Unit 1

What is Psychology?

• Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes– Behavior: any action that others can observe

or measure. • This includes almost everything that a person

could do. (walk, talk, sleep, eat, blink, etc.)• Some things can’t be seen. [Brain activity is

measured with an electroencephalograph (EEG)]

– Cognitive activities: private mental processes known only to the individual. (Ex: dreams, thoughts, memories)

– Psychological Constructs: What researchers use to talk about cognitive activities. (how they affect your behavior)

• Goal of Psychology:– Psychologist seek to observe and describe

behavior which enables them to better predict and control one’s behavior.• Very evident in the field of sports psychology

– They may use positive visualization. (picturing exactly how it is supposed to look when the action is done correctly)

• Psychology is a social science with some foundations in the natural sciences. – There are other social sciences: History,

Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Sociology

– All these other social sciences deal with individuals and their behavior, which is the basis of Psychology.

• Psychology also has some base in the natural sciences– The Natural sciences include: Biology, Chemistry,

Physics.– Psychologist study the functions of the brain which is

closely linked to Biology and Anatomy

• Psychologist will test their ideas through research. There are two main research methods: Survey and Experimentation.– Some psychologist use animal experimentation to

explain human behavior. Other research can only be conducted on humans.

• Psychologist organize their thoughts or ideas into theories.– Theory: a statement that attempts to explain why

things are the way they are or happen the way they do.

– Principle: a basic truth or law that most Psychologist will agree on.• These theories are constantly updated or discarded. Ex: Is

the world flat?

Different types of Psychologist:

• Clinical Psychologist– Makes up 48% of all Psychologist– Help people with psychological problems like anxiety,

depression or more severe problems like schizophrenia

– Do a large amount of research– Found in hospitals, prisons, universities– Not to be confused with a Psychiatrist, who is a

medical doctor that specializes in psychological problems and can prescribe medication for their patients

• Counseling Psychologist– They use interviews and test to identify their clients

problems– Mainly deal with people who have adjustment

problems rather then serious disorders– This is the group that most employer and family

counselors fall into

• School Psychologist– Work in schools to help students with any problems

that may interfere with learning (family problems, peer problems, learning disorders)

– They administer IQ and other achievement test– They may be in charge of student placement into

special programs

• Educational Psychologist– Similar to school psychologist but they are concerned with

course planning and instructional methods for an entire district– Their research includes the way learning is affected by

psychological factors, cultural factors, economic factors, and instructional factors

– They write most standardized test (ACT,SAT) then test the results

• Developmental Psychologist– They study the changes that occur throughout a life span. These

are:• physical, (height, weight, maturity) • emotional, (self concept, self esteem), • cognitive, (changes in the thought processes from infant to adult)

and • social (the formations of bonds between people and peer pressure)

– They deal with the nature vs. nurture debate

• Personality Psychologist– They identify characteristics or traits. (Things like

friendliness or shyness)– They deal with aggression, anxiety, and gender roles

• Social Psychologist– They are concerned with an individual’s behavior in

social situations– They study:

• the way people react in given situations, • the factors that attract on individual to another, • the reasons why people tend to conform to a group, • how your behavior changes around different people, • the effect of prejudice and discrimination, • what makes people act aggressive in a situation or helpful

• Experimental Psychologist– They usually conduct research in the basic processes

such as functions of the nervous system. – They are closely linked to the natural sciences– They perform Basic research: research that is done

for no immediate application but rather for its own sake

• Others:• Industrial and organizational psychologist• Environmental psychologist• Consumer psychologist (why we buy what we buy)• Forensic psychologist (Profile serial killers)• Health Psychologist• Rehabilitation Psychologist

History of Psychology

• Stone Age – to release the evil spirits they would remove parts of your skull

• Egyptians – believed that a little man named Ka lived in your head and controlled what you do

• Ancient Greece– Plato (428-348 BC) his motto is ‘Know

Thyself’. Today Psychologist call this method introspection which means ‘looking within’

– Aristotle writes the first book on Psychology called Peri Psyches (about the mind)• He is known for associationism (how an

experience reminds us of previous experiences)– Hippocrates is the first to suggest that mental

problems come from abnormalities in the brain.

• Middle Ages– Most people of the day thought that mental

problems came from demon possession. Practiced trial by ordeal.

• 16th, 17th, 18th centuries– the start of the science of Phrenology- the

reading of the bumps on your head• 1879 William Wundt

– Starts the field (or school) of psychology called Structuralism

– It’s basis is that your conscious is broken into two basic elements• Objective sensations• Subjective feelings

– The mind functions by combining the these two basic elements

• William James– Founded the school of Functionalism– Disagreed with Wundt and thought that an

experience is a “stream of consciousness”– He wrote The Principles of Psychology in

1890 (considered to be the first text book on psychology)

– Functionalist are concerned with how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment

– Successful behaviors are repeated and unsuccessful ones are dropped

• The difference between Functionalism and Structuralism:– Structuralism asks: what are the elements (or

structures) of the psychological process?– Functionalism ask: What are the purposes (or

functions) of these behaviors and mental processes?

– In other words “one asks what are the parts? The other asks what do the parts do?”

• Sigmond Freud– The father of Psychoanalysis– Emphasized the importance of unconscious

motives and internal conflicts in determining human behavior

– Big into interpretation of slips and dreams– He did his research through consultation with

patients (not in a lab)– He felt you are driven by your subconscious

mind– His theories are sometimes called

psychodynamic thinking

• John B Watson– Founder of Behaviorism– Feels that it is unscientific to study conscious,

because it is impossible to tell what others are thinking, especially animals

– He felt it more important to watch observable, measurable events

– He defined Psychology as the scientific study of observable behavior

• B.F. Skinner– Known for his work in the field of

reinforcement.– He showed that when animals are reinforced

or rewarded for performing an action they are likely to repeat it.

• Gestalt Psychology (Werthheimer, Koffka, Köhler)

– School of thought concerned with how people receive information influences how they interpret it

– They focus on the big picture rather then the parts of the picture

• Contemporary Perspectives– The old schools and theorist have been

modified to form more modern perspectives• Biological Perspective:

– emphasizes the influence of biology on behavior

– They look at how the different parts of your brain control your behavior

• Evolutionary Perspective:– They feel that behaviors, like other

evolutionary characteristics are passed down to offspring

• Cognitive Perspective:– Emphasizes the role played by thoughts in

determining behavior– They study how the mind develops over time

and how it processes information

• Humanistic Perspective:– Stresses the human capacity for self-

fulfillment. – They believe you are in charge of your own

behavior

• Psychoanalytic Perspective:– Stresses the influences of unconscious forces

on human behavior– You live out pent-up frustrations in other ways

• Learning Perspective:– This emphasizes the effects of experience on

behavior. – They feel that you do things because of past

learned experiences• The social learning theory suggest that you can

learn almost anything from watching others experience it.

• Socio-cultural Prospective:– Addresses issues such as ethnicity, gender,

culture, and socioeconomic status on behavior

– Are some groups smarter than others?– Are women smarter than men?