Psychology…
Psychology The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Scientific research methods. ALL observable behavior. Mental processes include thoughts, feelings and dreams.
Prescientific Psychology Ancient Greeks Socrates Plato Mind is separable from body & continues after the body dies. Knowledge is born within us. Aristotle Knowledge is not preexisting. Grows from experiences stored in memories.
Prescientific Psychology Rene Descartes Francis Bacon John Locke Tabula Rasa (blank slate) Empiricism
Modern Psychology’s Roots
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) Father of Psychology Founder of modern psychology Opened the 1st psychology lab in 1879.
E.B. Titchener (1867-1927) Founder of Structuralism Analyzed the intensity, clarity and quality of the parts of consciousness: the structure
Structuralism Studied the basic elements (structure) of thoughts and sensations. Broken down into three parts: ex. sensations, feelings, thoughts
Gestalt Psychology Whole is different from the sum of its parts. Ex: Notes of music put together and you have a song
William James (1842-1910) First American psychologist Author of the first psychology textbook Founder of Functionalism William James proposed that all humans shared common instincts such as cleanliness, curiosity, parental love, sociability, sympathy, and jealousy. James believed that our instincts are inherited tendencies or traits. He composed a list of 37 instincts that he believed explained human behavior. James, a professor at Harvard, created the first course in psychology ever offered at an American university. This, along with his landmark psychological theories, have led many to call James the “father of American psychology.”
Functionalism Our consciousness helps us adapt to our environments. List of 37 instincts = human behavior Examples: Cleanliness Curiosity Sympathy Jealousy Love social ability
Mary Calkins 1890 (James) 1st female admitted into Harvard’s Graduate seminar 1st to achieve PhD Harvard denied Memory researcher 1st woman president of the APA Calkins couldn’t Walkins @ graduation
Margaret Floy Washburn 1st woman to earn PhD from Harvard 2nd female president of the APA Animal behavior research The Animal Mind
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Psychoanalytic perspective Behavior explained by unconscious
Freud’s Influence Influence on “pop culture” Freudian slips Anal-retentive Influence on psychology Psychodynamic theory Unconscious thoughts Significance of childhood experiences
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Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) Russian Physiologist Studied learning in animals Emphasized the study of observable behaviors Classical conditioning Ex. dogs
John B. Watson (1878-1958) Founder of behaviorism Studied only observable and objectively described acts – unconscious was of little value Environment molds our behavior Bullet # 1 In the early 1900s, John Watson developed what became known as behaviorism. He believed that psychology should only study overt, measurable behavior. Bullet # 2 Watson felt that psychology needed to study behavior scientifically and needed to break away from concepts like the mind, consciousness, feeling, and thinking. Bullet # 3 Waston firmly believed in the strength and power a person’s environment could exercise over them. Consequently, he believed that by controlling a healthy child’s environment, it was possible to influence that child to develop in a number of different directions.
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) Behaviorist Focused on learning through rewards and punishment and observation Operant conditioning Rats and pigeons Food = reward Shock = punishment
Psychology Timeline E.B. Titchener William James Mary Calkins Gestalt Sigmund Freud Ivan Pavlov Functionalism Wilhelm Wundt Structuralism John B. Watson Margaret Floy Washburn B.F. Skinner
7 Contemporary Psychological Perspectives
Psychological Perspectives Method classifying a collection of ideas Also called: “schools of thought” “psychological approaches” View BEHAVIOR from a particular perspective
Cognitive Perspective Focus: How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information Behavior is explained by how a person interprets the situation – grocery store
Biological Perspective Focus: Body & brain enable emotions, memories and sensory experiences. Genes & Environment influence individual differences. “feel-good” brain chemicals affect behavior - depression
Social-Cultural Perspective Focus: How thinking and behavior vary across situations and cultures. Influence of other people present?
Behavioral Perspective Focus: We learn through rewards, punishments, and observations Behavior explained by previous learning Unconscious = little value
Humanistic Perspective Focus: How we strive to meet our needs for love, acceptance and achieve our full potential. Behavior is motivated by satisfying needs (safety, hunger, thirst)
Psychodynamic Perspective Focus: Behavior is affected by unconscious drives, conflicts, motivation and unresolved inner conflicts from one’s childhood.
Evolutionary Perspective Focus: How the natural selection of traits promoted the survival of genes.
Perspective Activity The Case of Andrea Yates… Illustrates complexity & multiple causes of behavior Looking at each Perspective, how would you describe the cause of Yates’ murder of her children? Cognitive Perspective Biological Perspective Social-Cultural Perspective Behavioral Perspective Humanistic Perspective Psychodynamic Perspective Evolutionary Perspective What important principle does this case reveal?
Careers in Psychology
What do they do? Psychologist? Psychiatrist? Counselor? http://player.discoveryeducation.com/inde x.cfm?guidAssetId=AA6602D9-68D7- 4B9C-9DEA- F90CBDA22A38&blnFromSearch=1&prod uctcode=US
Clinical Psychologist Diagnose/treat patients with psychological problems Largest number of professional psychologists
Academic Psychologist PhD in Psychology = TEACH Research Expand knowledge base of psychology
Biological Psychologists Explore the physiological roots and results of behaviors. Might ask: “Do repetitive behaviors, such as piano playing, produce changes in the brain?”
Social Psychologist Explore the influence others have on behavior. Might ask: “Under what circumstances do young adults conform to the wishes of their peers?”
Developmental Psychologists Study the growth or development that takes place from womb to tomb. Might ask: “How do the friendships of 6-year olds differ from the friendships of 10-year olds?”
Cognitive Psychologist Study thought processes. Might ask: “How does the memory of an old home phone number affect the memory of a new home phone number?”
Majoring in Psychology… Skills possessed by graduates: Strong “people” skills Good problem solving skills Communication skills Analyzing skills Listening skills Well developed, higher level thinking skills Good research and writing skills
Sample Job Titles: Mental health care worker Residential care worker Career resource coordinator Events coordinator Student Advisor Youth care worker Police officer / FBI After hours emergency worker Job coach Fundraiser Psychiatric assistant Volunteer manager / coordinator
Areas of Employment: Retirement homes Hospitals Non-profit organizations Small-businesses Human resource dept. Street outreach Volunteer services Employment agencies Residential treatment centers Personal / Family counseling Law Enforcement office Post-secondary schools Career centers
The End
Applied Research Research designed to solve specific practical problems Rather than expanding the scientific knowledge base of psychology. Organizational Psychologists Human-factors Psychologists Psychometricians Educational Psychologists
Basic Research Pure science or research Research for the sake of finding new information and expanding the knowledge base of psychology