The History and Scope of Psychology

Module 1

Adapted from David Myers’ Exploring Psychology: ninth Edition in Modules PowerPoint slides

Where does psychology come from?

• What do you expect to learn/what questions do you want answered?

• Curiosity

• Aristotle (384—322 B.C.E.) Greek naturalist and philosopher -- gave the history’s first fully integrated, systematic account of psychology

The birth of contemporary psychology

• Wundt, 1879, a philosopher and a physiologist, Germany, University of Leipzig, conducting experiments to study the “atoms of the mind” --- the birth of contemporary psychology

• How long is the history of psychology?

Wundt (1832-1920)

Origins of Psychological Science

• Wundt, a German philosopher and a physiologist

• Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist

• Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician

• William James, an American philosopher

Psychological Science is Born

• William James (1842-1910) o American philosopher, o founding father of American Psychology, o wrote an important 1890 psychology

textbook. • Mary Calkins, James’s student, became the

APA’s first female president.

James (1842-1910)Margaret Floy Washburn

Psychological Science develops

• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • an Austrian physician • the importance of the

unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior.

• Structuralists (Wundt, Titchener), functionalists (James), and Freud focused on inner sensations and feelings. Used introspection and retrospection.

• “the science of Mental life.”

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(1856

-1939)

Psychological Science DevelopsBehaviorists

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

• Redefine psychology as “the scientific study of observable behavior.”

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Psychological Science Develops

Humanistic Psychology

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

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Psychological Science Develops

In the 1960s, cognitive psychology recapture psychology’s initial interest

in mental processes.We define psychology today as the

scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner

thoughts and feelings).“the science of behavior and mental

process”

Contemporary Psychology

1. Psychology’s Biggest Question2. Psychology’s Three Main Levels of

Analysis3. Psychology’s Subfields4. CLOSE-UP: Tips for Studying

Psychology

Psychology’s Current Perspectives

Perspective Focus Sample QuestionsNeuroscience How the body and

brain enables emotions?

How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives?

Evolutionary How the natural selection of traits promoted the survival of genes?

How does evolution influence behavior tendencies?

Behavior genetics

How much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences?

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

Psychology’s Current Perspectives

Perspective Focus Sample Questions

Psychodynamic

How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts?

How can someone’s personality traits and 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 responses?

How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking?

Psychology’s Current Perspectives

Perspective Focus Sample QuestionsCognitive How we encode,

process, store and retrieve information?

How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving?

Social-cultural

How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures?

How are we — as Africans, Asians, Australians or North Americans – alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ?

Let’s play: “What’s my perspective?” “Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a problem in the orbital cortex.” “No, it’s a

sign of unresolved childhood issues.”

“No, OCD is

an inherited conditio

n.”

“Compulsions start as habits and are

rewarded by the anxiety relief they

bring.”

“OCD comes from our natural instinct to control our environmen

t.” “OCD thinking and behavior is

a reaction to our fast-paced, out-of-control

lifestyles.” “No, OCD is a

matter of mental habits and errors

that can be corrected.”

Different perspectives on a single issue: Six Blind Men and an Elephant

The Big Issue in Psychology: N-N

To what extent are our traits already set in place at birth (our “Nature”)?

And to what extent do our traits develop in response to our environment/ experience (our “Nurture”)?

The Nature-Nurture Question:

vs.

Nature

Nurture

Plato: Characte

rs, intelligence, and

some Ideas inborn.Descart

es: Some

ideas are innate.

Charles Darwin: Some traits become part of our nature through natural selection: they help us survive long enough to

pass the traits to the next

generation.

Aristotle:All

knowledge comes

through the senses.

John Locke:The mind is a

blank slate (blank

chalkboard or screen)

“written on” by experience.

Nature Nurture

We have differences that are shaped by

our environme

n.

We share a common origin that

gives us an inborn

human nature in common.

+

“Nurture works on what Nature endows.”

The Roles of Nature and

Nurture:

Biology Plus Environment..are part of

psychology’s three “biopsychosocial” levels of analysis.

The deep level,

Biology: genes, brain,

neuro-transmitters,

survival, reflexes, sensation

The outer level, Environment:

social Influences,

culture, education,

relationships

In the middle, Psychology:

thoughts, emotions, moods, choices,

behaviors, traits,

motivations, knowledge, perceptions

The three levels as influences on some psychological

phenomenon

Example: Depression

Example: Intelligence

Example: Enjoying Soccer

Example: Shyness

Psychology’s Subfields

AppliedClinical Psychology

Counseling Psychology

Educational Psychology

Industrial-Organizational

Community Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Basic researchBiological

Developmental

Cognitive

Personality

Social

Positive Psychology

Psychology’s Subfields Research Examples

Type of researchBiological

Developmental

Cognitive

Personality

Social

Positive Psychology

Study how the stages of cognitive and emotional development vary in autism

Explore the structural problems in the brain that may be part of autism

Clarify the difficulties autistic children have with understanding sarcasmDecide whether traits like neuroticism need to be measured differently in autismFind how autistic children can learn social skills as procedures if not by intuitionExplore what motivates people and contributes to life satisfaction

AppliedClinical Psychology

Counseling Psychology

Educational Psychology

Industrial-Organizational

Community Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Psychology’s SubfieldsApplied

Help someone achieve career goals despite family conflict and self-doubt

Use exposure therapy to decrease phobic reactions in a traumatized client

Evaluate aptitudes and achievement to plan for a student with learning problemsFigure out how a factory can improve coordination of tasks, roles, and personalitiesHelp coordinate a city’s efforts to understand and prevent elder abuseUse exposure therapy to decrease phobic reactions in a traumatized client

An Application of Psychology:Improving your test performance

Scientific studies show us that:

• The retrieval practice effect/testing effect

Testing yourself boosts retention of material.

• Put it in your own words, make connections

Actively processing material helps master it.

• Spread studying over multiple days

Spaced rehearsal, interspaced with other subjects, is more efficient than cramming.

• If the concept looks familiar… not good enough

People tend to overestimate their mastery.

Applying this knowledge: Use SQ3R to master a textbook

SurveyScan/Skim what you are about to read, especially chapter outlines and section heads.

Question

Ask questions that the text might answer; write guesses.

Read

Look for the answer to your questions, reading a manageable amount at a time.

Rehearse

Recall what you’ve read in your own words. Test yourself with quizzes.

Review

Look over text and notes and quickly review the main ideas of the whole chapter.