Exercise I

Name: Section/Course: Date:

I WONDER WHY?

There are a lot of questions that we usually ask ourselves. A former student of mine once asked why her dreams are in black and white that of her roommate is in color. A former classmate once remarked that he brushes his teeth with eyes closed. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT ANY BEHAVIOR, FEELING, or THOUGHTS?

CHAPTER ONE:

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

- The science of psychology

- Major specialties in the field of psychology

- History of psychology- Goals of psychology

MODULE 1: Psychologists at Work

Psychology – psyche ( mind) ; logos ( knowledge or study).

Psychology – is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.

-seeks to answer all sorts of questions about all our human experiences such as, on how we think, feel, and act.

behavior – anything a person does, feels, or experiences.

mental processes – are the internal subjective states that we experience within our sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, feelings, attitudes, and values.

GOALS of PSYCHOLOGY

Describe – tells what occurred.

Explains – tells the reasons why the behavior occurred.

Predict – tells under what conditions is the behavior likely to occur.

Control – by applying a principle to prevent unwanted circumstance or to bring about desired outcomes.

Subfields of Psychology: Psychology’s Family Tree› Separated by the basic questions about

behavior that they address.

What Are the Biological Foundations of Behavior?

• Behavioral Neuroscience

– examines how the brain and the nervous system – as well as other biological processes – determine behavior.

How Do People Sense, Perceive, Learn, and Think about the World?

• Experimental Psychology

– studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world.

– Subspecialty:•Cognitive psychology

> studies higher forms of mental processes.

What Are the Sources of Change and Stability in Behavior Across the Life Span?

• Developmental Psychology

– studies how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death.

• Personality Psychology

– focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior over time and the traits that differentiate one person from another.

How Do Psychological Factors Affect Physical and Mental Health?

• Health Psychology

– concerned with the psychological factors that contribute to health, illness, and recovery.

• Clinical Psychology

– deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders.

How Do Psychological Factors Affect Physical and Mental Health?

• Counseling Psychology

– focuses primarily on educational, social, and career-adjustment problems.

How Do Our Social Networks Affect Behavior?

• Social Psychology

– study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.

• Cross-Cultural Psychology

– investigates the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups.

THE HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF PSYCHOLOGY

1)Wilhelm Wundt and Bradford Titchener

Wundt- established the first formal laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. His primary interest- perception.

Titchener – broke consciousness into three elements: physical sensations, feelings, and images (memories).

Structuralism – the first school of Psychology aimed at analyzing the basic elements , or structure of conscious mental experience through introspection.

introspection – to look within; to examine one’s own thoughts, feelings, or sensations.

2) William James

James - the first American Psychologist. For him, minds constantly weave associations.

Functionalism – explores how organism uses perceptual abilities to function in its environment.

3) John B. Watson

Watson – focuses on observable, measurable behavior and emphasizes the key role of environment as determinant of behavior.

Behaviorism – the study of overt, observable behavior.

4) Sigmund Freud

Freud – (for him), unconscious desires and conflicts lie at the bottom of symptoms of psychological illness.

unconscious – refers to the contents of the mind that are beyond awareness, especially impulses and desires not directly known to a person.

5) Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka

Wertheimer , Kohler, and Koffka – interested in perception- why when flashed a series of pictures do they appear to move?

Gestalt - means “form or pattern” (German word)

Gestalt – studies how people perceive and experience objects as whole patterns.

6) Carl Rogers

Rogers- emphasized on the uniqueness of the human beings. People must learn to realize human potential, unity of the mind, and altered state of consciousness.

Humanism – focuses on understanding subjective human experience.