1. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCING PSYCHOLOGY

2. PSYCHOLOGY
Def: the scientific study of behavior that is tested through scientific research
Both human and animal
Study of behavior must be systematic

3. GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY 1: Description
2: Explanation: introduced as hypotheses; become theories
3: Prediction
4: Influence: through basic science (research) and applied science (practice)

4. SECTION 2: A BRIEF HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

5. ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGY Began with Greeks
17th century philosophers promoted the idea of Dualism: body and mind are separate and distinct
Rene Descartes proposed a link existed between the mind and body

6. HISTORICAL APPROACHES

7. WILHELM WUNDT
Wilhelm Wundt starts Laboratory of Psychology in Leipzig, Germany (1879)
This establishes modern psychology as a separate field of study

8. STRUCTURALISM Wundt’s approach
Wanted to study the basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences
Had students use introspection
1st systematic approach in psych

9. FUNCTIONALISM William James—father of psychology in the U.S.
Focused on the function of consciousness
Believed thought processes helps survival of our species

10. INHERITABLE TRAITS Sir Francis Galton
Studied how heredity influences abilities and behavior
Studies extremely flawed
Started the nature vs. nurture debate in psychology

11. GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka
Argue perception is more than the sum of its parts
Study how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences
1st cognitive approach to psychology

12. CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES

13. PSYCHOANALYTIC PSYCHOLOGY
Sigmund Freud
Wanted to study the influence of the unconscious on behavior
Used free association—patient says whatever comes to mind
Urged the study of dreams
Wrote The Interpretation of Dreams

14. BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY
Ivan Pavlov
Pavlov’s Dogs experiment
Believed in the study of the observable
John B. Watson
B.F. Skinner: no free will and idea of reinforcement

15. HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY
Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers
Believe each person has freedom in directing their future and achieving personal growth

16. COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Jean Piaget, Noam Chomsky, Leon Festinger
Focus on how we process, store, retrieve, and use information and how cognitive processes influence our behavior

17. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Psychobiologist: studies how physical and chemical changes in our bodies influence our behavior
Neurotransmitters and genetics

18. SOCIOCULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY
Newest approach
Study influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on behavior and social functioning
Concerned with gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomics

19. SECTION 3: PSYCHOLOGY AS A PROFESSION

20. WHAT IS A PSYCHOLOGIST?
Def: someone who studies the mind and behavior of humans/animals
Usually have a Ph.D.
Psychiatry: branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders
Have an M.D.

21. TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS
Clinical psych: diagnoses and treats people with emotional disturbances
Counseling psych: helps people deal with problems of living
Developmental psych: study the emotional, biological, personal, and social changes that occur through maturation

22. TYPES CONTINUED
Educational psych: concerned with helping students learn
Community psych: work in a mental health or social welfare agency
Industrial/Organizational psych: make the workplace more satisfying

23. MORE TYPES Environmental: study effect of environment on people
Forensic psychs: legal, court, and correctional facilities
Health psychs: study interaction between physical and psychological health factors
Experimental psychs: perform research in carefully controlled labs

24. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
APA
Founded 1892
54 divisions, each representing a specific field
APA works to promote human welfare and the profession

25. MARY WHITON CALKINS 1st female president of the APA
William James was her mentor
Harvard refused to give her a Ph.D.