Psychology: History and Approaches Psychology - The study of mental processes and behavior Goals of Psychology Description – observe, gather, and present information about a behavior Explanation – explain why a behavior occurs. Hypothesis – a researcher’s prediction or educated guess as to why something is occurring Theory – a complex explanation, usually the result of extensive studies and/or experiments Prediction – predict what humans or individuals will think, feel, and/or do in a variety of situations. Based on a study past behaviors we can predict future behaviors. Influence – develop a method or methods to influence or ultimately control an unwanted behavior

Intro. Psychology Notes: Terms: Physiological: physical / biological Basic science: Pursuit of knowledge for its own sake Applied science: pursuit of knowledge in order to apply it to serve a purpose Cognitive: Mental. Having to do with functions of the mind Reinforcement: Skinner, controlled reward and punishment to modify behavior

Early Perspectives in Psychology Structuralism: mapping of structure of thought processes Wilhelm Wundt mid 1800’s, father of experimental psychology First scientific lab to study psychology by examining thought processes Introspection: self-observation and reflection Functionalism: Examine the function of mental (cognitive) activities in terms of how it serves the organism in adapting to its environment. William James Idea that most mind activities serve one function, survival of species. Gestalt School: theory based on the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Deals with organization and perception. (think about how you recognize someone. Chances are you identify people using more than one small physical characteristic) Psychoanalysis: Freud, looking into the unconscious mind Free association: method pioneered by Freud to delve into the unconscious mind

“Give me a dozen healthy infants… and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one and train him or her to become any type of specialist I might want to select…” - John Watson Behaviorist – psychology should concern itself only with the observable facts of behavior (conduct). Watson believed all behavior, even things that appear to be instinctual is a result of conditioning and is caused by a response to a stimulus. Shaping – systematic way of rewarding and punishing to modify and control behavior Questions 1) How does this quote reflect the idea of shaping? 2) Do you agree or disagree with this theory? Explain. 3) What, if any are the limits of shaping? 4) If John Watson is correct, is there such a thing as free will?

Contemporary Approaches to Psychology

Contemporary Approaches to Psychology Approach (big names) What Influences our Behavior Psychoanalytic Psychology (Freud) Unconscious motivations influence our behavior Behavioral Psychology (Pavlov, Watson, Skinner) Events in the environment (rewards and punishments) influence our behavior Humanistic Psychology (Maslow) Individual or self-directed choices influence our behavior Cognitive Psychology (Piaget) How we process, store, and retrieve information influences our behavior Biological Psychology Biological factors influence our behavior Sociocultural Psychology Ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status influence our behavior

Do this: Most psychologists tend to follow one approach, but they often borrow from other theories Which makes the most sense to you? Explain.

Sample Research Questions Sample Research Questions. Under which approach would you find the following questions? How have negative childhood experiences affected the way I handle stressful situations? Can good study habits be learned? Do I believe I can prepare for and pass the test? How does caffeine affect memory? Do genes affect your intelligence and personality? How do people of different genders and ethnicities interact with one another?