An Introduction to the stuff you will be learning this year.

What is it?

Psychology

The science of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings)
Do our feelings always match our behaviors? If you call me a dumbass, I may feel sad inside. But I will still act tough. (but I will be crying on the inside, so be gentle).
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History of Psychology
Although the science of psychology started in the late 1800s, the concept has been around a lot longer. There was evidence of trephination (cutting holes into a skull to let evil spirits out) back in the stone age.

It was like a bad SAW movie!!!!

Waves of Psychology

The science of psychology has gone through about 5 different waves since it started. Waves are different ways of thinking over time.
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Psychologys Roots
Prescientific Psychology

In India, Buddha wondered how sensations and perceptions combined to form ideas.

Prescientific Psychology
Confucius (551-479 B.C.)

In China, Confucius stressed the power of ideas and the importance of an educated mind.

Prescientific Psychology
Hebrew Scriptures

Hebrew scriptures linked mind and emotion to the body.

Prescientific Psychology
Socrates (469-399 B.C.) and Plato (428-348 B.C.)

Socrates

Socrates and his student Plato believed the mind was separate from the body, the mind continued to exist after death, and ideas were innate.

Plato

Prescientific Psychology
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

Aristotle suggested that the soul is not separable from the body and that knowledge (ideas) grow from experience.

Prescientific Psychology
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

Descartes, like Plato, believed in soul (mind)body separation, but wondered how the immaterial mind and physical body communicated.

Prescientific Psychology
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Bacon is one of the founders of modern science, particularly the experimental method.

Prescientific Psychology
John Locke (1632-1704)

Locke held that the mind was a tabula rasa, or blank sheet, at birth, and experiences wrote on it.

Prescientific Psychology
What is the relation of mind to the body?
The Hebrews Aristotle Augustine Socrates Plato Descartes

Mind and body are Mind and body are connected distinct

Prescientific Psychology
How are ideas formed?
Some ideas are inborn Socrates Plato The mind is a blank slate Aristotle Locke

Prologue: Psychologys Roots Psychological Science Is Born

Empiricism
Knowledge comes from

experience via the senses

Science flourishes

through observation and experiment

Wave One: Introspection

Kickin it old school
Started with William Wundts first psychological laboratory and his concept of introspection (structuralism). Then William James wrote The Principles of Psychology and discussed functionalism. In reality these ideas do not have much impact on how psychologists think today.

These guys were 16 considered hot, back in the day!!!!

Prologue: Psychologys Roots

Structuralism: an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind.

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Prologue: Psychologys Roots

Functionalism focused on how behavioral processes function- how they enable organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Wilhelm Wundt
Wundt is referred to as the father of psychology because in 1879 he started the first laboratory in psychology for studying humans. He broke into parts the elements of feelings and thought. Using a procedure called introspection he introduced scientific procedure to study feelings.

Psychological Science is Born

Structuralism
Titchner (1867-1927) Wundt (1832-1920)

Wundt and Titchener studied the elements (atoms) of the mind by conducting experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879.

Psychological Science is Born

Functionalism

Influenced by Darwin, William James established the school of functionalism, which opposed structuralism.

James (1842-1910)

Mary Calkins

William James
James is considered to be one of the founders of American psychology. In 1890, he published Principles of Psychology. The book was 1400 pages long, two volumes in length and it took him 12 years to write. Unlike Wundt, he did not want to break behavior into parts; instead, he never wanted to lose sight of the individual as a whole.

 Led by Max Wertheimer, these guys focused not on how we feel, but on how we experience the world. The whole of an experience can be more than the sum of its parts.
This may seem like one picture, but it can be perceived as 3 different faces. Can you find them?

Wave Two: Gestalt Psychology

Think for a moment of all the reasons that you love your mom. If you add all those reasons up, do they equal your love for your mom? Hopefully not!!!
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Wave Three: Psychoanalysis

This wave of thinking started with Sigmund Freud (in the early 1900s). In a nutshell, during this time period people believed that most of your feelings come from a hidden place in your mind called the unconscious. We protect ourselves from our real feeling by using defense mechanisms.
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Psychological Science is Born

The Unconscious Mind

Sigmund Freud and his followers emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior.

Freud (1856-1939)

Wave Four: Behaviorism

During this time period (early to mid 1900s), people started to ignore how you feel inside. All that mattered was how you acted. If you they could change your behavior, who cares how you feel. Very popular during the conservative 1950s when social appearance mattered more than self expression.
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Wave Five: Eclectic

We are now in wave five.which is about variety.

Psychologists pick and choose what theories to use depending on the situation and the client.
Just like Ben 10 choosing the right alien to fight the bad guy depending the situation.
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Wave Five is made up of about 7 different perspectives.

In other words, psychologists today, pick and choose from about 7 schools of thought to help you with your problems.

Thus we have: THE SEVEN SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY

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Biopsychology (Neuroscience) Perspective

All of your feelings and behaviors have an organic root. In other words, they come from your brain, body chemistry, neurotransmitters, etc
Let us imagine for a second that your dog died (sad but it will happen). You become depressed. You stop eating and sleeping. What would a psychologist from this school say is going on and how might they help you?

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Neuroscience Perspective
Focus on how the physical body and brain creates our emotions, memories and sensory experiences.

If you could not remember the names of your parents and went to a psychologist who adheres to the neuroscience perspective, what might they say?

Biological Perspective
Study the physiological mechanisms in the brain and nervous system that organize and control behavior Focus may be at various levels
individual neurons areas of the brain specific functions like eating, emotion, or learning

Interest in behavior distinguishes biological psychology from many other biological sciences

Evolutionary Perspective
Focuses on Darwinism. We behave the way we do because we inherited those behaviors. Thus, those behaviors must have helped ensure our ancestors survival. How could this behavior ensured
Homers ancestors survival?

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Psychoanalytic Perspective
Focuses on the unconscious mind. We repress many of our true feelings and are not aware of them. In order to get better, we must bring forward the true feelings we have in our unconscious.
If a man has intimacy issues and cannot form relationships with others. What do you think someone from this Perhaps they may school may delve into the think? mans unconscious and discover that he was bullied when he were younger. The bullying may have caused fear in 34 getting close to

Behaviorism
the view that psychology:
should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

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Behavioral Perspective
Focuses on our OBSERVABLE behaviors. Only cares about the behaviors that impair our living, and attempts to change them.

If you bit your fingernails when you were nervous, a behaviorist would not focus on calming you down, but rather focus on how to stop you from biting your nails.

Behavioral Perspective
Pretend that Focuses on observable you fail behaviors while putting psychology feelings to the side. class. You become We behave in ways depressed. In because we have been turn, you begin What do you to binge and think conditioned to do so. a behaviorist may gain weight. To change behaviors, we do? They would probably have to recondition the ignore the fact that you client. are depressed and just focus on your overeating. Maybe make you run a mile every time you eat over 2000 calories.
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Psychological Science Develops

Behaviorism
Watson (1878-1958) Skinner (1904-1990)

Watson (1913) and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology.

Other Pioneers
John B. Watson (18781958) psychologists should study overt behavior Father of Behaviorism B. F. Skinner (19041990) American psychologist at Harvard studied learning and effect of reinforcement Father of Operant Conditioning Ivan Pavlov Father of Classical Conditioning

John B. Watson (18781958)

B. F. Skinner (19041990)

Humanistic Perspective
Developed by Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers
behavior reflects innate actualization focus on conscious forces and self perception more positive view of basic forces than Freuds historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individuals potential for personal growth.

Humanistic Perspective
Focuses on positive growth Attempt to seek self-actualization Therapists use active listening and unconditional positive regard. Mr. Rogers would have made a great Humanistic Therapist!!!

The Humanistic Approach

Carl Rogers is the best known of the humanists.

This approach emphasizes that people have free will, self-concepts and are basically good. Humanists believe that every person can fulfill his or her potential.

Carl Rogers (19021987)

Abraham Maslow (19081970)

Humanist Perspective
Peaked in the late 190s and 70s.so it focused on spirituality and free will. We have to strive to be the best we can be self-actualization. Happiness is defined by the distance between our self-concept and ideal self.

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Psychological Science Develops

Humanistic Psychology
Rogers (1902-1987) Maslow (1908-1970)

Maslow and Rogers emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance.

Cognitive Neuroscience
the inter-disciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language.)

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Cognitive Perspective
Focuses on how we think (or encode information) How do we see the world? How did we learn to act to sad or happy events? Cognitive Therapist attempt to change the way you think.

She rejects You meet a girl youdont Hopes are high!!! even get digits. How do you react to the rejection?

Some learned get back Some learned to give 49 on the horse up and live a lonely life And try again. of solitude.

Social-Cultural Perspective
This approach looks at the impact that society, culture, ethnicity, race, and religion have on personality.

Even in the same high school, behaviors can change in accordance to the various subcultures.

Social-Cultural Perspective
Says that much of your behavior and your feelings are dictated by the culture you live in. Some cultures kiss each other when greeting, some just bow. Does your culture place value on individual or the group?

This is my culture!!! (this is the point when my wife rolls here eyes).

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Psychologys Three Big Debates

Nature Versus Nurture Stability Versus Change Continuity Versus Discontinuity

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Stability v. Change
As the years pass, do we change or remain the same? Are we become adults or are we always just big kids? Personality traits, physical appearance, sense of humor, tastes, etc

Continuity v. Discontinuity
Does growth occur gradually or in stages? Click
image to Play

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology

Rationality vs. Irrationality
Rationality reasonableness, good sense of equity and proportion Irrationality not reasonable in thinking or behaving, distorted perception of reality

 Biology versus Experience Am I the way I am because I was born that way or because of my surroundings?
Can I ever be like these people, or does nature give me limitations?

Nature v. Nurture

Psychological Associations & Societies

The American Psychological Association is the largest organization of psychology with 160,000 members world-wide, followed by the British

 Levels of Analysis
The differing complementary views from biological to psychological to social-cultural for analyzing any given phenomenon.

Biopsychosocial
An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.
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Psychologys Three Main Levels of Analysis

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology

John Locke empiricist; believed that knowledge is acquired solely through life experiences. Tabula Rasa: blank tablet Claimed each of us is born a blank slate on which are written the life experiences we acquire through our senses. (Plato believed just the opposite)

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology

Rene Descartes rationalist; insisted we should doubt everything that is not proved by our own reasoning. True knowledge comes through correct reasoning and it is inborn.

Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species was published in 1859. His theory was that humans and animals had evolved and changed. His theory inspired scientists to study animals in order to understand human behavior.

Prologue: Contemporary Psychology

Charles Darwin

Natural selection
principle that those inherited trait variations contributing to survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Psychologys Current Perspectives

Perspective
Neuroscience

Focus

Sample Questions

How the body and brain How are messages enables emotions? transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? How the natural selection of traits the promotes the perpetuation of ones genes? How much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies?

Evolutionary

Behavior genetics

To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment?

Psychologys Current Perspectives

Perspective Focus Sample Questions
Psychodynamic How behavior springs How can someones from unconscious drives personality traits and and conflicts? disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? Behavioral How we learn observable How do we learn to fear responses? particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking?

Psychologys Current Perspectives

Perspective
Cognitive

Focus

Sample Questions

How we encode, process, How do we use information store and retrieve in remembering? information? Reasoning? Problem solving? How behavior and How are we as Africans, thinking vary across Asians, Australians or North situations and cultures? Americans alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ?

Social-cultural

Psychologys Subfields: Research

Psychologist
Biological

What she does

Explore the links between brain and mind.

Developmental Study changing abilities from womb to tomb. Cognitive Personality Social Study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. Investigate our persistent traits. Explore how we view and affect one another.

Sigmund Freud
Freud developed the first comprehensive theory of human development and behavior, especially how the personality develops. He believed that childhood memories and thoughts influenced the behavior of people when they became adults.

Psychodynamic Perspective
Fathered by Sigmund Freud. Our behavior comes from What might a psychoanalyst say is the unconscious reason someone always needs to be chewing gum? drives. Usually stemming from our childhood.

Psychodynamic Perspective
View of behavior based on experience treating patients Psychoanalytic approach (Sigmund Freud)
both a method of treatment and a theory of the mind behavior reflects combinations of conscious and unconscious influences drives and urges within the unconscious component of mind influence thought and behavior early childhood experiences shape unconscious motivations

John B. Watson
Watson studied the impact of learning on people. This led to the school of behaviorism. He believed that careful and structured parenting could eliminate psychological problems. Watson later wrote a book applying scientific methods to raising children.

The Behavioral Approach

People such as B. F. Skinner and John B. Watson are called behaviorists.

This approach emphasizes that behavior is primarily the result of learning and not due to a persons thoughts and unconscious processes.

Cross-Cultural Perspective
The study of psychological differences among people living in different cultural groups How are peoples thoughts, feelings and behavior influenced by their culture? What are the common elements across culture? Are these innate?

Basic Research
pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

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Psychologys Subfields: Research

Data: APA 1997

Applied Research
scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

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Psychologys Subfields: Applied

Data: APA 1997

Counseling Psychologists
a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living and in achieving greater well-being.

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Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry 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.

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Your Study of Psychology
Survey, Question, Read, Review and Reflect (SQ3R) Survey: What you are about to read, including chapter outlines and section heads. Question: Ask questions. Make notes. Read: Make sure you read outlines, sections and chapters in entirety. Review: Margin definitions. Study learning outcomes. Reflect: On what you learn. Test yourself with quizzes.

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Additional Study Hints Distribute your time. Listen actively in class. Overlearn. Be a smart testtaker.