intro to psychology
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Exercise I
Name: Section/Course: Date:
I WONDER WHY?
There are a lot of questions that we usually ask ourselves. A former student of mine once asked why her dreams are in black and white that of her roommate is in color. A former classmate once remarked that he brushes his teeth with eyes closed. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT ANY BEHAVIOR, FEELING, or THOUGHTS?
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
- The science of psychology
- Major specialties in the field of psychology
- History of psychology- Goals of psychology
MODULE 1: Psychologists at Work
Psychology – psyche ( mind) ; logos ( knowledge or study).
Psychology – is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.
-seeks to answer all sorts of questions about all our human experiences such as, on how we think, feel, and act.
behavior – anything a person does, feels, or experiences.
mental processes – are the internal subjective states that we experience within our sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, feelings, attitudes, and values.
GOALS of PSYCHOLOGY
Describe – tells what occurred.
Explains – tells the reasons why the behavior occurred.
Predict – tells under what conditions is the behavior likely to occur.
Control – by applying a principle to prevent unwanted circumstance or to bring about desired outcomes.
Subfields of Psychology: Psychology’s Family Tree› Separated by the basic questions about
behavior that they address.
What Are the Biological Foundations of Behavior?
• Behavioral Neuroscience
– examines how the brain and the nervous system – as well as other biological processes – determine behavior.
How Do People Sense, Perceive, Learn, and Think about the World?
• Experimental Psychology
– studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world.
– Subspecialty:•Cognitive psychology
> studies higher forms of mental processes.
What Are the Sources of Change and Stability in Behavior Across the Life Span?
• Developmental Psychology
– studies how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death.
• Personality Psychology
– focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior over time and the traits that differentiate one person from another.
How Do Psychological Factors Affect Physical and Mental Health?
• Health Psychology
– concerned with the psychological factors that contribute to health, illness, and recovery.
• Clinical Psychology
– deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders.
How Do Psychological Factors Affect Physical and Mental Health?
• Counseling Psychology
– focuses primarily on educational, social, and career-adjustment problems.
How Do Our Social Networks Affect Behavior?
• Social Psychology
– study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
– investigates the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups.
THE HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF PSYCHOLOGY
1)Wilhelm Wundt and Bradford Titchener
Wundt- established the first formal laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. His primary interest- perception.
Titchener – broke consciousness into three elements: physical sensations, feelings, and images (memories).
Structuralism – the first school of Psychology aimed at analyzing the basic elements , or structure of conscious mental experience through introspection.
introspection – to look within; to examine one’s own thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
2) William James
James - the first American Psychologist. For him, minds constantly weave associations.
Functionalism – explores how organism uses perceptual abilities to function in its environment.
3) John B. Watson
Watson – focuses on observable, measurable behavior and emphasizes the key role of environment as determinant of behavior.
Behaviorism – the study of overt, observable behavior.
4) Sigmund Freud
Freud – (for him), unconscious desires and conflicts lie at the bottom of symptoms of psychological illness.
unconscious – refers to the contents of the mind that are beyond awareness, especially impulses and desires not directly known to a person.
5) Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka
Wertheimer , Kohler, and Koffka – interested in perception- why when flashed a series of pictures do they appear to move?
Gestalt - means “form or pattern” (German word)
Gestalt – studies how people perceive and experience objects as whole patterns.
6) Carl Rogers
Rogers- emphasized on the uniqueness of the human beings. People must learn to realize human potential, unity of the mind, and altered state of consciousness.
Humanism – focuses on understanding subjective human experience.
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