Psychology can provide insight into behavior and give one the chance to acquire practical information Psychology scientific study of behavior, mental processes; tested via scientific research Psychologists differ in how much importance to place on specific types of behavior, but agree that the study of behavior must be systematic
I. Goals of Psychology A. Description 1 st goal is to describe or gather info about the behavior being studied/present what is known B. Explanation 2 nd goal is to explain why 1. Hypothesis an educated guess about some phenomenon 2. Theory complex explanation based on findings from a large number of experimental studies a. Theories change as more information is gathered
I. Goals of Psychology (cont.) C. Prediction 3 rd goal is to predict (from what is known) what things will do, think, or feel in various situations 1. Studying past behaviors can predict future behavior D. Influence 4 th goal is to put forth: 1. Basic Science research or 2. Applied Science discovering ways to use scientific findings to accomplish practical goals
II. The Scientific Basis of Psychology A. Psychologists rely on the Scientific Method approach to gathering info/answering questions so errors, biases are minimized 1. Identify a problem or question 2. Formulate a hypothesis 3. Collect data through observation, experimentation 4. Analyze the data
I. Origins of Psychology A. The Greeks, 5 th and 6 th century BCE 1. Began to study human behavior 2. decided people s lives were influenced more by their minds than by gods
I. Origins of Psychology (cont.) Copernicus B. 16 th Century Nicolaus Copernicus 1. Earth was NOT the center of the universe 2. during the Renaissance/ Scientific Revolution, more experimentation through observation
I. Origins of Psychology (cont.) C. 17 th Century René Descartes 1. Others popularized dualism (mind, body are separate; distinct) 2. Descartes disagreed, believing there was a link; assumed the mind and body influence one another to create a person s experiences Descartes
II. Historical Approaches A. Structuralism 1. Wilhelm Wundt if often seen as the father of modern psychology 2. Established modern psych as a new, separate formal field of study 3. Structuralism the study of the basic elements of human experience 4. Introspection a method of selfobservation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings
II. Historical Approaches (cont.) B. Functionalism 1. William James the father of psychology in America 2. Functionalism study of how animals and people adapt to environments James
II. Historical Approaches (cont.) C. Inheritable Traits 1. Sir Francis Galton 2. Studied if genetics/hereditary factors played a role in abilities, character and behavior 3. Debate is still ongoing regarding genetics vs. environment (nature vs. nurture) Galton
II. Historical Approaches (cont.) Ex. Of Gestalt art D. Gestalt Psychology 1. A group of German psychologists disagreed with the principles of structuralism and behaviorism 2. Believed that the whole pattern or Gestalt, was important
III. Contemporary Approaches A. Psychoanalytic Psychology Sigmund Freud 1. Interested in the unconscious mind (beneath the surface are primitive biological urges that are in conflict with the requirements of society, morality) 2. Believed that unconscious motivations and conflicts were responsible for most human behavior
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) 3. Had a method for indirectly studying unconscious processes a. Free Association patient says everything that comes to mind, w/o attempting to produce logical or meaningful statements b. No editing or censoring their thoughts 4. Psychoanalysis the study of how unconscious motives and conflicts determine human behavior
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) B. Behavioral Psychology 1. Ivan Pavlov a. Dog experiment with salivation/classical Conditioning Pavlov
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) 2. John B. Watson a. Believed that psychologists should only deal with observable facts of behavior b. All behavior is a result of conditioning and occurs because a stimulus is present Watson
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) 3. B.F. Skinner a. Introduced the concept of reinforcement/operant Conditioning b. Reinforcement a response to a behavior that increase the likelihood the behavior will be repeated c. Author of Walden Two Skinner
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) Rogers C. Humanistic Psychology Maslow 1. Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Rollo May a. Human nature is evolving and self-directed b. Environment and outside forces are just the background to our own growth, they don t influence us c. Each person is unique and has a self-concept and potential to develop fully May
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) D. Cognitive Psychology 1. Jean Piaget a. Focuses on how we process, store and use information and how this information influences our thinking, language, problem solving, and creativity Piaget b. Behavior is influenced by a variety of mental processes like perception, memories and expectations
III. Contemporary Approaches (cont.) E. Biological Psychology 1. Emphasizes the impact of biology on our behavior a. Study how the brain, CNS, hormones and genetics influence our behavior b. Use PET and CAT scans as tools F. Sociocultural Psychology 1. The study of the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on behavior and social functioning 2. Our knowledge, ways of thinking, feeling and behaving are dependent on the culture we belong to
I. What is a Psychologist? A. Psychologist people who have been trained to observe, analyze and evaluate behavior 1. Usually have a Ph.D. in Psychology 2. Psychiatrist = specialty of medicine; they are MDs that do their residency in a psych ward or psych hospital
I. What is a Psychologist? (cont.) B. Clinical Psychologist help people deal with their personal and/or psychological problems 1. Work in mental hospitals, private offices, prisons and clinics 2. ½ of psychologists specialize in clinical psychology
I. What is a Psychologist? (cont.) C. Counseling Psychologist usually work in schools or industrial firms 1. Help people adjust to the challenges of life 2. Most states require a doctorate to be a clinical and counseling psychologist
I. What is a Psychologist? (cont.) D. Other types of Psychologists 1. School psychologists help students with emotional and learning problems 2. Social Psychologists study groups and how they influence behavior 3. Developmental Psychologists study physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes that occur throughout life a. e.g., they study children, the elderly, the process of dying 4. Educational Psychologists deal with topics related to teaching children and young adults, such as memory, intelligence, teaching methods, and develop new instructional devices 5. Experimental Psychologists perform research to understand how humans (and animals) operate physically and psychologically