PSY 103 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY Week 01

Week 1: Content Changes in definition of psychology Current perspectives Subfields of psychology Four big ideas

Week 1: Learning Outcomes  After this lesson, you should be able to:  define psychology (CLO 2)  discuss how psychology’s focus has changed over time (CLO 1)  describe psychology’s current perspectives (CLO 1)  identify four big ideas that run throughout psychology (CLO 2)  explain how psychological principles can help students learn and remember (CLOs 2, 4)  brainstorm how psychology is/could be relevant in the local context (CLOs 2, 4)

Changes in Definition of Psychology I  Early definitions until 1920s  Psychology = science of mental life  Wundt – 1979 establishment of 1 st psychology laboratory  Watson, Skinner: Behaviorism: 1920s-1960s  Psychology = objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes  Freud: Psychodynamic Psychology  Psychology = emphasis on unconscious thought processes and emotional responses to childhood experiences

Changes in Definition of Psychology II  Rogers, Maslow: Humanistic Psychology:  Psychology = emphasis on growth potential of healthy people  Cognitive Psychology:  Psychology = scientific exploration of how information is perceived, processed and remembered  Cognitive Neuroscience:  Psychology = scientific exploration of brain activity underlying mental activity

Current Definition of Psychology Psychology = science of behavior and mental processes

Psychology as Science

Current Perspectives  Neuroscience  Evolutionary  Behavior genetics  Psychodynamic  Behavioral  Cognitive  Social-cultural  Humanistic

Subfields of Psychology  Biological (Week 3)  Developmental (4)  Clinical (13, 14)  Counseling (10, 14)  School (4, 6, 7, 8)  Educational (4, 6, 7, 8)  Personality (11)  Social (12)  Environmental (10)  Cognitive (5, 6, 7, 8)  Industrial (10, 11)  Organizational (10, 11)  Consumer (6, 12)  Health (10, 14)  Sport (10, 14)  Forensic (7)  Human factors (5)

Human Factors Psychology

Human Factors Psychology

Four Big Ideas  Critical thinking  Bio-psycho-social approach  Two-track mind  Human strengths

Critical Thinking  How do we know that?  Who benefits from this?  Is the conclusion based on guesswork and gut feelings, or on evidence?  How do we know one event caused the other?  How else could we explain things?

Biopsychosocial Approach

Two-Track Mind – Dual Processing

Human Strengths  Positive psychology:  Positive emotions  Positive character traits  Positive institutions

Homework for Week 2  Read from Chapter 1 the following sections BEFORE class:  1-1  1-2  1-3  1-6  1-7  1-8  1-9  1-11  1-12  1-13  Complete Worksheet 1 BEFORE class  Complete Quiz 1 on modules 1 and 2 at the beginning of class

One Minute Paper  Please describe briefly (1-2 sentences each): 1. Which one of today’s topics do you find most interesting? 2. Which topic is most unclear after today’s class? (If nothing is unclear, state that)