Psychology

What is psychology? Psychology – The scientific study of behavior and mental processes Scientific research methods are used to answer questions about peoples behavior Psychologists study both observable, and unobservable elements to determine why people act the way they do

When did Psychology begin? People have always been trying to understand other peoples behaviors

Prescientific Psychology Why people act and think the way they do has been thought about for forever. Socrates & Plato: The mind is separate from the body and knowledge is born within us. Knowledge is innate Aristotle: Collected data through careful observations. Stated that knowledge is not preexisting, it grows from experiences and memories. Socrates student

Prescientific Psychology Rene Descartes ( ) did dissections of animals, leading him to believe that spirit (cranial fluid) flowed through the body (by nerves) and commanded it. Agrees with Socrates & Plato John Locke ( ) – Famously argued the mind is a blank slate written on by our experiences. He called it a tabula rasa. Agrees with Aristotle This view leads to empiricism Empiricism – the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation A.D A.D.

What do you think? What produces our thoughts, feelings, and actions?

Better question: When did modern psychology begin? Modern Psychology – the last 125 years of study German philosopher Wilhelm Wundt is known as the “Father” of psychology In 1879, Wundt devoted his laboratory to psychological experiments

Structuralism E.B. (Edward Bradford) Titchener, was a student of Wundt Titchener introduced Structuralism Structuralism – the goal was to find basic elements of the mind Structuralism would be a building block for other psychological systems

Gestalt Psychology Gestalt Psychology – Psychological perspective that emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes Taking all the pieces and putting it into a whole idea Gestalt in German means “whole”

What do you see?

What do you see here?

Functionalism Functionalism - emphasized the functions people need to survive. William James started functionalism He was the first American Psychologist

Check for understanding: What were some important milestones in psychologies early history?

Charles Darwin Nature v. Nurture Biology v. Environment Studied evolution and believed that a species strongest members survived Survival of the fittest Felt as though weak traits of a species would weed itself out over time His writings led William James to adopt functionalist principles about why people have the abilities that they do

Sigmund Freud Austrian Physician Psychoanalysis Freud’s theory differed from others in two ways 1.It focused unconscious drives and motives guiding behavior 2.It relied on personal observations, and not controlled lab experiments

Freud Cont’d Freud’s work was not scientific because it was based on self reported reflections, not scientific methods to gather research Freud died in 1939 The idea that our unconscious thoughts, inner conflicts, and childhood experiences affect our behavior and personality, is still accepted by some

Behaviorists John Watson and B.F. Skinner were the first behaviorists Believe science should be objective and rooted in observation You can’t observe thoughts or senses, but you can observe people’s reactions to them and record their behavior

Maslow & Rogers Humanistic psychologists who emphasized the conscious experience Said humans have free will in their decision making and are not controlled by series of rewards

Experimental Psychology Experimental Psychology – the study of behavior and thinking using the scientific method. Solomon Asch Line conformity experiments.

Piaget Swiss psychologist Known for his work about how children develop their thinking abilities

New Areas of Psychology Behavior Genetics – thought that focuses on how much our genes and our environment influence our individual differences This is a combination of behaviorism and genetics. Is there a gene that specifically control certain actions. What is inherited? Evolutionary Psychology – combines biological, and social aspects while studying behaviors that helped our ancestors survive

New Areas Positive Psychology – Movement that focuses on the study of optimal human functioning and the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive. Suggest focusing on improving the positive things in life rather than repair the worst thing.

Careers in Psychology Clinical and Counseling Psychologists represent more than half of all psychologists Academic Psychologists work at universities doing research Basic Research – Science aiming to increase the scientific knowledge base Applied Research – Scientific study aiming to solve practical problems

When it doubt, keep it simple