Prologue: The Story of Psychology Mr. Bogoff

What is Psychology? The study of behavior and mental processes Behavior: Anything an organism does Mental processes: Sensations Perceptions Thoughts, feelings

Prescientific Psychology Socrates Mind is separate from the body Mind continues to exist after death Knowledge is innate (born within us) Plato Shared Socrates’ beliefs

Prescientific Psychology Plato Learning comes from experience Body and soul are not separate

Prescientific Psychology Rene Descartes Mind and body are separate Learning is innate Agreed with ________________________ Studied nerve paths to the brain John Locke Mind is a “blank slate” Knowledge comes from experience Socrates and Aristotle

Wilhelm Wundt University of Leipzig (Germany) First psychology lab 1879 Seeking to measure the “atoms of the mind” “Father of Psychology”

Edward Titchener Student of Wundt Cornell University Introduced structuralism: Studying the mind by examining its structural elements Analogy: Studying a car by examining its disconnected parts Used introspection: Patients’ self-reporting on their inner feelings

William James Functionalism: Focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function and enable us to adapt to our environments

Mary Whiton Calkins Admitted into James’ graduate seminar, over objections by Harvard’s president (1890) All other male students dropped out as a result Met requirements for a Harvard Ph.D. in psychology, but was denied. Went on to become the American Psychological Association’s first female president in 1905.

Margaret Floy Washburn First woman to receive a psychology Ph. D. Published The Animal Mind 1921: Second female APA president Banned from joining Titchener’s organization of experimental psychologists.

Sigmund Freud Introduced psychoanalysis Studied how childhood experiences and unconscious thought processes affect our behavior and personality

Behaviorism 1920s-1960s Dismissed introspection and mental processes Focused on observable behaviors Psychology should be an objective science

Behaviorists John B. Watson B.F. Skinner

Humanists 1960s Rebelled against Freud and behaviorists Too limiting Focused on people’s growth potential and need for love and acceptance

Humanists Carl Rogers Abraham Maslow

Cognitive Neuroscience Focus back to mental processes and brain activity

Psychology’s Biggest Question Nature/Nurture issue: Controversy over the contributions of biology and experience Do our traits develop through experience (nurture) or are we born with them (nature)?

Nature/Nurture Issue Plato (428-348 B.C.): Traits are inherited and inborn Aristotle (384-322 B.C.): Nothing is innate; all aspects of the mind come to it though the external world John Locke (1600s): Rejected inborn ideas; the mind is a blank sheet that is written on by experience. Rene Descartes (1600s): Some ideas are innate Charles Darwin (1800s): Natural selection; traits that best enable us to survive stay with the species

Seven Perspectives!!!!! Each may be used to study and explain behavior and mental processes. We will refer to these all year! Chart on p.11

Biological Perspective/Neuroscience Looks inside the body Substances: Hormones Drugs Neurotransmitters Physical organs Brain Spinal cord Genes Anger may be the result of: Genes, chemical imbalance of the brain, hormones

Evolutionary Perspective Impact of evolution on our behaviors Process of natural selection (survival of the fittest) Anger may be the result of: Years of natural selection in which anger helped our ancestors survive

This perspective looks at: Behavioral This perspective looks at: Only observable behaviors How we learn from the consequences of our actions Behaviors that are learned from watching others No mental processes involved Anger may be the result of: Reinforcement: anger is rewarded by attention, observing an angry parent

Mental processes Cognitive Thinking Information processing Memory Anger may be the result of: A negative or irrational thought process

Social factors Cultural factors Social-Cultural Relationships Parenting Cultural factors Cultural norms Race, ethnicity, religion Gender roles Anger may be the result of: Male gender roles, parenting factors

Humanistic Perspective Human growth How we work to reach our full potential How we strive to meet our needs Anger may be the result of: Frustration over not having needs met

Developed by Sigmund Freud Psychodynamic Developed by Sigmund Freud Focuses on how our unconscious motives affect our behavior. Anger may be the result of: Unconscious hostility needing an outlet

Psychology’s Subfields Psychometrics: Measurement of human abilities, traits, attitudes Basic Research: Building psychological knowledge Biological psychologists Developmental psychologists Cognitive psychologists Educational psychologists Personality psychologists Social psychologists

Psychology’s Subfields Applied Research: Scientific study to solve practical problems Industrial-organizational psychologists: Problems in the workplace, industries Human factors psychologists: Interaction between people, machines, and environments Forensic psychologists: Apply psychological principals to legal issues Neuropsychologists: Investigate relationship between nervous system and behavior Rehabilitation psychologists: Work with people who have lost optimal functioning School psychologist: Intervention of students Sports psychologist: Athlete and coach preparation

Psychology’s Subfields Helping Professions Counseling psychologists Help people cope with challenges Help people improve social functioning Clinical psychologists Treat mental disorders Psychiatrists Medical doctors Can prescribe medication Community Psychologist Creates healthy social and physical environments