The study of behavior and mental processes History and Approaches Prologue Trepanning drilling a hole in the skull to alleviate pain let out the spirits (treat disorders) Prescience Philosophy- Debate centered on whether knowledge was innate (born within us) or gained through experiences (tabula rasa- blank slate or empiricism) Prescience Humorism: believe that 4 elements (blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile) form our temperament and behaviors Phrenology: bumps on your skull tell you about your personality and abilities Prescience Biology- Are behaviors adaptive just like traits? Only the most beneficial survive 1
Early Perspectives in Beginnings of Wilhelm Wundt- Father of psychology First experimental psych lab est. 1879 Focused on the scientific study of the mind Wundt insisted that psychological methods be as rigorous as chemistry and physics Introspection Demo Founding Fathers of Wundt- founder of psychology, focused on experiments through introspection Edward Titchener- Student of Wundt, gave Structuralism its name William James- Founder of Functionalism, focusing on why we have consciousness Structuralism vs Functionalism Structuralism (Wundt & Titchener)- analyze consciousness and break it down into basic elements or structures through introspection Functionalism (James)- investigate the function, or purpose of consciousness, lends itself to applied work (how you behave in natural setting) Gestalt Phi Phenomenon The whole is different than the sum of it s parts. Wertheimer, Kohler and Koffka Invented as a reaction against structuralism Attempt to refocus onto conscious experience-- PERCEPTIONS! Phi Phenomenon: illusion of movement 2
Freud & Psychoanalysis UNCONSCIOUS Thoughts, memories and desires exist below your conscious awareness and influence your behavior! Studied through dreams, Freudian Slips (When you say one thing but mean your mother ) Psychoanalytic Theory explains your mental processes & behavior in terms of the unconscious! Believed that scientific psychology should focus on observable behavior only, because... Mental processes cannot be studied directly! Stimulus Response Black Box Theory of the Mind John B. Watson Ivan Pavlov Behaviorists John B. Watson (1878-1958) Behavior without Reference to Thought S-R Little Albert Belief that you can be molded/shaped, with enough training a Behaviorist can get you to do just about anything when the bell rings you when I ask a question you... B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) Behavior modification The Pigeons playing ping pong John B. Watson Ivan Pavlov Modern Perspectives in Biological/ Neuroscience (physical) Focused on biological and medical treatments Examines the physical basis of psychological phenomena such as motivation, emotion and stress Paul Broca, Wernicke- there are areas in the brain that specialize in things! Disorders caused by imbalances in the brain, treat them with RX or surgery 3
Evolutionary (Evolved/ Adapted) We are the result of 1000 s of years of adaptation and survival of the fittest! Your ancestors survived while others didn t! Behavioral tendencies in humans have evolved because they helped our ancestors to survive and rear healthy offspring It supports Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection Disorders could have served as defense mechanisms in the wild. Psychodynamic (Unconscious) Unconscious mind plays a huge role in everything! People's actions are determined by the way their thoughts, feelings and wishes are connected in their mind The mental processes may conflict, and unresolved issues lead to disorders Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler Uses dreams, free associations to treat patients (Learning) Behavior is the result of reinforcement- rewards and punishments Focuses on the way objects or events in the environment come to control behaviour through learning B. F. Skinner, Watson, Pavlov Uses observations of environment and is focused on the short term change Cognitive (Perceptions) Focuses on the way people perceive, process and retrieve information How do we think and know things? Perception, memory, language all play a part! Noam Chomsky, Jean Piaget Disorders occur when irrational thoughts lead to anxiety, therapy needed to change those thoughts. Humanism (Individual) Focuses on uniquely human issues (the self, love, hope, creativity, individuality) Focuses on the individual and assumes people are motivated to reach their full potential Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow Disorders occur when the ideal self and the actual self are not in congruence. Therapy is the answer! 4
Social-Cultural (Society) Look at how society and culture influence our behaviors Tries to distinguish universal psychological processes from those that are specific to particular cultures Lev Vygotsky, Stanley Milgram The environment causes disorders Biopsychosocial Perspective Brings together the idea that your biology, your personality and your culture all contribute to who you are Free Response Questions Six months ago, Carlos emigrated from Spain to the United States. Although fluent in English and an honors student in Spain, Carlos has had difficulty completing his assignments since moving to the United States. His parents don t understand why he is not succeeding like he did in his last school and they are becoming frustrated and mad at him. Carlos has quit participating in family traditions. Explain how each of the following psychological perspectives might explain Carlos behavior: Behavioral Psychodynamic Cognitive Social-Cultural 5