Prologue: Psychology’s Roots  Definition of Psychology  The science of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings)

Psychology’s Roots Prescientific Psychology In India, Buddha wondered how sensations and perceptions combined to form ideas.

Prescientific Psychology Confucius ( B.C.) In China, Confucius stressed the power of ideas and the importance of an educated mind.

Prescientific Psychology Hebrew Scriptures Hebrew scriptures linked mind and emotion to the body.

Prescientific Psychology Socrates ( B.C.) and Plato ( B.C.) Socrates and his student Plato believed the mind was separate from the body, the mind continued to exist after death, and ideas were innate. Socrates Plato

Prescientific Psychology Aristotle ( B.C.) Aristotle suggested that the soul is not separable from the body and that knowledge (ideas) grow from experience.

Prescientific Psychology Rene Descartes ( ) Descartes, like Plato, believed in soul (mind)-body separation, but wondered how the immaterial mind and physical body communicated.

Prescientific Psychology Francis Bacon ( ) Bacon is one of the founders of modern science, particularly the experimental method.

Prescientific Psychology John Locke ( ) Locke held that the mind was a tabula rasa, or blank sheet, at birth, and experiences wrote on it.

Prescientific Psychology Mind and body are connected Mind and body are distinct The HebrewsSocrates AristotlePlato AugustineDescartes What is the relation of mind to the body?

Prescientific Psychology Some ideas are inborn The mind is a blank slate SocratesAristotle PlatoLocke How are ideas formed?

Prologue: Psychology’s Roots  Psychological Science Is Born  Empiricism  Knowledge comes from experience via the senses  Science flourishes through observation and experiment

Wilhelm Wundt Wundt is referred to as the “father of psychology” because in 1879 he started the first laboratory in psychology for studying humans. He broke into parts the elements of feelings and thought. Using a procedure called “introspection” he introduced scientific procedure to study feelings.

Psychological Science is Born Structuralism Wundt and Titchener studied the elements (atoms) of the mind by conducting experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in Wundt ( ) Titchener ( )

Psychological Science is Born Functionalism Influenced by Darwin, William James established the school of functionalism, which opposed structuralism. James ( ) Mary Calkins

Prologue: Psychology’s Roots  Functionalism focused on how behavioral processes function- how they enable organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

William James In 1890, he published Principles of Psychology. The book was 1400 pages long, two volumes in length and it took him 12 years to write. Unlike Wundt, he did not want to break behavior into parts; instead, he never wanted to lose sight of the individual as a whole. James is considered to be one of the founders of American psychology.

Psychological Science is Born The Unconscious Mind Sigmund Freud and his followers emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. Freud ( )

Psychological Science Develops Behaviorism Watson (1913) and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology. Watson ( ) Skinner ( )

Other Pioneers zJohn B. Watson (1878–1958) ypsychologists should study overt behavior “Father of Behaviorism” zB. F. Skinner (1904–1990) yAmerican psychologist at Harvard ystudied learning and effect of reinforcement y“Father of Operant Conditioning”

John B. Watson (1878–1958)

B. F. Skinner (1904–1990)

Psychological Science Develops Humanistic Psychology Maslow and Rogers emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance. Maslow ( ) Rogers ( )

Psychological Associations & Societies The American Psychological Association is the largest organization of psychology with 160,000 members world-wide, followed by the British Psychological Society with 34,000 members.

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology  Psychology’s Big Issues  Stability vs. Change  Do our individual traits persist as we age?  Do we become older versions of ourselves?

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology zRationality vs. Irrationality yRationality– reasonableness, good sense of equity and proportion yIrrationality– not reasonable in thinking or behaving, distorted perception of reality

Philosophical Developments Another Question: Nature vs. Nurture zthe relative contribution that genes and experience make to development of psychological traits and behaviors zAre abilities determined by our genes or our experiences? zWhat are the interactions between genetics and environment? zWhat effect does it have on behavior? BIG

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology zJohn Locke empiricist; believed that knowledge is acquired solely through life experiences. Tabula Rasa: blank tablet Claimed each of us is born a blank slate on which are written the life experiences we acquire through our senses. (Plato believed just the opposite)

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology zRene Descartes rationalist; insisted we should doubt everything that is not proved by our own reasoning. True knowledge comes through correct reasoning and it is inborn.

On the Origin of Species was published in His theory was that humans and animals had evolved and changed. His theory inspired scientists to study animals in order to understand human behavior. Charles Darwin

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology  Natural selection  principle that those inherited trait variations contributing to survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations Charles Darwin

Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions NeuroscienceHow the body and brain enables emotions? How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? EvolutionaryHow the natural selection of traits the promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? Behavior genetics How much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences? To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment?

Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions PsychodynamicHow behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts? How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? BehavioralHow we learn observable responses? How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking?

Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions CognitiveHow we encode, process, store and retrieve information? How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? Social-culturalHow behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures? How are we — as Africans, Asians, Australians or North Americans – alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ?

Psychology’s Subfields: Research PsychologistWhat she does Biological Explore the links between brain and mind. Developmental Study changing abilities from womb to tomb. Cognitive Study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. Personality Investigate our persistent traits. Social Explore how we view and affect one another.

Approaches to Psychology Biological Behavioral Psychoanalytic Humanistic Cognitive Sociocultural

Biological Perspective zSzStudy the physiological mechanisms in the brain and nervous system that organize and control behavior zFzFocus may be at various levels yiyindividual neurons yayareas of the brain ysyspecific functions like eating, emotion, or learning zIzInterest in behavior distinguishes biological psychology from many other biological sciences

Evolutionary Perspective zInfluenced by Darwin and the emphasis on innate, adaptive behavior patterns zApplication of principles of evolution to explain behavior and psychological processes

John B. Watson Watson studied the impact of learning on people. This led to the school of behaviorism. He believed that careful and structured parenting could eliminate psychological problems. Watson later wrote a book applying scientific methods to raising children.

The Behavioral Approach This approach emphasizes that behavior is primarily the result of learning and not due to a person’s thoughts and unconscious processes. People such as B. F. Skinner (pictured to the left) and John B. Watson are called behaviorists.

Behavioral Perspective zView of behavior based on experience or learning yClassical conditioning-- Pavlov yOperant conditioning-- Skinner

Sigmund Freud Freud developed the first comprehensive theory of human development and behavior, especially how the personality develops. He believed that childhood memories and thoughts influenced the behavior of people when they became adults.

Psychodynamic Perspective zView of behavior based on experience treating patients zPsychoanalytic approach (Sigmund Freud) yboth a method of treatment and a theory of the mind ybehavior reflects combinations of conscious and unconscious influences ydrives and urges within the unconscious component of mind influence thought and behavior yearly childhood experiences shape unconscious motivations

Cognitive Perspective zHow is knowledge acquired, organized, remembered, and used to guide behavior? zInfluences include yPiaget – studied intellectual development yChomsky – studied language yCybernetics – science of information processing

Humanistic Perspective zDzDeveloped by Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers ybybehavior reflects innate ‘actualization’ yfyfocus on conscious forces and self perception ymymore positive view of basic forces than Freud’s

The Humanistic Approach Carl Rogers is the best known of the humanists. This approach emphasizes that people have free will, self-concepts and are basically good. Humanists believe that every person can fulfill his or her potential.

Carl Rogers (1902–1987)Abraham Maslow (1908–1970)

The Sociocultural Approach This approach looks at the impact that society, culture, ethnicity, race, and religion have on personality. Psychoanalytic Cognitive

Cross-Cultural Perspective zThe study of psychological differences among people living in different cultural groups zHow are people’s thoughts, feelings and behavior influenced by their culture? zWhat are the common elements across culture? Are these innate?

Psychology’s Subfields: Research Data: APA 1997

Psychology’s Subfields: Applied PsychologistWhat she does Clinical Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders Counseling Helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges. Educational Studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings Industrial/ Organizational Studies and advises on behavior in the workplace.

Psychology’s Subfields: Applied Data: APA 1997

A clinical psychologist (Ph.D.) studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy. Psychiatrists on the other hand are medical professionals (M.D.) who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients. Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology  Psychology’s Subfields  Basic Research-- laboratory  Biological psychologists explore the links between brain and mind  Developmental psychologists study changing abilities from womb to tomb  Cognitive psychologists study how we perceive, think, and solve problems

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology  Psychology’s Subfields  Basic Research  Personality psychologists investigate our persistent traits  Social psychologists explore how we view and affect one another

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology  Psychology’s Subfields  Applied Research—face to face  Industrial/organizational psychologists study and advise on behavior in the workplace  Clinical psychologists study, assess, and treat people with psychological disorders

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology  Psychiatry  A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders  Practiced by physicians who sometimes use medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychotherapy

 Survey: What you are about to read, including chapter outlines and section heads.  Question: Ask questions. Make notes.  Read: Make sure you read outlines, sections and chapters in entirety.  Review: Margin definitions. Study learning outcomes.  Reflect: On what you learn. Test yourself with quizzes. Close-up Your Study of Psychology Survey, Question, Read, Review and Reflect (SQ3R)

 Distribute your time.  Listen actively in class.  Overlearn.  Be a smart test-taker. Close-up Additional Study Hints