Introducton to Psychology

8/13/2019 Introducton to Psychology

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Psychologists Point of View

They study complex behavior

Physiological- having to do with an organisms

physical processes

Cognitive- having to do with an organismsthinking and understanding


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What is Psychology?

Is the scientific study of behavior that is testedthrough scientific research

the study can involve both animal and human

behaviors

Some believe our thoughts, feelings, and fantasiesare important, but not always observable

the study of behavior must be systematic


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Use of Systematic Method

Usually asks and answers questions about whypeople think, act, and feel as they do reduces the

chances of coming to false conclusions

Blind man and elephant story


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Description

Describe or gather information about the behaviorbeing studied and present what is known


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ExplanationAre not content with the facts They seek to explain why people or animals

behave

Hypothesis- an assumption or prediction about

behavior that is tested through scientific research Theory- a set of assumptions used to explain

phenomena and offered for scientific study


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Prediction

Use knowledge and predict what organisms thinkand feel in various situations

By studying past behaviors, psychologists can

predict future behaviors


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Influence

Psychologists seek to influence behavior inhelpful ways

Basic Science- the pursuit of knowledge about

natural phenomena for its own sake

Applied Science- discovering ways to use

scientific findings to accomplish practical goals


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Scientific Method

1) Question

2) Hypothesis

3) Experiment

4) Results5) Conclusions

6) Theory


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Wilhelm Wundt

Set up the first psychology lab in Leipzig,Germany

Two types of element: sensations and feelings

Believes an individual observes, analyzes, and

reports his or her mental experiences


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A Brief History of Psychology

Section 2


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Marmaduke Sampson Studied why crime occurs Believed behavior was the result of the shape of

the head

Phrenology- the practice of examining bumps on

a persons skull to determine that personsintellect and character traits

Inspired scientists to consider the brain instead ofthe heart as responsible for human behavior


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The Origins of Psychology

5thand 6thCenturies Greeks studied human behavior and decided

people were rational and not dominated by gods

Greeks set the stage for the development of

sciences


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The Origins of Psychology

1500 and 1600s Copernicus- published idea that the earth was not

the center of the universe, the sun was.

Galileo Galilei- used a telescope to confirm the

predictions of Copernicus Descartes- proposed a link between the body and

mind


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Historical Approaches Structuralism

Wilhelm Wundt- is acknowledged for establishingmodern psychology as a separate field of study

Structuralist- a psychologist who studied the basic

elements that make up conscious mentalexperiences

Introspection- a method of self-observation in whichparticipants report their thoughts and feelings


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Functionalism

William James- taught the first class inPsychology at Harvard University

Wrote the first textbook The Principles of

Psychology

Functionalist- a psychologist who studied thefunction instead of the structure of consciousness


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Inheritable Traits

Sir Francis Galton Wanted to understand how heredity influences a

persons abilities, character, and behavior.

His study focused on genius being a hereditary trait

Did not consider that distinguished families mayalso have exceptional environments and

socioeconomic advantages


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Inheritable Traits

Scientists recognized flaws in Galtons research

They came up with the theory that a persons

heredity and environment interact to influence

intelligence


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Gestalt Psychology

German Psychologists Max Wertheimer

Wolfgang Kohler

Kurt Koffka

Disagreed with the principles of structuralismand behaviorism

Believed perception was more than a sum ofits parts

Studied how sensations are assembled intoperceptual experiences


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Contemporary Approaches

Psychoanalytic

Behavioral

Humanistic

Cognitive Biological

Sociocultural


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Psychoanalytic Psychology

Sigmund Freud Interested in the unconscious mind

Used the technique of free association, which is still

used today

Believed that dreams are expressions of the mostprimitive unconscious urges

His view on the unconscious is a powerful influence

and controversy


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Psychoanalytic Psychology

Psychoanalyst- a psychologist who studies howunconscious motives and conflicts determine

human behavior, feelings, and thoughts.

Case study- is an analysis of the thoughts,

feelings, beliefs, experiences, behaviors, or

problems of an individual


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Behavioral Psychology Ivan Pavlov- Russian Scientist Salivating dog experiment

Pavlov rang a tuning fork each time he gave a dogsome meat powder.

The dog would normally salivate when the powerreached his mouth

He repeated the experiment, the dog would salivatewhen it heard the ring

The dog was conditioned to associate sound with

food


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Behavioral Psychology

Behaviorist- a psychologist who analyzes howorganisms learn or modify their behavior

based on their response to events in the

environment

John Watson

Believed psychology should only concern itself with

the observable facts of behavior

B.F. Skinner Introduced the concept of reinforcement

Is a response to a behavior that increases the

likelihood for the behavior to be repeated


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Humanistic Psychology

Humanist- a psychologist who believes that eachperson has freedom in directing his or her future

and achieving personal growth

Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Rollo May

are humanistic psychologists

Believed human nature as evolving and self-

directed


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Cognitive Psychology

Jean Piaget Noam Chomsky

Leon Festinger

Cognitivist- a psychologist who studies how we

process, store, retrieve, and use information andhow thought processes influence our behavior

Believe that behavior is more than a simpleresponse to a stimulus


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Biological Psychology

Known today as behavioral neuroscience

Psychobiologist- a psychologist who studies how

physical and chemical changes in our bodies

influence our behavior

Have found that genetic factors influence our

behaviors

Discovered a link between chemicals in the brain

and human behavior


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Sociocultural Psychology

Sociocultural psychologists study: the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and

differences on behavior and social functioning

The impact and integration of millions of immigrants

entering the U.S. every yearAttitudes, values, beliefts, and social norms and

roles of the various racial and ethnic groups


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Psychology as a Profession

Section 3


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What is a Psychologist?

Psychologists- is a scientist who studies the mindand behavior of humans and animals

Psychiatry- is a branch of medicine that deals

with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders

These two professions are usually confused


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Subfields of Psychology

Clinical psychologist- is a psychologist whodiagnoses and treats people with emotional

disturbances

Counseling psychologist- is a psychologist who

usually helps people deal with problems of

everyday life

School psychologist


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Developmental psychologist- a psychologist whostudies the emotional, cognitive, biological,personal, and social changes that occur as anindividual matures

Educational psychologist- a psychologist who isconcerned with helping students learn


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Community psychologist- a psychologist who maywork in a mental health or social welfare agency

Industrial or organizational psychologist- a

psychologist who uses psychological concepts tomake the workplace a more satisfyingenvironment for employees and managers


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Environmental psychologists- work in a businessor with the government to study the effects of the

environment on people

Psychobiologists- study the effect of drugs or try

to explain behavior in terms of biological factors


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Forensic psychologists- work in legal, court,and correctional systems

Health psychologists- study the interaction

between physical and psychological healthfactors

Experimental psychologists- is a psychologistwho studies sensation, perception, learning,

motivation, and/or emotion in carefullycontrolled laboratory conditions

Documents

Introducton to Psychology