1. AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE Psychology

2. This course is all about why? Why do individuals do things? Why do individuals like things? Why do individuals say things? Why?

3. Why is Psychology? Psychology – Study of the individual.  More specifically the study of the mind and behavior Psychology literally translated means “study of the soul”

4. Questions that arose since the beginning What topics and issues should psychology be concerned with? What research methods should be used to study psychology? Is psychology really a science? Should psychology focus on observable behaviors or on internal, mental processes? Should psychologists use research to influence public policy, education, and other aspects of human behavior?

5. Psychology is not… Mind reading, manipulation, self-analyzing Self-help, recovery, 12-step programs Weird stuff: past lives, psycho killers, ESP Today on Maury

6. Psychology is The study of human issues that begin before birth and continue until death The science of how we:  See and hear (perception)  Move (motor control)  Think and speak (cognition and language)  Learn and grow (development)  Feel (emotion)  Relate to one another (social psychology)  Differ from one another (personality)

7. Perception

8. Motor Control

9. Cognition and Language

12. Development

13. Emotion

14. Social Psychology

15. Personality

16. 7 Themes of Psychology Psychology is Empirical Psychology is Theoretically Diverse Psychology Evolves in a Sociohistorical Context Behavior is Determined by Multiple Causes Our behavior is Shaped by our Cultural Heritage Heredity and Environment Jointly Influence Behavior Our Experience of the World is Highly Subjective

17. Approaches to psychology Evolutionary Biological Behavioral Cognitive Humanistic Psychodynamic Sociocultural

18. Psychodynamic Emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human behavior

19. Cognitive Focuses on mental processes such as memory, thinking, problem solving, language, and decision making Compare the human mind to a computer

20. Behavioral Focuses solely on observable behaviors Learned behaviors

21. Humanistic Emphasizes the role of motivation on thought and behavior Focuses on the way that humans are driven to grow, change, and develop their personal potential

22. Biological How genetics influence different behavior How damage to specific areas of the brain influence behavior and personality

23. Sociocultural Focus on human behavior across different cultures

24. Evolutionary The study of how evolution explains the physiological processes This approach suggests that these mental processes exist because they serve an evolutionary process They aid in survival and reproduction

25. Application How do you explain the causes of depression? How do you examine the personality of an assassin?