1. Understanding Psychology 6th Edition Charles G. Morris and Albert A
Understanding Psychology 6th Edition Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maisto
PowerPoint Presentation by
H. Lynn Bradman
Metropolitan Community College
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2. The Science of Psychology
Chapter 1
The Science of Psychology
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3. What Is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Psychologists are interested in every aspect of human thought and behavior.
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4. Fields of Psychology Developmental Physiological Experimental
Personality
Clinical and Counseling
Social
Industrial and Organizational
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5. Developmental Psychology
Studies human mental and physical growth from conception to death
Child psychologists
Adolescent psychologists
Life-span psychologists
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6. Physiological Psychology
Investigates the biological basis of human behavior
Neuropsychologists
Psychobiologists
Behavioral geneticists
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7. Experimental Psychology
Learning
Memory
Sensation
Perception
Cognition
Motivation
Emotion
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8. Personality Psychology
Personality psychologists study the differences among individuals.
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9. Clinical and Counseling Psychology
Clinical psychologists are interested primarily in the diagnosis, cause, and treatment of psychological disorders.
Counseling psychologists are concerned primarily with “normal” problems of adjustments in life.
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10. Social Psychology
Social psychologists study how people influence one another.
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11. Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Psychology applied to the workplace
I/O psychologists are interested in selecting and training personnel
Improving productivity and working conditions
The impact of computerization and automation on workers
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12. Enduring Issues in Psychology
Person/Situation
Nature/Nurture
Stability/Change
Diversity/Universality
Mind/Body
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13. Psychology as Science Scientific method Theory Hypotheses
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14. Scientific Method
An approach to knowledge that relies on a systematic method of generating hypotheses, collecting data, and explaining the data.
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15. Theory
The systematic explanation of a phenomenon.
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16. Hypothesis A specific, testable prediction derived from a theory.
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17. Goals of Psychology Describe Explain Predict
Control or Influence behavior
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18. The Growth of Psychology
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19. The "New Psychology:" A Science of the Mind
Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, people have wondered and written about human behavior and mental processes.
During the late 1800s, they began to apply the scientific method to questions that had puzzled philosophers for centuries.
Psychology came into being as a formal, scientific discipline separate from philosophy.
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20. The History of Psychology
The history of psychology can be divided into three main stages:
The emergence of a science of the mind
The behaviorist decade
And the "cognitive revolution"
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21. Structuralism: Wundt and Titchener
Structuralism was concerned with identifying the units of conscious experience.
1879: Wundt founds psychology’s first laboratory at Leipzig.
Titchener subdivided consciousness into physical sensations, feelings, and images.
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22. Functionalism: William James
Functionalism was concerned with the ongoing use of conscious experience.
James argued that consciousness cannot be broken into elements.
James coined the phrase “stream of consciousness.”
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23. Sigmund Freud: Psychodynamic Psychology
Freud focused on the unconscious determinants of behavior.
Freud developed a method of therapy called psychoanalysis.
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24. Behaviorism: Watson and Skinner
Behaviorism is only concerned with behavior that can be observed and measured.
Watson founded behaviorism.
Skinner focused on the role of reinforcement.
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25. The Cognitive Revolution
Wertheimer, Köhler, and Koffka were interested in tricks of perception.
The Gestalt movement was concerned with the perception of “good form.”
Coined the phrase “the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts.”
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26. Existential and Humanistic
Existentialism is concerned with alienation and apathy in modern life.
Humanism is concerned with helping people realize their full potential.
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27. Cognitive Psychology
Concerned with memory, thinking, language, learning, decision making
Expanded the concept of “behavior” to include thoughts, feelings, and states of consciousness
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28. Evolutionary Psychology
Concerned with the evolutionary origins of behaviors and mental processes
Their adaptive value and the purposes they continue to serve
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29. Positive Psychology Focuses on positive experiences
Looks for a positive relationship between positive emotions and physical health
Identifies the factors that allow individuals, communities and societies to flourish.
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30. Multiple Perspectives Today
Contemporary psychologists tend to see different perspectives as complimentary.
Most agree that the field advances with the addition of new evidence to support or challenge existing theories.
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31. Where Are The Women?
Women have contributed to psychology from its beginnings.
Women presented papers and joined the national professional association as soon as it was formed in 1892.
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32. Where Are The Women? Women faced discrimination.
Some colleges and universities did not grant degrees to women.
Professional journals were reluctant to publish their work.
Teaching positions were often closed to them.
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33. Where Are The Women?
Today women receive more than half of the Ph.D.'s granted in psychology.
They perform key research in all of the psychology subfields.
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35. Human Diversity Today, understanding human diversity is essential.
Psychologists have begun to examine assumptions based on gender, race, and culture.
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36. Gender Stereotypes
The study of gender similarities and differences has become part of mainstream psychology.
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37. Feminist Psychology
The most important research findings from the past were based on all-male samples.
Gender difference studies tend to focus on the extremes of gender differences.
Many issues that were not important to male researchers were not studied.
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38. Sexual Orientation Origins of sexual orientation
Brain differences between heterosexual and homosexual men
Impact of gays and lesbians serving in the military
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39. Race and Ethnicity
Most ethnic minorities are still underrepresented among the ranks of psychologists.
New APA programs are in place to attract ethnic-minority students to psychology.
Psychologists have developed a better appreciation for the unique challenges faced by individuals from various ethnic backgrounds.
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40. Culture
Culture provides modes of thinking, acting, and communicating about how the world works and why people behave as they do
Culture influences
Beliefs and ideals
Interpretation of the meaning of natural events, human actions and life itself.
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41. Research Methods in Psychology
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42. Research Methods Naturalistic Observation Case Studies Surveys
Correlational Research
Experimental Research
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43. Naturalistic Observation
Observing and recording the behavior of humans or animals in their natural environment
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44. Naturalistic Observation
Advantages
can observe what occurs before and after target behavior
insight into the important factors to study
no artificiality of the laboratory
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45. Naturalistic Observation
Disadvantages
less control over variables
cannot imply causality
observer bias and subject reactivity
target behavior only occurs once
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46. Case Studies
Intensive description and analysis of a single individual or just a few individuals.
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47. Case Studies Advantages rich description of an individual
each individual serves as own control
no large groups of participants
no random assignment
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48. Case Studies Disadvantages
generalizability is decreased by small sample size
the individual being studied may be an exception
observer bias
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49. Surveys
A research technique in which questionnaires or interviews are administered to a selected group of people.
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50. Surveys Advantages large quantity of information
relatively inexpensive
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51. Surveys Disadvantages respondents may not be representative
response biases
truthfulness of responses
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52. Correlational Research
A research technique based on the naturally occurring relationship between two or more variables.
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53. Correlational Research
Advantages
description and prediction possible
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54. Correlational Research
Disadvantages
no control over variables
cannot imply causality
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55. Experimental Method
A research technique in which an investigator deliberately manipulates selected events or circumstances and then measures the effects of those manipulations on subsequent behavior.
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56. Experimental Research
Independent variable:
The variable that is manipulated by the experimenter to test its effects
Dependent variable:
The variable that is measured to see how it is changed by the independent variable
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57. Experimental Research
Experimental group:
The group subjected to a change in the independent variable
Control group:
The group not subjected to a change in the independent variable
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58. Experimental Research
Advantages
conclusions about causality can be made
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59. Experimental Research
Disadvantages
more ethical considerations
behavior is constrained to laboratory
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60. Importance of Sampling
Sample:
Selection of cases from a larger population
Random sample:
Each potential participant has an equal chance of being selected
Representative sample:
The characteristics of the participants corresponds closely to the characteristics of the larger population
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61. Ethics and Psychology
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62. APA Ethical Guidelines For Human Subjects
Informed consent must be documented
Awareness of possible risks
Limitations on confidentiality specified
Limitations on the use of deception
Equitable alternatives must be offered if course credit is given for participation
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63. APA Ethical Guidelines For Animal Subjects
Researchers must ensure “appropriate consideration of the animal’s comfort, health, and humane treatment.”
Animals may not be subjected to “pain, stress, or privation” when an alternative procedure is available.
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64. Careers in Psychology
Psychology is one of the most popular majors in colleges and universities.
A background in it is useful in a wide number of fields because so many jobs involve a basic understanding of people.
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65. Careers in Psychology
Careers for those with advanced degrees in psychology include:
Teaching
Research
Jobs in government and private business
A number of occupations in the mental health field
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66. Careers in Psychology
Opportunities in the mental health field depend on one's degree of training.
Psychiatrist which requires medical training;
Clinical psychologist, which involves getting a doctoral degree;
Counseling psychologist and social worker.
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