Introduction and History of Psychology Chapter 1 Introduction and History of Psychology

What Is Psychology – and What Is It Not? Psychology is a broad field, with many specialties, but fundamentally, psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes

What Is Psychology – and What Is It Not? Psychology – The scientific study of behavior and mental processes Psychology is not Mere speculation about human nature A body of folk wisdom about people that “everybody knows” to be true 8

What Is Psychology – and What Is It Not? Psychology disputes unfounded claims from pseudopsychology Pseudopsychology – Erroneous assertions of practices set forth as being scientific psychology 18

What Do Psychologists Do? Psychology is a broad field with many specialties, grouped in three major categories: experimental psychology, teaching of psychology and applied psychology

What Do Psychologists Do? Experimental psychologists: ____________________________ _____________________________ ______________________________ 18

What Do Psychologists Do? Applied psychologists Use knowledge developed by experimental psychologists to solve human problems I/O Sports Engineering School Rehabilitation Counseling Clinical 18

I/O (Industrial/Organizational)

Sports Psychologists

Engineering Psychologists (aka Human Factors Psychologists)

School Psychologists

Rehabilitation Psychologists

Counseling and Clinical Psychologists

What Are Psychology’s Historical Roots? Modern psychology developed from several conflicting traditions, including structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, behaviorism, and psychoanalysis

Devoted to uncovering basic structures that make up mind and thought Tradition Devoted to uncovering basic structures that make up mind and thought Structuralism Functionalism Gestalt psychology Behaviorism Psychoanalysis Wilhelm Wundt 28

Structuralism Founded by ________ Father of Psychology 1879; Leipzig, Germany First ___________ Known for ideas of Introspection – the process of looking within. Report sensations, images, and feelings of objects.

Tradition William James Structuralism Believed mental processes could best be understood in terms of their adaptive purpose and function Functionalism Gestalt psychology Behaviorism Psychoanalysis 28

Functionalism 1890’s; Harvard Founded by ___________ 1890’s; Harvard Big fan of Darwin (who, by the way, helped to kick off psychology) Wrote the 1st __________ Disagreed with Wundt – said that sensations are only a part of the picture. What about emotions that are triggered? Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are adaptive and that there is a specific function of these things.

Interested in how we construct “perceptual wholes” Tradition Structuralism Functionalism Interested in how we construct “perceptual wholes” Gestalt psychology Behaviorism Psychoanalysis 28

Gestalt Prominent Gestalt Psychologists ________________ and ____________ Wertheimer was interested in visual illusions and ambiguous figures (like the Necker Cube we saw earlier). Kohler was interested in “a-ha” moments known as “insight learning”, which is when we see something for being more than what it is or suddenly “get it!”. Relied on introspection – report sensations and what you see and feel. However, the idea is that the “________________________________________________”

Argued psychology should deal solely with observable events Tradition Structuralism Functionalism Gestalt psychology John B. Watson Argued psychology should deal solely with observable events Behaviorism Psychoanalysis 28

Behaviorism Led by ____________ in the 1920’s. They were the ones that liked to cause controversy – they disagreed with everyone else. They were only interested in observable behaviors because that was the only thing that could be considered “reliable evidence.” So, forget what people are ___________, they were only interested in why people were ____________ or ____________.

Asserted mental disorders arise from conflicts in the unconscious mind Tradition Structuralism Functionalism Gestalt psychology Sigmund Freud Behaviorism Asserted mental disorders arise from conflicts in the unconscious mind Psychoanalysis 28

Psychoanalysis “Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact - and it's the plague of our 24/7 age” “Experts say nomophobia could affect up to 53 percent of mobile phone users.” Father of Psychoanalysis is ____________ – 1930’s. Said that all problems arise or are related to __________________– it is the infantile source of behavior (id, ego, superego). Where do our hidden fears or desires come from; how is our past related to our fears and desires and obsessions?

What are the Perspectives Psychologists Use Today?

(1)Psychoanalytic, (2)Cognitive, (3)Behavioral, (4)Humanistic, (5)Biological, (6)Sociocultural, (7)Evolutionary 3 4 5 2 1 6 7

1.Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: We are driven by dark forces of the unconscious Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Unconscious needs, conflicts, repressed memories, and childhood experiences 1.Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Humanistic Behavioral Slogan/Mnemonic: Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 31

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: People are information-processing systems Developmental 2. Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Mental interpretation of our experience Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Slogan/Mnemonic Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 30

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: Behavior is primarily shaped by learning Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Stimulus cues and our history of rewards and punishments Psychodynamic Humanistic 3. Behavioral Slogan/Mnemonic Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 33

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological View of Human Nature: Emphasizes human growth and potential Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: The influence of self-concept, perceptions, and interpersonal relationships, and on need for personal growth Psychodynamic 4. Humanistic Behavioral Sociocultural Slogan/Mnemonic: Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 31

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: We are complex systems that respond to hereditary and environmental influences 5.Biological or Biopsychological Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Neural structures, biochemistry, and inborn responses to external cues Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Slogan/Mnemonic: . Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 28

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: People are social animals, so human behavior must be interpreted in social context Biological Developmental Cognitive What Determines Behavior: Cultures, social norms and expectations, social learning Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral Slogan/Mnemonic: 6.Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 34

7.Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective Biological Developmental Cognitive View of Human Nature: Behavior is developed and adapted over time Psychodynamic Humanistic Behavioral What Determines Behavior: Natural selection Sociocultural Slogan/Mnemonic: 7.Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 34

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: We undergo predictable patterns of change throughout our lives Biological 8.Developmental What Determines Behavior: Interaction between heredity and environment Cognitive Psychodynamic Humanistic Slogan/Mnemonic: Behavioral Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Trait 29

Evolutionary/ Sociobiological Perspective View of Human Nature: Individual differences result from differences in our underlying patterns of stable characteristics Biological Developmental Cognitive Psychodynamic What Determines Behavior: Each person’s unique combination of traits Humanistic Behavioral Slogan/Mnemonic: Sociocultural Evolutionary/ Sociobiological 9.Trait 34

End of Chapter 1 27