1. The Story of Psychology History & Approaches

2. Dr. Crane (radio-shrink)
Psychology
With hopes of satisfying curiosity, many people listen to talk-radio counselors and psychics to learn about others and themselves.
httw.nbc.com
Dr. Crane (radio-shrink)

3. Psychology’s Roots
Aristotle, a naturalist and philosopher, theorized about psychology’s concepts:
Mind and body are not separate
Knowledge grows from experience.
Aristotle ( B.C.)
John Locke, British political philosopher suggested:
Mind is a ‘tabula rasa’ or blank slate
~Experience writes on slate
John Locke ( )
“The soul is not separable from the body, and the same holds good of particular parts of the soul.” Aristotle, De Anima, 350 B.C.

4. Psychological Science is Born
Wundt and psychology’s first graduate students studied the “atoms of the mind” (mental processes) by conducting experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879.
This work is considered the birth of psychology as we know it today.
Wundt ( )
Preview Question 1: When and how did psychological science begin?

5. From Speculation to Science: How Psychology Developed
Prior to 1879
Physiology and philosophy scholars study questions about the mind
Wilhelm Wundt ( ) University of Leipzig, Germany
Campaigned to make psychology an independent discipline
Established the first laboratory for the study of psychology in 1879
Psychology was born!
Prior to 1879 psychology did not exist as an independent field of study
Psychological questions arose on a secondary basis in the fields of Physiology and Philosophy
Wilhelm Wundt campaigned to make psychology an independent discipline
Brought the scientific methods of physiology to bear on philosophical questions
Developed the first laboratory in psychology at the University of Leipzig in 1879

6. Wilhelm Wundt’s International Influence
Leipzig, the place to study psychology
Graduates of Wundt’s program set up new labs across Europe and North America
G. Stanley Hall ( ), Johns Hopkins University
Established the first psychology laboratory in the U.S. in 1883
Between 1883 and 1893, 24 new laboratories in North America
Many young scholars came to Leipzig to study under Wundt
Wundt’s students, trained in the scientific study of the mind, dispersed across Germany and America
The first research lab in the U.S. was established by G. Stanley Hall ( ) (who studied under Wundt briefly) at John’s Hopkins University
Between 1883 and 1893, 24 new psychological laboratories sprang up in the U.S. and Canada
While psychology was born in Germany, its period of largest growth began in the United States

7. Figure 1.1 Early Research Laboratories in North America

8. Psychological Science is Born
James ( ) & Calkins
Margaret Floy Washburn
American philosopher William James wrote an important 1890 psychology textbook. Mary Calkins, James’s student, became the APA’s first female president.

9. Psychological Science is Born
Freud ( )
Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician, and his followers emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior.

10. Structuralism – Edward Titchener
The Battle of the “Schools” in the U.S.: Structuralism vs. Functionalism
Structuralism – Edward Titchener
Analyze consciousness into basic elements
Introspection (on 2013 AP Test!) – careful, systematic observations of one’s own conscious experience
Functionalism – William James
Investigate function of consciousness
Led to investigation of mental testing, developmental patterns, and sex differences
Two intellectual schools of thought regarding the science of psychology fought it out in the academic arena, with the fight led by Edward Titchener in the STRUCTURALISM corner and William James in the FUNCTIONALISM corner.
The structuralists believed that psychology should be about analyzing consciousness into its basic elements, just as physicists were studying how matter was made up of basic particles…to do this, Titchener and his followers relied on introspection, a process by which a person makes careful, systematic self-observations of one’s own conscious experience.
The functionalists thought this missed the point. James and his followers thought psychology should be about investigating the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure.

11. Psychological Science is Born
Psychology originated in many disciplines and countries. It was, until the 1920s, defined as the science of mental life.

12. Psychological Science Develops
Behaviorists
Skinner ( )
Watson ( )
Preview Question 2: How did psychology continue to develop from the 1920s through today?
Watson and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology.

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

14. The 1950’s: Opposition to Psychoanalytic Theory and Behaviorism
Charges that both were de-humanizing
Diverse opposition groups got together to form a loose alliance
A new school of thought emerged - Humanism
Led by Abraham Maslow ( ) and Carl Rogers ( )
Emphasis on the unique qualities of humans: freedom and personal growth
While Behaviorism and Psychoanalytic theory dominated mainstream psychology, many people had a hard time believing that people are not masters of their own fate.
The anti-Freud/Skinner crowd formed a loose alliance that eventually became a new school of thought…humanism…led by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.
Humanism focused on the unique qualities of humans, especially free will and the potential for personal growth…a very optimistic view of human nature as opposed to the psychoanalysts or behaviorists.

15. Three 20th Century Conceptual Revolutions in Psychology
PSYCHOANALYSIS
Founded by Sigmund Freud
HUMANISM
Pioneers:
Abraham Maslow
BEHAVIORISM
Pioneers:
Carl Rogers
John B. Watson (Founder)
B. F. Skinner

16. Putting the Psyche Back in Psychology: The Return of Cognition
Cognition = mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge
1950’s and 60’s – Piaget, Chomsky, and Simon
Application of scientific methods to studying internal mental events
Cognitive psychology: the new dominant perspective?
Cognition involves thinking or conscious experience…the dominance of behaviorist thought significantly decreased with the advent of cognitive psychology.
Theorists such as Jean Piaget – who studied the development of cognition, Noam Chomsky – who studied the psychological underpinnings of language, and Herbert Simon and colleagues – who studied problem solving, paved a new path in psychology by using scientific methods (way beyond introspection) for studying cognitive processes.
Some researchers argue that cognitive psychology is now the dominant perspective in psychology.

17. Psychology’s Biggest Question: Which came first: Chicken or Egg? NO!
The most crucial issue that we continue to try to answer is: WHAT AFFECTS BEHAVIOR AND DEVELOPMENT MORE…. NATURE OR NURTURE??? What’s NATURAL SELECTION???

18. Note how the judges & audience members react to the performer….
Before she performs….
During… Susan Boyle
After her performance….
What’s happened here?
The Halo Effect: a cognitive bias in which our judgments of a person’s character can be influenced by our overall impression of him or her (Thorndike).

19. A watched pot never boils.
Explain how you would prove the legitimacy of one of these ideas. Use empirical (realistic/practical) ideas as your means of proof!
White men can’t jump.
Blondes have more fun.
A watched pot never boils.
Jocks are dumb.

20. Psychology Today
We define psychology today as the scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner thoughts and feelings).

21. 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.

22. Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis
Preview Question 4: What are psychology’s levels of analysis and related perspectives?

23. Psychology’s Current Perspectives
Focus
Sample Questions
Neuroscience
How the body and brain enables emotions?
How are messages transmitted in the body? How is brain chemistry linked with moods and motives?
Evolutionary
How 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?

24. Psychology’s Current Perspectives
Focus
Sample Questions
Psychodynamic
How 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?
Behavioral
How 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?

25. Psychology’s Current Perspectives
Focus
Sample Questions
Cognitive
How we encode, process, store and retrieve information?
How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving?
Social-cultural
How 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?

26. Table 1.1 Overview of Six Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology

27. Psychology’s Subfields: Research
Psychologist
What 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.
Preview Question 5: What are psychology’s main subfields?

28. Psychology’s Subfields: Research
Data: APA 1997

29. Psychology’s Subfields: Applied
Psychologist
What 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.

30. Psychology’s Subfields: Applied
Data: APA 1997

31. Figure 1.6 Membership in the American Psychological Association, 1900–2004

32. Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry
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.