennifer remember anything

prior to her sixth birthday? Why can Steve speak fluently at the age

of four, yet George cannot? If I put Carl and Howard in a maze, why

is it that Carl can find his way out and Howard cannot?

Given that they are of the same age and go to the same school, why is it that Kim feels safe and secure walking through the halls, and Missy feels scared and insecure?

IE. For Christmas, Steve gets a “Reviewing for the AP Psychology Exam” book. He goes into a deep depression for a week. Why?Steve interprets his parent’s motives for giving him

the book as saying he isn’t smart enough to pass the test on his own. He’s dumb and can’t pass the test on his own. His parents don’t like him and are secretly mocking his efforts. He’s a failure who will never amount to anything.

Social-Cultural Perspective

Sociocultural psychologists emphasize the influence of groups, culture, and the environment on the way that we think and act.

IE. At school, Gary dresses in a preppy manner, speaks intelligently, and shows respect for his peers and teachers. Later that night, at a concert with friends, Gary is wearing eyeliner and ripped jeans, cursing, smoking, drinking, and spitting at passer-bys.

IE. Stephanie went on a killing spree based on the violent movies she watched and the books she read, and was able to be so accurate because of the hours she had spent playing first-person shooter games on her gaming system.

VS.

Fields in Psychology

What can I do with a degree in Psychology?

Fields in PsychologyApplied v. Basic Psychology

Applied refers to practical and interactive psychology.

Basic refers mainly to the research fields of psychology.

Clinical/TherapyAsses and treat mental, physical,

behavioral or emotional disorders. Also may include rehabilitative services.

Counseling Help people

cope with life challenges, including career, marriage, and stress counseling.

School

Assisting school-aged children, adolescence issues, counseling, etc.

ExperimentalConduct

research on learning, memory, sensation, perception, cognition, motivation, etc.

Developmental

Study mental and physical growth from prenatal through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and into old age.

Social Study how people

influence each others attitudes, prejudices, norms, interpersonal attractions, etc.

Industrial/Organizational

Practical issues of selecting and training a workforce.

Productivity, job stress, motivation, automation.

Forensic Psychology

Provide advice to legislators, judges, correctional officers, lawyers and the police

Is called upon, for example, to serve as an expert witness, diagnose and treat incarcerated and probationed offenders; and screen and evaluate personnel in the law enforcement and judicial systems

Sports Psychology

Issues and techniques of sport-specific psychological assessment and mental skills training for performance enhancement. Involved with goal-setting, visualization and performance planning, self-confidence, overtraining and burnout counseling, team building, and sportsmanship.

What is the difference between a psychologist

and a psychiatrist?

Psychology v. PsychiatryPsychiatry is the focused study

and treatment of mental disorders.Psychiatrists are medical doctors

and can prescribe medications to treat the physical and mental causes of psychological disorders.