Introduction to PsychologyStudying the mind of the individual

Psychological Test• A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy

whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream, she fell in love with him right there but did not ask for his number, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not find him. A few days later, she killed her sister.

Are you a psychopath?• What is her motive in killing her sister?• Answer: She was hoping that the guy would appear at the funeral

again.• This test was used by an American Psychologist to test if one has

the same mentality as a killer.• Serial killers who have taken the test, all answered the question

correctly.• IF you answered incorrectly – GOOD!!• IF you answered correctly – Let me know so I can ask you to be

removed from my class or I’ll just be extra nice to you from now on!!!

What does Psychology Focus on?• Instead of studying how humans function in cultures or societies,

psychologists focus on the individual, and the personal and unique experiences that influence how the individual feels, acts and thinks

Branches of Psychology

Psycho-analysis: Unconscious Minds

Behavioural: We can only study what we can

observe

Structuralism: Asks people to examaine their

thoughts

Cognitive: Studies mental processes (i.e. memory,

intelligence tests)

Biological/Functionalism: Studies the development

of children and the differences of the

genders

Social/Humanistic/

Cultural: Focuses on unique qualities of

human beings

Branch of Psychology Topics of Study in the Psychology Unit

EXPERIMENTAL/STRUCTURALISM

The Bystander Effect

CLINICAL Mental Illness

BEHAVIOURAL Developmental Theories - how people develop throughout their lives

COGNITIVE Learning and Memory, Autism

PSYCHO-ANALYTIC How events in our lives impact our personality (especially in childhood), conscious and subconscious mind – nature vs. nurture

BIOLOGICAL Nature vs. Nurture, Serial Killers, How drugs effect your brain,

What is Psychology? study of how and why

humans act as they do focuses on the individual, (not groups) and the personal and unique experiences that influence how/why the individual acts, behaves and thinks the way they do

History of Psychology• Ancient Native Tribes – those who behaved strongly were

possessed by evil spirits. Dreams were a sign of a person’s deepest wishes.

• Ancient Greeks- abnormal behaviour caused by disease, a blow to the head, or chemical imbalances. Identified witches and warlocks.

• Phrenology – late 1700s, read personalities by feeling the bumps on people’s heads.

• Freud – 1800s, Psychoanalysis, examine memories of past experiences to find the origins of their problems

• 20th Century - Behaviourism

Uses of Psychology• To study our work habits in order to improve our job efficiency• To study our buying patterns to make us better consumers• Study how we perceive things in order to find out why we

make mistakes

Psychology: A Human Process• Cognitive Process: Interpreting and manipulating mental ideas

and images to obtain information, to reason, and to solve problems

Encounter Problem

Encode or Store

Information

Infer possible

relationships

Map Information

Apply possible

responses

Does Answer Work?

Respond

Cognitive Process• Unique to Humans: sets us apart from other species (problem

solving, abstract thinking, inductive and deductive reasoning)

Deductive Reasoning• Applying general to assumptions to specific cases• All humans have brains. Sonia is human, therefore Sonia has a

brain.• More accurate/precise. Based on facts.

Inductive Reasoning• Collecting specific information to form a general assumption• Most men enjoy sports. I am a man. I enjoy sports. • Based on assumptions/opinions• (i.e. Sam is rude. Sam is American. All Americans must be

rude.)

Dot Test• Connect the 9 dots, using four straight lines, without lifting

your pencil from the paper.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Show all your attempts at solving the problem to see your brain work!!

Example of human behaviour and response to a situation:

The Case of Kitty Genovese

Broad Example of Psychology:

The Case of Kitty Genovese

The Case of Kitty Genovese - Kitty was murdered on the street outside her New York City apartment after loud shouting was heard - 38 people witnessed the murder but did nothing to stop it

Psychologists have long been interested in our unwillingness to get involved in uncomfortable situations even if someone’s personal safety is at risk

People have a tendency see themselves as bystanders in such situations rather than as ACTORS

ACTORS are people who become active participants in a situation

The Bystander Effect -

Kitty Genovese

When Bystanders Join In 4 years after Genovese was

murdered, two psychologists, John Darley and Bibb Latane, wanted to identify the factors that influence bystanders’ decisions to get involved in public situations

Conclusions? Whether or not we intervene in a situation depends on the cues that we get from the participants and other bystanders

Relation to Genovese case? It suggests that if one bystander had joined in to try to help her, others might well have come forward too

When Bystanders Join In

Look at these examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI

vGIwLcIuw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNu-WZdHzaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvA9jT3Scfk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJcAymTu-CE&feature=relmfu

What Would You Do?Bystander Effect:

Bystander Effect• Bystander – person who is not an active participant in a situation –

they are standing by and witnessing

What do we know about the bystander effect?• Diffusion of Responsibility = the more people in the group,

the less likely individuals are to act b/c they think that the responsibility rests with all other bystanders as opposed to when they are the only ones witnessing the situation

• People will act differently in various situations…

Factors that Cause People to Act• Morals – parents taught you the right thing to do – i.e. damaging

someone’s property• Damage done in their community• Fear – don’t want to get in trouble for not helping• Personal – if you were in that situation, you would want help• Stereotypes – racial profiling, gender, age• Pressure from others - conformity

Factors that Cause People NOT to Act

• Fear – personal safety, mistake (hurting someone…, judgment)• “Not my business” – i.e. conflict in a family• Lack information on the situation• Don’t know people involved• Assume someone else will do it – diffusion of responsibility• Inconvenient – busy, don’t want to get involved, don’t have time…

Extreme Example of Bystander Effect

• The Holocaust – Memories of the Camp (15:00-17:30)

• http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/memory-of-the-camps/