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Introduction to Psychology

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1 Introduction to Psychology
Why Study Psychology? Understanding Behavior Insight- understanding your own behavior and educating yourself Practical Shaping Learning Behavior

2 Introduction to Psychology
General Overview? Psychology – is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes of organisms The scientific study of human behavior Covers what people think, feel and do Systematic study of behavior Many different approaches in how to study

3 Life before Psychology
Problem - No “scientific” way of studying problems Greeks 5 BC- People’s minds were not dominated by gods. Philosophy asks questions about the mind: Does perception accurately reflect reality? How is sensation turned into perception? Physiology asks similar questions about the mind Phrenology - Phrenology is the science which studies the relationships between a person's character and the morphology of the skull

4 Life Before Psychology
Dualism – Mind/Body separate Descartes says NO! Mind controls body – they are intertwined Modern science began to emerge by combining philosophers’ reflections, logic, and mathematics with the observations and inventiveness of practical people René Descartes ( ) Predict what will happen Systematically observe events Do events support predictions SCIENTIFIC METHOD

5 Psychology Is Born First Experimental Psych Lab – Harvard (1879) Focuses on the scientific study of the mind. WW insists that Psych methods be as rigorous as the methods of chemistry & physics. Wundt - structuralist-interested in basic elements of human experience. Wilhelm Wundt ( ) Structuralism Wundt is generally acknowledged as establishing modern psychology as a separate formal field of study. He was trained in physiology-the study of how the human mind works. His real interest was the study of the human mind. Wundt developed a method of self-observation called – introspection-a method of self observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings Wundt developed a method of self-observation called – introspection-a method of self observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings

6 Structuralist -a psychologist who studied the basic elements that make up conscious mental experience

7 Functionalism 1879 William James
Thinking, feeling, learning, remembering, all activities of the brain help us to survive James is often called the “father of psychology” in the United States.

8 Functionalists-A psychologist who studied the function of consciousness – the study how animals and people adapt to their environments.

9 Psychology (pre-1920) Psychology Understanding Mental Processes
Wilhelm Wundt ( ) Physiologist & Perceptual Psychologist Founder of Psychology as a Science Experiments Psychology Understanding Mental Processes William James ( ) Philosopher & Psychologist Formed Y at Harvard

10 Structuralism vs Functionalism
Analyze consciousness into basic elements and study how they are related Introspection - self-observation of one’s own conscious experiences Wilhelm Wundt Functionalism Investigate the function, or purpose of consciousness rather than its structure Leaned toward applied work (natural surroundings) William James ( )

11 VIDEO!!! Wunt vs. James 

12 “The whole is different than
Gestalt Psychology “The whole is different than the sum of its parts.” Gestalt psychologist studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences Max Wertheimer ( ) They argued that perception is more than the sum of its parts- it involves a “whole pattern” or in German, a Gestalt For example, when people look at a chair, they recognize a the chair as a whole rather than noticing its legs, its seat, and its other components A reaction against Structuralism An attempt to focus attention back onto conscious experience (i.e., the mind) WHY?

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15 Different Perspectives in Psychology
Biological Psychology Behavioral/Clinical Psychology Cognitive Psychology Social-Cultural Psychology

16 Biological Perspective
Focus How the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Sample Issues How do evolution and heredity influence behavior? How are messages transmitted within the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives?

17 Classic Psychological question!
NATURE VS. NURTURE

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19 Behavioral/Clinical Perspective
Focus How we learn from observable responses. How to best study, assess and treat troubled people. Sample Issues How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter certain behaviors? What are the underlying causes of: Anxiety Disorders Phobic Disorders Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

20 Mental Processes cannot
Behaviorism Scientific Psychology should focus on observable behavior. Psych the Science of Behavior Mental Processes cannot be studied directly John Watson ( ) Stimulus Response Psychology Ivan Pavlov

21 Pavlov and his dog The pioneering work of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov ( ) chartered another new course of psychological investigation In a now famous experiment –Pavlov rang a tuning fork each time he gave a dog some meat powder the dog would normally salivate when the poser reached its mouth After Pavlov repeated the procedure several times the dog would salivate when it heard the ring of the tuning fork, even if no food appeared It had been conditioned to associate the sound with the food The conditioned reflex was a response (salivation) provoked by a stimulus (the tuning fork) other than the one that first produced it (food) The pioneering work of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov ( ) chartered another new course of psychological investigation In a now famous experiment –Pavlov rang a tuning fork each time he gave a dog some meat powder the dog would normally salivate when the poser reached its mouth After Pavlov repeated the procedure several times the dog would salivate when it heard the ring of the tuning fork, even if no food appeared It had been conditioned to associate the sound with the food The conditioned reflex was a response (salivation) provoked by a stimulus (the tuning fork) other than the one that first produced it (food)

22 behaviorists-a psychologist who analyzes how organisms learn or modify their behavior based on their response to events in the environment

23 Psychology (1920s-1960s) Behaviorism Psychology Science of Observable
John B. Watson ( ) Behavior without Reference to Thought The RAT & S-R Psychology B. F. Skinner ( ) Behaviorism with a Twist The PIDGEON & The Skinner Box

24 Behaviorism with a Twist The PIDGEON & The Skinner Box
B. F. Skinner ( ) Behaviorism with a Twist The PIDGEON & The Skinner Box John B. Watson ( ) Behavior without Reference to Thought The RAT & S-R Psychology

25 Humanistic Psychology
developed as a reaction to behavioral psychology In the 1960s, humanists – (M2 R) a. Abraham Maslow, b. and Rollo May, c. Carl Rogers They described human nature as evolving and self-directed Humanist emphasize how each person is unique and has a self-concept and potential to develop fully

26 Humanism It differs from behaviorism and psychoanalysis in that it does not view humans as being controlled by events in the environment or by unconscious forces - Instead the environment and other outside forces simply serve as background to our own internal personal growth This potential for personal growth and development can lead to a more satisfying life

27 Humanism Abraham Maslow Carl Rogers

28 Freud & Psychoanalysis
Proposes the idea of the UNCONSCIOUS Thoughts, memories & desires exist below conscious awareness and exert an influence on our behavior Unconscious expressed in dreams & “slips of the tongue” Sigmund Freud ( ) Psychoanalytic Theory attempts to explain personality, mental disorders & motivation in terms of unconscious determinants of behavior

29 Cognitive Perspective
Focus How we process, store and retrieve information. Sample Issues How do we use info in remembering and reasoning? How do our senses govern the nature of perception? (Is what you see really what you get?) How much do infants “know” when they are born?

30 Cognitive Psychology Cognition the mental processes
involved in acquiring, processing, storing & using information Cognitive Psychologists return to the study of an organisms thinking understanding, learning, memory, perception, language, development & problem solving Noam Chomsky “Language” Advent of computers (late 1950s) provides a new model for thinking about the mind

31 Computers as Metaphor for Mind
Psychology (1960s-1990s) Psychology Science of Behavior & Mental Processes Cognitive Y Sigmund Freud ( ) The Dynamic Unconscious Mind Psychoanalysis Computers as Metaphor for Mind Study Mind through Inferences Drawn From Observable Behavior

32 Social-Cultural Perspective
Focus How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. Sample Issues How are we, as members of different races and nationalities, alike as members of one human family? How do we differ, as products of different social contexts? Why do people sometimes act differently in groups than when alone?

33 Psychology is Empirical
Knowledge acquired through observation, experience, and experiments Psychologists must be skeptical and think critically What is the evidence? How was it collected? Psych conclusions based on research NOT tradition or common sense

34 Psych Is Theoretically Diverse
A system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations Theory Biological Psychology Perspective Clinical Psychoanalytic Perspective Dreams

35 Psych & Sociohistorical Context
Trends & Issues In Society Advances In Psychology Psychology develops in both a social & historical context Early Psychology Affected by physics & physiology Society Today Affected by psychological testing (IQ, SAT, GRE)

36 Perception Is Subjective
Internal Information Prior Expectations Current Mental State Experience External Information Actual Words/Actions Image Reflected from Objects “Sound” Waves Both Determine Our Experience of the World

37 Work In Psychology (?)

38 Work In Psychology (?) Elementary/ Independent practice Secondary
22% Elementary/ Secondary Schools 5% Universities & Colleges 33% Hospitals, Counseling, Clinics, etc. 17% Business, Government or Consulting 12%

39 Specialties In Psychology
General/Quantitative 3.6% Cognitive/Physio 5.2% Clinical, Community & Counseling 51.1% I/O 5.7% Social/ Developmental 6.4% Other 8.6% Ed & School 19.4%

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