Psychology’s History and Approaches Unit I

What is psychology?  Science of behavior and mental processes Behavior = anything an organism does Mental processes - sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs and feelings Science - a way of asking and answering questions

Three Issues in Psychology  Nature vs. Nurture  Do our traits develop through experience or are we born with them? Are gender differences biologically predisposed or socially constructed? How are differences in intelligence and personality influenced by heredity and by environment?  Every psychological event is simultaneously a biological event

Issues -cont-  Rationality vs. Irrationality  In some ways we are smarter than a computer (rational) but in others we are prone to bias and error (irrational)  Stability vs. Change  Do our individual traits persist as we age (stability) or do our personalities change in different situations (change)?

Handout 1-3  Rationality-irrationality Items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 Reverse numbers 4 and 10  0=5, 1=4, 2=3, 3=2, 4=1, 5=0 Add Higher score = stronger belief in rationality

 Stability vs. change Items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 Reverse number 11  0=5, 1=4, 2=3, 3=2, 4=1, 5=0 Add Higher score= stronger belief in stability of behavior across time and situation

 Nature vs. nurture Items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 Reverse numbers 6 and 15  0=5, 1=4, 2=3, 3=2, 4=1, 5=0 Add Higher score= stronger belief in role of nature

Subfields of psychology  Biological - links between brain and mind  Developmental - changing abilities from womb to tomb  Cognitive - how we perceive, think and solve problems  Educational - influences on teaching and learning  Personality - persistent traits  Social - how we view and affect one another

Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist  Counseling psychologist - helps people cope with life  Clinical psychologist - assess and treats mental, emotional and behavioral disorders  Psychiatrist - medical doctor who can prescribe drugs and treat physical causes of psychological disorders