1. Intro to Psychology Why Study Psychology?

2. I. Why Study Psychology? A. Introduction – 1. Physiological needs Having to do with an organism’s physical processes Such as sleep and hunger (observable behaviors) – 2. Cognitive Having to do with an organism’s thinking and understanding Private, unobservable mental, reasons. They are needs that take place in our minds. May be just as strong as physical needs. – 3. Learning about psychology Can help you gain a better understanding of your own behavior Knowledge about how psychologists study human and animal behavior

3. I. Why Study Psychology? B. Gaining Insight into Behavior – 1. Social Psychology Explores the effects of different groups on their members. – 2. explanation of behavior improve one’s confidence By realizing that we are not alone in our feelings. Human behavior is very complex

4. I. Why Study Psychology? C. Acquiring Practical Information – 1. Using rewards to change behavior You can train a puppy to obey by offering treats to him. – 2. Mnemonic devices help you remember things by associating an item from a list with something easier to remember. adj.: assisting or intended to assist the memory. Noun: something intended to assist the memory, as a verse or formula.

5. I. Why Study Psychology? D. Overview of Psychology – 1. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Refers to any activity that can be observed, recorded, and measured. Is used to refer to all conscious and unconscious mental states. – 2. 1653, "study of the soul,“ – 3. from Gk. psykhe- "breath, spirit, soul“ + logia "study of.“ – 4. It was not considered an independent science until the second half of the nineteenth century. – 5. Four goals of psychology are describing behaviors – which is the first goal for any scientist or psychologist explaining behaviors – - psychologists are not content to simply state the facts. They seek to explain why people behave as they do. These explanations are proposed as hypothesis. » An assumption about behavior that is tested through scientific research. predicting behaviors – By studying descriptive and theoretical accounts of past behaviors influencing behaviors. – Seek to influence behavior in helpful ways. – These psychologists are conducting studies with a long-term goal of finding out more about human or animal behavior.

6. I. Why Study Psychology? E. The scientific basis of Psychology – 1. Methods used to gather data experiments Surveys case studies – 2. Wilhelm Wundt In 1879, is credited with setting up the first psychology laboratory Leipzig, Germany. Proposed that psychological experience is composed of compounds similar to chemical compounds.