1. Warm-up What is Psychology to you? What does this mean and why should we study it?

2. What is Psychology ?

3. Overview  Early years  Psychological Science is Born  Psychological Science Develops  Psychology’s Biggest Question  Levels of Analysis  Subfields

4. Psychology  The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context…

5. Early Years  Studies closely related to Psychology can be shown in the world as early as the fifth and sixth centuries B.C. by the Greeks  They set the stage for developing Psychology by using observation as a means of knowing their world  Socrates- By logic… mind is separable from the body and continues after the body dies  Plato- Knowledge is innate you are born with it  Aristotle- Knowledge is not preexisting instead it grows from experiences

6. Early Years  Next big ideas come in the 1600  Rene Descartes (1595-1650)- Said that “animal spirits” travel from the brain to the body through hollow nerves  He agrees with Socrates and Plato, the mind is separate from the body  Francis Bacon (1561-1626)- Patterns and it’s importance  He believes the mind tries to find order in everything… always looking for a pattern  John Locke (1632-1704)- tabula rasa (Blank Slate)…  The mind is blank you learn from experiences

7. Psychological Science is Born  Germany 1879- Wihelm Wundt creates the first actual psychological experiment  His experiment was about people’s hearing and reactions…  Trying to find a link between hearing and mental process  Following this are several different experiments that begin what we today call Psychology  Leading to the creation of different “schools” or branches in the field

8. The Beginning Fields Structuralism  Edward Bradford Titchener  Study of the basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences  The Structure of the mind and reporting on the elements of people’s experiences Functionalism  William James (student of Charles Darwin)  Study of the function not the structure of the consciousness  How the brain functions

9. Beginning Fields Continued Experimental Psychology  Titchener and Washburn  Study of behavior and thinking using experimental method  Explore thinking and behavior through experiments

10. Psychological Science Develops  Psychologist who develop the field are actually from all sorts of other fields of science…  Philosophers, physicians, biologists, physiologists  Change from looking at the introspection to the studying of observable behaviors  Wundt- Philosopher/ physiologist  James- Philosopher  Pavlov- Physiologist  Freud- Physician  Piaget biologist

11. New Studies Behaviorism  1920-1960  Watson and Skinner  The view that psychology, should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.  Study of behavior Humanistic Psychology  1960-Present  Carl Rogers and Maslow  Historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individuals potential for personal growth  Study current life needs

12. New Studies Cognitive Neuroscience  1960- Present  Supported earlier psychologists and the importance of how our mind processes and retains information  the study of brain activity linked with mental activity

13. Big Questions!  Nature vs Nurture  How are we humans alike?  Are gender differences biologically predisposed or socially constructed?  Language innate or formed by experience ?  Intelligence and personality influenced by heredity and environment?  Etc.

14. Levels of Analysis- Anger  Biologica l- brain circuits that make us have a red face  Evolutionary - How anger helped our ancestors  Psychodynamic - anger= out burst of unconscious hostility  Behavioral - What triggers angry responses or aggressive acts  Cognitive - interpretation of a situation affects out anger  anger affects thinking  Social-Cultura l- How expression of anger varies across cultural contexts

15. Subfields  Developmental Psychologists - Changing abilities from womb  tomb  Cognitive Psychologists - How we perceive, think and solve problems  Educational Psychologists- Influences on teaching and learning  Personality psychologists- Investigation our persistent traits  Social Psychologists- How we view things and how that affects others  Counseling Psychologists- Help people cope with challenges and crisis  Clinical Psychologists- Assess and treats mental, emotional and behavioral disorders