Historical view Psychology come from the study of two disparate yet connected fields, Philosophy and biology.

Modern View Psychology is the study of behavior (in its broadest context).

Philosophical view The Platonic allegory of Cupid and Psyche, the passions that rule mankind.

Classical religious people The soul as seen from the hands of Augustine and Aquinas

Two ways at looking at man and how he interprets his world Socratic/Platonic view. All knowledge is already contained in the individual. Do not use your sensory experience to understand the world around you.

Meno’s Slave Through question and answer Socrates showed that an untrained slave could show he understood the relationship between the hypotenuse and the two sides of a square.

Cave allegory Prisoners are chained to a wall. They see shadows on the wall and depict this as real. The shadows are only reflections of people before a fire outside the mouth of the cave.

The issue for Psychology What distinguishes the barbarian from non- barbarian?

The non-barbarian is locked in argument with his fellow non- barbarian.

What is the argument all about? The answer to four specific questions.

Question 1 The problem of knowledge: how is it that I know anything (reason).

Types of knowing Experiential knowledge Intuitive knowledge

Question 2 What does one know? The problem of reason.

What is the one thing each of you know without error?

Your own existence. Descartes “Cogito ergo sum”

Question 3 How should I behave, i.e. origin of individual conduct (morality)?

Question 4 The problem of governance?

Scope of Psychology

The organism as a whole How is the individual effected by…….?

The Central Nervous System (CNS) The brain and peripheral nervous system is the organ system of behavior. Anesthetize the brain anesthetizes behavior at all levels.

3 methods of studying the brain Record

Levels of analysis Single neurons Multiple neurons Thousands of neurons

Reading the Living Brain Electroencephalography -- EEG

(cont.)

Method 2 Lesion: to cut or remove

An example Kluver – Busy syndrome in monkeys Removal bilaterally of the temporal pole in monkeys.

Behavioral Changes Post Surgery High Oral behavior Pacing in the light Passivity High sexual activity

Kling – Riggs study (cats) Again removal of the “tip” of the temporal pole

Behavioral changes Extreme well directed aggressiveness.

Method 3 of brain study Stimulation

Scientific Method Develop an idea

The idea ASSUME: LEARNING IS A GENETIC PROCESS

Rework the idea until a testable hypothesis can be construed.

Reworked idea THE ABILITY TO RUN A MAZE WITH NO ERRORS IS GENETICALLY DETERMINED

ASK THE QUESTION: WHAT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE ANIMAL TO USE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION PROPOSED BY THE HYPOTHESIS?

Humans? Rats? Fruit flies? Squid – Octopus?

RATS WHO RUN A MAZE WITH THE FEWEST ERROR TRIALS ARE BETTER LEARNERS THAN RATS WHO MAKE MORE ERRORS IN THE SAME NUMBER OF TRIALS.

How do I manipulate genes? How do I manipulate learning?

Selective breeding manipulates genes: Breed fast learners to fast learners, slow learners to slow learners.

Can the individual be used as its own control or do I need a control group.

Use groups: fast learners against slow learners. After 20 generations there should be two groups of maze learners with no overlap between groups.

What is the most appropriate statistical procedure I need to use.