1 Prologue: The Story of Psychology

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

3 Prescientific Psychology Confucius ( B.C.) In China, Confucius stressed the power of ideas and the importance of an educated mind. home.tiscali.be/alain.ernotte/livre/confucius.jpg

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

5 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

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

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

The Dualism runs into problem trying to explain how non-material mind and material brain are supposed to interact causally. Problem of Interactionism 1: Problem of Interactionism Избирательное право стало очень избирательным // Главные партии заподозрены в "дедовщине" Problem (1): Where is the interaction supposed to take place, given that all physical events are located in space in time, and the non-material events are not spatially located? Problem (2): How the physical event in the brain is supposed to affect causally a non-material substance? How can a non-material event, such as purportedly non-physical intention to drink a glass of water, cause a chain reaction in the brain leading to a physical act of picking up the glass and drinking?

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

10 Prescientific Psychology John Locke ( ) Locke held that the mind was a tabula rasa, or blank sheet, at birth, and experiences wrote on it. biografieonline.it/img/bio/John_Locke.jpg

11 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?

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

Defining Psychology Role of philosophy Influence of biology Importance of outward behavior Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

The Birth…and Afterbirth of Psychology Classical origins Wilhelm Wundt –First psychology lab, 1879 at the University of Leipzig –Examined introspection, or the analysis of one’s conscious experiences

15 Psychological Philosophy Structuralism Wundt and Titchener studied the elements (atoms) of the mind by conducting experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in Wundt ( ) Titchner ( )

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

Schools of Thought: “Old Skool” Structuralism –E.B. Titchener –Introspection –Break down immediate sensation, past memories, feelings Functionalism –William James –Darwin’s influence –Conscious experience is adaptive – focus on observable, conscious behaviour Titchener James Break it down! No way! Why is it ADAPTIVE? Yeah! Why?

18 Psychological Philosophy Functionalism Functionalism was the psychological school of thought that followed Structuralism and moved away from focusing on the structure of the mind to a concern with how the conscious is related to behavior... How does the mind affect what people do? One of the major proponents of Functionalism was Thorndike who studied the primary issue of functionalism... What function does a behavior have? In addition, this school of thought focused on observable events as opposed to unobservable events. (p.5)

Psychological Practice Psychodynamics and the Unconscious Mind Sigmund Freud and his followers emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. The “science of mental life.” Freud ( ) p. 6

20 Psychological Practice Develops Behaviorism (p.7) Watson (1913) and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology. Watson ( ) Skinner ( )

Schools of Thought: Classics Behaviorist School –John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner –Observable, measurable behavior Psychoanalysis –Sigmund Freud –Role of the unconscious –Sex and aggression –Early childhood events –Evolved into psychodynamic school I’m a serious man Behaviorist John B. Watson Und zen zie child becomes neurotic! Sigmund Freud

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

Schools of Thought: Classics Humanistic School –Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow –Human potential for growth –Free will –Here and now –Need for acceptance and love Cognitive School –Jean Piaget, Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck –Importance of thoughts and thought processes –Perception, thinking, memory, language Cognitive psychologist Jean Piaget

24 Psychology’s Big Debate Nature versus Nurture Darwin stated that nature selects those that best enable the organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Darwin ( )

25 Psychological Philosophy Empiricism vs. Nativism (p.8) Empiricism is the view that real knowledge comes from the senses. This formed the basis for the foundation of modern science - the reliance on empirical evidence, or evidence that is observable. Empiricism is based on the theory that the mind is formed through experience. Nativism is the view that certain skills or abilities are 'native' or hard wired into the brain at birth. Do empiricism and nativism remind you of another famous debate?

Schools of Thought: Biological and Evolutionary Biological –Looks to the body and its processes to explain human behavior –Genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and organ structure/function –Includes neuroscience which specifically examines the role of the brain and its chemicals in regulating behavior Evolutionary Psychology –Examines human behavior through processes of adaptability, survival value and reproductive value –How has human behavior changed to ensure survival?

Schools of Thought: The Biopsychosocial Approach Regardless of the particular school of thought, contemporary psychology has come to embrace the biopsychosocial approach –Biological influences –Psychological influences –Social-Cultural influences OBEY.

Schools of Thought: The Biopsychosocial Approach Each particular school of thought may emphasize one area more than another (p.10) Which area/s do you think each school would emphasize?

Schools of Thought: Women’s Contributions? Women overcame limitations on access to education, restrictions on awarding advanced degrees, and exclusion from psychological societies –Mary Whiton Calkins –Margaret Floy Washburn –Mary Cover Jones –Rosalie Rayner Today, women earn the majority of Ph.D.s in psychology and hold nearly half of the leadership roles in psychological societies

Enduring Issues in Psychology Psychologists representing all schools of thought debate what shapes behavior Some on-going debates include the following: –Nature vs. Nurture –Person vs. Situation –Mind vs. Body –Stability vs. Change –Diversity vs. Universality The failure to resolve the debates suggests both sides are valid and shed light on behavior

31 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 promotes the perpetuation of one ’ s genes? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? Behavior geneticsHow 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?

32 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?

33 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?

34 Psychology ’ s Subfields: Research Type of Research Purpose Basic Research To expand the general knowledge base of psychology. Applied Research To solve a specific psychological problem/issue. Clinical Research To solve the issues involved with psychological disorders (abnormal psychology).

35 Psychology ’ s Subfields: Occupations PsychologistWhat he or 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.

36 Psychology ’ s Subfields: Applied Data: APA 1997

37 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