A brief introduction…… to the world of Psychology.

A deep thought…

• “There are 100 billion galaxies. Just one of these, our own relative speck of a galaxy, has some 200 billion stars, many of which, like our sun, are circled by planets. On the scale of outer space, we are less than a single grain of sand on all the oceans’ beaches, and our lifetime but a relative nanosecond. Yet, there is nothing more awe-inspiring than our own inner space. Our brain is by far the most complex physical object in the entire cosmos. Our consciousness- mind somehow arising from matter- remains a profound mystery. Our thinking, emotions, and actions fascinate us. Outer space staggers us with its enormity, but inner space enthralls us.” Enter the world of psychology…

Part 1: The roots of Psychology

A quote…

• “Psychology has a long past, but a short history.”• -Hermann Ebbinghaus

• What do you think this statement means?

Ancient prescientific roots

• Since the beginning, humans have been intensely interested in themselves and others (Buddha, Confucius, ancient Hebrews)

• Ancient Greece• Socrates (469-399 BCE)/Plato (428-348 BCE): determined

that the mind is separate from the body; knowledge is inborn• Aristotle (384-322 BCE): human behavior governed by

patterns and rules; i.e. seeking pleasure, avoiding pain; used observation and data; knowledge is not preexisting- it comes from experience

• Hippocrates (460-371 BCE): strange behavior caused by brain abnormalities, not the gods; four “humors” or fluids determined personality

1600s: modern science begins

• Rene DeCartes, France (1595-1650)• “I think, therefore I am.”• People used their inborn

knowledge to reason• Theorized about brain fluids

causing movement by flowing through nerves to our muscles

• Francis Bacon, Great Britain (1561-1626)• Focused on experiments and

common sense over superstition; responsible for the scientific method

• John Locke (1632-1704)• “Tabula rasa:” blank slate

Birth of Modern Psychological Science

• Bacon and Locke’s insights lead to modern empiricism- that knowledge comes from experience and science relies on observation, experimentation, evidence.

• December, 1879: 1st psychology lab established in Germany at University of Leipzig by Wilhelm Wundt• The 1st ever psychology

experiment on reaction time and perception:

• 1/10 sec.: hit a button when you hear the sound of a ball.

• 2/10 sec.: hit a button when you are consciously aware of perceiving the sound.

The first two perspectives/theories

Edward Titchener (Wundt’s student) • Founded structuralism (1892):

used self-reflective introspection used to discover the elements of the mind.

William James • Created functionalism: how do

our thoughts and behaviors help us adapt to our environments?

• Wrote the first psychology textbook (1890)

• Admitted the first female Psychology Ph.D at Harvard (Mary Calkins)

Other early landmarks• Hermann Ebbinghaus: first experiments on memory (1885)• 1st Psychology Ph.D awarded (1886)• 1st American Professor of Psychology (1888)• APA (American Psychological Association) founded in 1892• Edward Thorndike: first experiments on animal learning (1898)• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): Psychoanalysis• Alfred Binet: first intelligence test (1905)• John B. Watson (1878-1958): Behaviorism

• In order to be a reputable science, psychology should limit itself to observable, measurable behaviors (1913)

• Gestalt Psychology (Wertheimer, Koffka, etc) (1920s): "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts;” learning comes from insight, not only from repetition and rewards

• For more details, watch this video:• http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/history/history_flash.html

Part 2: The Tools and Perspectives of Modern PsychologyThe Bio-Psycho-Social Model and the 6 Modern Approaches

Bio-psycho-social model

1. Psychoanalytic approach

• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

2. Behaviorist approach

• John Watson (1878-1958)

• B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

3. Humanistic approach• The late 1950s and 1960s

4. Cognitive approach• Cognition=Thinking

5. Biological approach• How do the following

impact an individual’s mental processes and behavior:

6. Sociocultural approach• How do the following forces

impact a person’s behavior and mental processes?

• Does your language shape the way you think? Check these out:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine

• http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~atman/Misc/eskimo-snow-words.html

Final thoughts…

• There are many approaches, therefore there are many possible answers.

• Think of each of the six perspectives as a “lens” onto each individual.

• Human beings have free will; as a result, human behavior does not follow set laws, like physics.

• However, there are still patterns and tendencies that can be discovered using the scientific method.