What Is What Is Psychology?Psychology?

Chapter OneChapter One

Psychology as a SciencePsychology as a Science

DefinitionDefinition::

Psychology as a SciencePsychology as a Science

As science, uses the As science, uses the ______________________, as ______________________, as

opposed to subjective opposed to subjective opinion, to develop theories opinion, to develop theories about variables to describe, about variables to describe, explain, predict, and control explain, predict, and control

behavior and mental behavior and mental processesprocesses

TheoryTheory

Definition:Definition: a formulation of a formulation of

relationships underlying relationships underlying observed eventsobserved events

TheoryTheory

Based on assumptions about Based on assumptions about behavior and mental behavior and mental processesprocesses

Contain statements about Contain statements about the principles and laws that the principles and laws that may govern themmay govern them

TheoryTheory

Allow us to derive Allow us to derive explanations and explanations and predictionspredictions

______________, ____________, ______________, ____________, ______________, ___________________________, _____________

What Psychologists DoWhat Psychologists Do

Wide variety of subject Wide variety of subject areas for psychologistsareas for psychologists

Pure ResearchPure Research vs. vs. Applied ResearchApplied Research

What Psychologists DoWhat Psychologists Do

________________________________:: Conducted without concern Conducted without concern

for immediate applications to for immediate applications to personal or social problems personal or social problems (research for its own sake)(research for its own sake)

What Psychologists DoWhat Psychologists Do

__________________________________:: Designed to find solutions Designed to find solutions to specific personal or social to specific personal or social

problemsproblems

Subfields of Subfields of PsychologyPsychology

ClinicalClinical CounselingCounseling

SchoolSchool EducationalEducational

Subfields of Subfields of PsychologyPsychology

DevelopmentalDevelopmental Social/PersonalitySocial/Personality

ExperimentalExperimental CognitiveCognitive

Subfields of Subfields of PsychologyPsychology

Industrial/OrganizationalIndustrial/Organizational Physiological/BiologicalPhysiological/Biological

Emerging Fields: Emerging Fields: ForensicForensic & & HealthHealth

Clinical PsychologyClinical Psychology Specialize in helping people Specialize in helping people

with psychological problems with psychological problems adjust to the demands of life adjust to the demands of life Ex: anxiety, Ex: anxiety,

depression, sexual depression, sexual dysfunctions, loss of goalsdysfunctions, loss of goals

Evaluate problems through Evaluate problems through structural interviews and structural interviews and

psychological testspsychological tests

Clinical PsychologyClinical PsychologyHelp clients resolve their Help clients resolve their problems and change problems and change maladaptive behavior maladaptive behavior through techniques of through techniques of ____________________________ and and ____________________________________________

Clinical PsychologyClinical Psychology

Psychotherapy:Psychotherapy:Application of Application of psychological psychological

knowledge to the knowledge to the treatment of problem treatment of problem

behaviorbehavior

Clinical PsychologyClinical Psychology

Behavior Therapy:Behavior Therapy:Application of learning Application of learning

to the direct to the direct _________________ of _________________ of problem behaviorproblem behavior

Clinical PsychologyClinical Psychology Work in institutions for mentally Work in institutions for mentally

ill, outpatient clinics, college ill, outpatient clinics, college clinics, private practiceclinics, private practice

__________________ subgroup (what __________________ subgroup (what most people think when hear most people think when hear

about psych)about psych) Differs from psychiatrist (medical Differs from psychiatrist (medical

doctors who specialize in doctors who specialize in treatment)treatment)

Counseling Counsel people facing Counsel people facing

challengeschallenges Use interviews and tests to Use interviews and tests to

define their clients problemsdefine their clients problems Clients typically have Clients typically have

___________________ problems ___________________ problems but not serious psychological but not serious psychological disordersdisorders

Counseling Clients may encounter difficulty Clients may encounter difficulty

in making academic or in making academic or vocational decisions or making vocational decisions or making friends, marital and family friends, marital and family conflicts, physical handicaps, conflicts, physical handicaps, adjustment problemsadjustment problems

Various counseling methods to Various counseling methods to help clients clarify goals and help clients clarify goals and find ways of surmounting goalsfind ways of surmounting goals

Counseling

Employed at college counseling and testing centers, rehabilitation

agencies

School PsychologistsSchool Psychologists Facilitating the social, intellectual, Facilitating the social, intellectual,

and emotional development of and emotional development of __________________________

Work in schoolsWork in schools Consult with students with Consult with students with

problems that interfere with problems that interfere with ______________________________Ex: social, family, emotional Ex: social, family, emotional problems, and specific learning problems, and specific learning disordersdisorders

School Psychologists Define problems through: interviews Define problems through: interviews

with parents, teachers, students, with parents, teachers, students, achievement and intelligence tests, achievement and intelligence tests, classroom observationsclassroom observations

Consult with teachers, school Consult with teachers, school officials, parents, teachers and other officials, parents, teachers and other professionalsprofessionals

Placement of students in special Placement of students in special education and remediation programseducation and remediation programs

Educational PsychologistsEducational Psychologists

Concerned with Concerned with optimizing classroom optimizing classroom

conditions to conditions to __________________________________________________

Design educational Design educational programs and train programs and train

teachersteachers

Educational PsychologistsEducational Psychologists

Improvement of course planning Improvement of course planning and instructional methodsand instructional methods

Research interests include how Research interests include how motivation, intelligence, motivation, intelligence,

sociocultural factors such as sociocultural factors such as poverty and acculturation and poverty and acculturation and

teacher behavior affect learningteacher behavior affect learning

DevelopmentalDevelopmental Study the changes (physical, Study the changes (physical, emotional, cognitive, and social) emotional, cognitive, and social)

that occur throughout the life spanthat occur throughout the life span Influences of heredity (nature) and Influences of heredity (nature) and

environment (nurture) on environment (nurture) on developmentdevelopment

Topics: effects of maternal drug Topics: effects of maternal drug use on the embryo, child rearing use on the embryo, child rearing practices, adolescent conflicts, practices, adolescent conflicts, adjustment among older peopleadjustment among older people

Social/personalitySocial/personality How we influence and interact How we influence and interact

with ____________________with ____________________ Define human traits, determine Define human traits, determine

influence on thought processes, influence on thought processes, feelings and behavior, explain feelings and behavior, explain

psychological disorderspsychological disorders Human issues (anxiety, Human issues (anxiety, aggression, gender roles)aggression, gender roles)

Social/personalitySocial/personality

Social and external influencesSocial and external influences Attitude formation and change, Attitude formation and change,

interpersonal attractions and interpersonal attractions and likings, stereotypes, conformity to likings, stereotypes, conformity to

group norms, group decision group norms, group decision making processesmaking processes

Personality: tend to look within the Personality: tend to look within the person for explanations of person for explanations of

behaviorbehavior

ExperimentalExperimental Conduct _______________ into Conduct _______________ into fundamental processes relevant fundamental processes relevant

to more applied specialtiesto more applied specialties Nervous system, sensation, Nervous system, sensation, perception, learning, memory, perception, learning, memory, thought, motivation, emotionthought, motivation, emotion

More likely to engage in basic or More likely to engage in basic or pure research (usually study pure research (usually study

animals)animals)

Industrial/OrganizationalIndustrial/Organizational

Behavior in the ______________; Behavior in the ______________; improving businesses in areas improving businesses in areas

such as personnel, such as personnel, organizational efficiencyorganizational efficiency

Relationships between people Relationships between people and workand work

Assist in processes such as Assist in processes such as hiring, training, and promotionhiring, training, and promotion

Industrial/OrganizationalIndustrial/Organizational

Devise tests that predict Devise tests that predict successful performance of successful performance of various jobs (gallup poll)various jobs (gallup poll)

Make technical systems Make technical systems (computer) more user friendly (computer) more user friendly Strategies to appeal to the Strategies to appeal to the

________________ ________________

Emerging FieldsEmerging Fields ______________________________: expertise within : expertise within

the criminal-justice systemthe criminal-justice system Serve as expert witnesses, testify Serve as expert witnesses, testify

about competence of defendants about competence of defendants to stand trial or describe mental to stand trial or describe mental disorders and how affect disorders and how affect __________________________________________________________

Counsel officers help with stress, Counsel officers help with stress, hostage situations, suicide threatshostage situations, suicide threats

Emerging FieldsEmerging Fields ________________:________________:examine the ways in examine the ways in

which behavior and mental processes which behavior and mental processes such as attitudes are related to physical such as attitudes are related to physical healthhealth Headaches, cardiovascular disease, Headaches, cardiovascular disease,

cancercancer Patient compliance with medical advicePatient compliance with medical advice Guide clients to take undertake more Guide clients to take undertake more

healthy behaviors such as exercising, healthy behaviors such as exercising, quitting smoking, healthy dietquitting smoking, healthy diet

Which subfield are Which subfield are you most you most

interested in and interested in and why? why?

Where does Psychology Come From?

A Brief History

Psychology is as old as history and as modern as

today Aristotle: Greek philosopher

Peri Psyches (About the Psyche)-nature of mind behavior

People are basically motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain (modern view)

Psychology is as old as Psychology is as old as history and as modern as history and as modern as

todaytoday

Democritus: behavior as body and a mind Behavior influenced by external stimulation

First to raise issue of free will or choice

Psychology is as old as history and as modern as

today If we are influenced by external forces, can we be said to control our own behavior?

Question: where do the influences of others end and our “real selves” begin?

Structuralism Willhelm Wundt: ____________________

____________________________________ 1897: established first

psychological laboratory in Leipzig,Germany Claimed that the mind was a natural event and could be studied scientifically (light, heat, flow of blood)

Structuralism Define makeup of conscious

experience, breaking it down into objective sensations (light and taste) and subjective feelings (emotional responses, will, mental images)

Believe that mind functions by creatively combining the ________________________________

Functionalism Emphasizes the uses or

functions of the _____________ rather than the elements of experience

Deals with overt behavior as well as consciousness

Functionalism William James (1842-1910):

Wrote first modern psychology textbook, The Principles of Psychology

Functionalism Influenced by Darwin’s

“survival of the fittest” theory The “fittest” behavior

patterns survive Adaptive actions tend to be

repeated and become habits

Behaviorism John Watson (1878-1958):

Founder of behaviorism Psychology must limit itself

to ________________, ____________________ events-to behavior

BehaviorismExamples:

Pressing a lever, turning left or right, eating and mating, heart rate, dilation of the pupils

Behaviorism Psychology address the

learning of measurable responses to environmental stimuli

Pavlov’s salivating dogs (conditioning not mental processes)

Behaviorism B.F Skinner (1904-1990):

___________________: organisms learn to behave in certain ways because they have been reinforced for doing so

GestaltFocused on

_________________ and on how perception influences thinking

and problem solving

Gestalt

Perceptions more than the sum of its parts

Wholes that give meaning to parts

Gestalt Learning to solve problems, is accomplished by ________________, not by mechanical repetition

“Aha moment” flash of insight

Psychoanalysis

Emphasizes the importance of ________________ motives

and ______________ as determinants of human

behavior

Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): Believed that unconscious

thought , especially sexual and aggressive impulses, were more influential than conscious thought in determining human behavior.

Psychoanalysis

Thought mind was unconscious, consisting of conflicting impulses, urges, and wishes.

People motivated to gratify these impulses and urges

Psychoanalysis Freud: gained his understanding

of people through clinical interviews with patients

Gain insight into deep-seated conflicts and find socially acceptable ways of expressing wishes and gratifying needs

How Today’s Psychologists View

Behavior

Perspectives Biological (Neuroscience)

Cognitive Humanistic-Existential

Psychodynamic Behavioral (Learning)

Socialcultural Evolutionary

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Psychology’s Perspectives

The Big Seven

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Neuroscience Perspective Focus on how the physical body and

brain creates our emotions, memories and sensory experiences.

Study hormones, genes, and activity of the central nervous system, especially the ________________.

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Evolutionary Perspective

Focuses on Darwinism. We behave the way we

do because we __________ those behaviors.

Thus, those behaviors must have helped ensure our ancestors ________________. How could this behavior

ensured Homer’s ancestors survival?

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Approaches cont.

Evolutionary/Sociobiological Focus is on how certain behaviors may have helped our

ancestors survive. (mother nature practicing selective breeding)

60

Psychodynamic Perspective Fathered by Sigmund

___________.

Our behavior comes from _____________ drives.

Usually stemming from our __________.

What might a psychoanalyst say is the reason someone always needs to be chewing gum?

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Psychoanalysis

Emphasizes the importance of ____________ motives

and ___________ as determinants of human

behavior

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Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): Believed that unconscious

thought , especially sexual and aggressive impulses, were more influential than conscious thought in determining human behavior.

63

Psychoanalysis

Thought mind was unconscious, consisting of conflicting impulses, urges, and wishes.

People motivated to gratify these impulses and urges

64

Psychoanalysis Freud: gained his

understanding of people through clinical __________ with patients

Gain insight into deep-seated conflicts and find socially acceptable ways of expressing wishes and gratifying needs

65

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on our ____________ 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.

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BEHAVIORISTS

How people learn __________ and

________________

John B. Watson

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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 __________.

Meet girl Get Rejected by girl

Did you learn to be depressed

Or get back on the horse

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Approaches cont. GESTALT

consider behavior in context rather than in isolation (age, race, gender, money, time, family, etc.)

Perceptions more than the sum of its parts Wholes that give meaning to parts

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY not just rewards and punishment How people perceive, store and interpret information How thought processes develop over time (10 years old compared to

today)

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Social-Cultural Perspective Focus on how your _________ effects your behavior.

Even in the same high school, behaviors can change in accordance to the various subcultures.•How thinking and behavior change depending on the setting or situation

70

Humanistic Perspective Focuses on positive growth Attempt to seek _________________ Therapists use active __________ and

_____________ positive regard.

Mr. Rogers would have made a great Humanistic Therapist!!!

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Approaches cont.

HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY people try to achieve their maximum

potential (self actualization) Promote health and self-growth

ECLECTIC Combination of approaches

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Psychology’s Current PerspectivesPerspective 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 the promotes the perpetuation of one’s 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?

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Psychology’s Current PerspectivesPerspective Focus Sample QuestionsPsychodynamic

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?

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Psychology’s Current PerspectivesPerspective 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?

Human Diversity

Ethnic Diversity

BiculturalismFunctions competently

within:

Probing of human diversity

Enables students to appreciate the cultural

heritages and historical problems of various

ethnic groups

QuestionHow can psychologists hope to

understand the aspirations and problems of individuals

from an ethnic group without understanding the history

and cultural heritage of that group?

Gender The state of being male or female

Not simply a matter of anatomic sex

GenderInvolves:

QuestionHow can sciences such as

psychology and medicine hope to understand the particular

viewpoints, qualities, and problems of women if most research is conducted with

men and by men?

GenderEven much of the scientific research into gender roles

and gender differences assumes that male behavior

represents the norm.

Other Kinds of Diversity

Contributors

Know the different contributions made by

women and different ethnic individuals.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

Principles of critical thinking

Recognizing common fallacies in arguments

Critical thinking=education