1. Sociocultural
Behavioral
Psychoanalytic
APPROACHES
TO PSYCHOLOGY
Humanistic
Biological
Cognitive

2. What is Psychology?
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes (humans and animals)
Covers what we…..
Think
Feel Do
What is behavior? It includes just about everything. It includes attitudes, thoughts, physical changes, and emotional changes.
Largest association of Psychologists worldwide

3. Why Study Psychology? Application to everyday life
Gain insight into behavior (yours and others)
Application to everyday life = Potty training through shaping (reward and punishment)
Application to everyday life = Hypnosis and other techniques related to psychology can help you overcome an addiction like smoking.
Application to everyday life = Help you improve your memory
Application to everyday life = Get better grades
Gain insight into behavior = learn why someone you know is shy and withdrawn

4. Why Study Psychology? Dispel myths about human behavior
Test your Intuitions = Each answer is False

5. Goals of Psychology Describe behavior Explain behavior
Predict behavior
Influence behavior
During the process of trying to explain human behavior, psychologists create hypothesis and test them. A hypothesis is an educated guess. They use the knowledge gained to create theories that will help them predict and influence human behavior.
Just like scientists, Psychologists use the scientific method of research
Can you think of an example that illustrates each of the goals of psychology?

6. History of Psychology
Phrenology – Examining bumps on the skull to determine intellect and character traits (19th century)
Phrenology encouraged psychologists to study the role of the brain, rather than the heart, in human behavior.
Past attempts at understanding human behavior (weird or not) have led to what we know today and shaped the current Approaches to Psychology

7. Wilhelm Wundt “Father of psychology”
Started 1st lab to study humans (1879)
Established Psychology as formal field of study
Introspection – self observation, report thoughts and feelings
Wundt would ask individuals to perform activities and then ask them to report their own sensations.
Wundt took a scientific approach to human behavior, probably because of his background in the field of science. He wanted to break down the basic elements of human experience and try to understand each part.

8. William James
“Father of MODERN Psychology” or “Father of Psychology in the U.S.”
Principles in Psychology = 1st Psychology Textbook
Principles of Psychology was the 1st Psychology textbook
James taught the first psychology class at Harvard in 1875

9. Contemporary Approaches to Psychology
Psychoanalytic
Behavioral
Humanistic
Cognitive
Biological
Sociocultural
Phrenology encouraged psychologists to study the role of the brain, rather than the heart, in human behavior.

10. PSYCHOANALYTIC Key ideas childhood experiences unconscious forces
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
Unconscious motivations are responsible for human behavior
Techniques:
Free association
Psychoanalysis
Dream analysis

11. BEHAVIORAL John Watson (1878 – 1958) B.F. Skinner (1904 – 1990)
Key ideas
Observable Behavior
Conditioning/Learning
Prior experience
John Watson (1878 – 1958)
Behavior the result of conditioning – “We are what we learn to be”
B.F. Skinner (1904 – 1990)
Reinforcement

12. HUMANISTIC
Key ideas
Self-directed
Uniqueness
Potential to develop

13. COGNITIVE Key ideas How we ….. Process, Store, Retrieve information
Thought patterns
Problem solving
Behavior results from memories, expectations

14. BIOLOGICAL A.k.a. Behavioral neuroscience Key ideas
How the brain, nervous system, hormones, genetics influence behavior

15. SOCIOCULTURAL Key ideas Cultural influence on behavior Gender
Socioeconomic status

16. Eclecticism
By combining information from all of the approaches, psychologists stand a better chance of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling behavior.

17. Psychology as a Profession
Psychologist
Observe, analyze, evaluate behavior
Doctorate degree
Psychiatrist
Medical degree + training in psychiatric medicine
Phrenology encouraged psychologists to study the role of the brain, rather than the heart, in human behavior.

18. Clinical Psychologist
diagnoses and treats people with emotional disturbances
Counseling Psychologist
help people deal with problems of everyday life
Developmental Psychologist
Study changes that occur throughout life

19. Educational Psychologist
helps students learn
Industrial/Organizational Psychologist
employed by businesses to boost production, improve working conditions, make the workplace a more satisfying environment

20. Research v. Applied Psychology
Research Psychologists – study origins, causes, results of behavior
Applied Psychologists – make direct use of the findings of research psychologist; deal directly with clients

21. Methods of Research Naturalistic Observation Case Study
Observe subjects in a natural setting without interfering
Natural behavior
Phrenology encouraged psychologists to study the role of the brain, rather than the heart, in human behavior.
Case Study
Intensive investigation of one or more participants
long-term observations, diaries, tests, interviews

22. Cross-sectional Study
Survey
Interviews, questionnaires, or both
asking many individuals a fixed set of questions
Longitudinal Study
Data is collected over a number of years
Development
time-consuming
Cross-sectional Study
Different age groups – same time – compare

23. Longitudinal vs.
Cross-Sectional

24. Psychological Experiments
Phrenology encouraged psychologists to study the role of the brain, rather than the heart, in human behavior.

25. Double-Blind Experiment
Neither participants nor experiment knows which received medication
keeps researcher unbiased
Placebo effect
change in illness/physical state from knowledge and perception of treatment
believing it will have an effect
fake medication