THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY Scientific study of behavior
and mental processes
BEHAVIOR Outward/overt actions and
reactions, such as talking,
facial expressions and
movement
MENTAL PROCESSES Internal, covert activity of
our minds, such as
thinking, feeling and
remembering
To prevent possible
BIASES from leading to
faulty observations Why scientific study?
To have a PRECISE and
CAREFUL measurement
PSYCHOLOGY’S FOUR (4) GOALS
1. DESCRIPTION What is happening,
involves observing a human mind and its
behavior and nothing
everything about it: what is
happening, where it
happens, to whom it
happens and under what
circumstances it seems to
happen
2. EXPLANATION This goal explains the
causes of the behavior.
Finding explanation for
behavior is a very
important step in the
process of forming
theories of behavior
Theory – general
explanation of a set of
observations or facts
3. PREDICTION When will it happen again.
Determining what will
happen in the future
4. CONTROL How can it be changed. The
goal is to change a
behavior from an
undesirable one (such as
failing in school) to a
desirable one
In the realm of science,
psychology is only about
how years?
ROOTS FROM ANCIENT GREECE
SOCRATES (469-399) “know thyself”
Learn about yourself
through self-examination –
introspection
ARISTOTLE (384-322) Human behavior is subject
to certain rules and laws
HIPPOCRATES (460-377) Caused by abnormalities in
the brain
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
SOCRATES-ARISTOTLE Philosophy
HELMHOLTZ-MULLER- Physiology
FECHNER
Philosophy Philosophers tried to
understand or explain the
connection to the physical
body
Physiology Medical doctors and
physiologists wondered
about the physical
connection between the
body and the brain
EARLY CONTRIBUTORS TO PSYCHOLOGY
WILHELM WUNDT He attempted to apply
scientific principles to the
study of the human mind.
In his laboratory, students
were taught to study the
structure of the human
mind thus, his study was
called STRUCTURALISM.
He believed that the mind
was made up of thoughts,
experiences, emotions and
other basic elements.
These are all non-physical
elements but he taught
students how to think
objectively about their
own thoughts. He called
this process OBJECTIVE
INTROSPECTION
WILLIAM JAMES He began teaching FOUR (4) BASIC CRITERIA FOR CRITICAL THINKING
anatomy and physiology, 1. There are very few “truths” that do not need to be
but when he took a subjected to testing. Religious beliefs and personal
particular interest in values may be accepted by “faith” but everything
psychology he began else in life should not be accepted at face value
teaching psychology 2. All evidence is not equal in value. People should
exclusively. He focused on look at how evidence is gather before deciding
how the mind allows that it provides good support for some idea
people to function in the 3. Just because someone is considered to be an
real world-how people authority does not make everything that person
work, play and adapt to claims automatically true
their surroundings, a 4. Critical thinking requires an open mind. Critical
viewpoint he called thinking requires a delicate balance between
FUNCTIONALISIM skepticism and willingness to consider possibilities
TITCHNER One of Wundt’s student, PSEUDO PSYCHOLOGIES Systems of explaining
an Englishman who took human behavior that are
Wundt’s idea to America not based on or consistent
STRUCTURALISM with scientific evidence
WATSON He challenged the PHRENOLOGY People including some
functionalist viewpoint. His reputable scientists of the
focus is only on observable Victorian Era, used to
behavior believe that bumps on the
BEHAVIORISM skull were indicators of
DEVELOPMENTS OF PSYCHOLOGY IN EUROPE various personality traits
CLASSICAL Ivan Pavlov PALMISTRY Reading palms. There is
CONDITIONING overwhelming evidence
PSYCHOANALYTIC Sigmund Freud that the lines of the palm
THEORY have absolutely no
GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY Max Wertheimer relationship to personality
PSYCHOLOGY AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD and cannot predict the
SCIENTIFIC METHOD System of gathering data future
so that bias and error in Graphology Analysis of personality
measurement are reduced through handwriting. Even
1. PERCEIVE THE respectable companies
QUESTION using handwriting analysis
2. FORM HYPOTHESIS to select prospective
3. TEST HYPOTHESIS employees yet
4. DRAW CONCLUSION STEPS IN THE SCIENTIFIC graphologist score close to
5. REPORT YOUR METHOD zero on tests of accuracy in
RESULTS SO THAT personality measurement
OTHERS CAN TRY TO
REPLICATE – REPEAT
THE STUDY
CRITICAL THINKING Means making reasoned
judgments.