1. 1 The History and Scope of Psychology Module 1

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3. 3 The History and Scope of Psychology Overview What is Psychology?  Psychology’s Roots  Contemporary Psychology  Psychological Perspectives

4. 4 Psychology’s Roots Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Aristotle, a naturalist and philosopher, theorized about psychology’s concepts. He suggested that the soul and body are not separate and that knowledge grows from experience. http://faculty.washington.edu

5. 5 Psychology’s Roots  Psychological Science Is Born  Empiricism  Knowledge comes from experience via the senses  Science flourishes through observation and experiment

6. Wave One Introspection 6

7. 7 Psychological Science is Born Wundt and psychology’s first graduate students studied the “atoms of the mind” by conducting experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. This work is considered the birth of psychology as we know it today. Wundt (1832-1920)

8. 8 Psychological Science is Born American philosopher William James wrote an important 1890 psychology textbook. Mary Calkins, James’s student, became the APA’s first female president. James (1842-1910) Mary Calkins

9. 9 Psychological Science is Born Psychology originated in many disciplines and countries. It was, until the 1920s, defined as the science of mental life.

10. Wave Two Gestalt Psychology Max Wertheimer 10

11. Wave three Psychoanalysis 11

12. 12 Psychological Science is Born Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician, and his followers emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. Freud (1856-1939)

13. Wave Four Behaviorism 13

14. 14 Psychological Science Develops Behaviorists Watson and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology. Watson (1878-1958) Skinner (1904-1990)

15. Wave Five Multiple Perspectives 15

16. 16 Psychological Science Develops Humanistic Psychology Maslow and Rogers emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance. Maslow (1908-1970) Rogers (1902-1987) http://facultyweb.cortland.edu http://www.carlrogers.dk

17. 17 Psychology Today We define psychology today as:… The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

18. 18 Psychological Associations & Societies The American Psychological Association is the largest organization of psychology, followed by the British Psychological Society.

19. 19 Psychology’s Big Question Nature versus Nurture The controversy over the relative contributions of biology and experience. Nurture works on what nature endows.

20. 20 Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis- Biopsychosocial Approach

21. 21 Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions Neuroscience/Biolo gical How the body and brain enables emotions? How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? EvolutionaryHow the natural selection of traits the promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? Behavior geneticsHow 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?

22. 22 Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions PsychodynamicHow 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? BehavioralHow 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?

23. 23 Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions Cognitive (aka Experimental Psychologists) How we encode, process, store and retrieve information? How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? Social-culturalHow 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?

24. 24 Psychology Subfields Basic research – builds the knowledge base of psychology Applied research – researches practical problems

25. 25 Psychology’s Subfields: Research PsychologistWhat 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.

26. 26 Psychology’s Subfields: Research Data: APA 1997

27. 27 Psychology’s Subfields: Applied PsychologistWhat 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.

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

29. 29 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. Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry

30. How to write operational definitions Measurable Quantitative definition of a term 30

31. Loyalty of a Pet 31

32. Identify the variables Loyalty measured Pet is the population variable 32

33. Define the population Pet: “dog that has graduated from basic obedience school” We must ensure that all subjects are on an even playing field.. 33

34. Operationally define Loyalty “How quickly a dog comes when called” 34

35. Refine and enhance “How quickly” is a Measure of time so we can define it in units of time- seconds, minutes “comes” distance and position to start from and end in. “comes from a sitting position fifteen feet away to a sitting position beside the caller 35

36. “called” can be defined by the type of call or the caller “when the caller says ‘come’ or time starts” 36

37. The loyalty of a pet “How many seconds it takes a dog which graduated from obedience school to come from a sitting position fifteen feet from the caller to a sitting positionb besider the caller after the caller says ‘come’. “ 37

38. Your turn! identify and operationally define the following: The loyalty of a friend 38

39. 39 EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (7th Edition in Modules) David Myers PowerPoint Slides Aneeq Ahmad Henderson State University Worth Publishers, © 2008