1. The Search for Understanding
Chapter 1
The Search for Understanding
Table of Contents
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2. Key Questions What is psychology?
What do psychologists hope to achieve?
How did psychology emerge as a field of knowledge?
What are the major perspectives in psychology?
What roles and specialties are found in psychology and related fields?
What is critical thinking?
How does psychology differ from false explanations of behavior?

3. Key Terms Psychology Philosophy Humanism Overt behaviors Stimulus
Determinism
Covert behaviors
Introspection
Free will
Empirical evidence
Experimental self-observation
Self-Image
Data
Structuralists
Self-evaluation
Scientific observation
Functionalism
Frame of reference
Research method
Natural selection
Self-actualization
Developmental psychologists
Educational psychology
Eclectic
Learning theorists
Industrial psychology
Cognitive psychologists
Personality theorists
Behaviorism
Psychologists
Sensation & perception psychologists
Stimuli
Clinical psychologists
Responses
Counseling psychologists
Comparative psychologists
Conditioned response
Scientist practitioner model
Biopsychologists
Cognitive Behaviorism
Psychoanalyst
Gender psychologists
Behavior modification
Counselor
Social psychologists
Gestalt psychology
Psychiatric social workers
Cultural psychologists
Unconscious
Basic Research
Description
Repressed
Applied research
Understanding
Psychoanalysis
Critical thinking
Prediction
Neo-Freudians
Palmistry
Psychometrics
Psychodynamic theories
Phrenology
Control

4. What is Psychology? Psychology
Psyche: Mind
Logos: Knowledge or study
Definition: The scientific study of human and animal behavior
Behavior: Overt, i.e. can be directly observed (crying)
Mental Processes: Covert, i.e. cannot be directly observed (remembering)
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5. Empiricism: The Goals To measure and describe behaviors
To gather empirical evidence: Information gained from direct observation and measurement
To gather data: Observed facts
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6. Fig. 1. 1 Results of an empirical study
Fig. 1.1 Results of an empirical study. The graph shows that horn honking by frustrated motorists becomes more likely as air temperature increases. This suggests that physical discomfort is associated with interpersonal hostility. Riots and assaults also increase during hot weather. Here we see a steady rise in aggression as temperatures go higher. However, research done by other psychologists has shown that hostile actions that require physical exertion, such as a fist fight, may become less likely at very high temperatures. (Data from Kenrick & MacFarlane, 1986.)
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7. Scientific Observation
Definition: Designed and structured to answer questions about the world
Research Method: A systematic procedure for answering scientific questions
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8. What Might a Psychologist Research?
Development: Course of human growth and development
Learning: How and why it occurs in humans and animals
Personality: Traits, motivations, and individual differences
Sensation and Perception: How we come to know the world through our five senses
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9. What Might a Psychologist Research? (cont.)
Comparative: Study and compare behavior of different species, especially animals
Biopsychology: How behavior is related to biological processes, especially activities in the nervous system
Gender: Study differences between males and females and how they develop
Social: Human and social behavior
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10. What Might a Psychologist Research? (cont.)
Cultural: How culture affects behavior
Animals: Natural laws governing the behavior of any living creature
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11. What Are the Goals of Psychology?
Description of Behaviors: Naming and classifying various observable, measurable behaviors
Understanding: The causes of behavior(s), and being able to state the cause(s)
Prediction: Predicting behavior accurately
Control: Altering conditions that influence behaviors in predictable ways
Positive Use: To control unwanted behaviors, (e.g., smoking, tantrums, etc.)
Negative Use: To control peoples’ behaviors without their knowledge
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12. Article
Indian girl 2002

13. A Brief History of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt: “Father" of Psychology
1879: Set up first lab to study conscious experience
Introspection: Looking inward (i.e., examining and reporting your thoughts, feelings, etc.)
Experimental Self-Observation: Incorporates both introspection and objective measurement; Wundt’s approach
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14. History of Psychology: Structuralism
Wundt’s ideas brought to the U.S. by Tichener and renamed Structuralism
Structuralists often disagreed, and no way to prove who was correct!
Structuralists: Introspection was a poor way to answer many questions
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15. History of Psychology: Functionalism
William James (American) and Functionalism
How the mind functions to help us adapt and survive
Functionalists admired Darwin and his Theory of Natural Selection: Animals keep features through evolution that help them adapt to environments
Educational Psychology: Study of learning, teaching, classroom dynamics, and related topics
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16. History of Psychology: Behaviorism and Cognitive Behaviorism
Behaviorism: Watson and Skinner
Psychology must study observable behavior objectively
Watson studied Little Albert with Rosalie Raynor; Skinner studied animals almost exclusively
Cognitive Behaviorism: Ellis and Bandura
Our thoughts influence our behaviors; used often in treatment of depression
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17. B.F. Skinner
Pigeons playing table tennis
Watson’s life

18. History of Psychology: Gestalt
Gestalt Psychology: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Studied thinking, learning, and perception in whole units, not by analyzing experiences into parts
Key names: Wertheimer, Perls
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19. Fig. 1.2 The design you see here is entirely made up of broken circles. However, as the Gestalt psychologists discovered, our perceptions have a powerful tendency to form meaningful patterns. Because of this tendency, you will probably see a triangle in this design, even though it is only an illusion. Your whole perceptual experience exceeds the sum of its parts.
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22. History of Psychology: Freud
Psychoanalytic: Freud
Our behavior is largely influenced by our unconscious wishes, thoughts, and desires, especially sex and aggression
Freud performed dream analysis and was an interactionist (combination of our biology and environment makes us who we are)
Repression: When threatening thoughts are unconsciously held out of awareness
Recent research has hypothesized that our unconscious mind is partially responsible for our behaviors
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23. History of Psychology: Neo-Freudians
New or recent; some of Freud’s students who broke away to promote their own theories
Key names: Adler, Anna Freud, Horney, Jung, Rank, Erikson
Psychodynamic theories: Which emphasize internal motives, conflicts, and unconscious forces
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24. History of Psychology: Humanism
Humanism: Rogers and Maslow
Goal of psychology is to understand subjective human experience
Each person has innate goodness and is able to make free choices (contrast with Skinner and Freud)
Determinism: Behavior is determined by forces beyond our control
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25. History of Psychology: Humanism
Humanists helped stimulate interest in psychological needs for love, self-esteem, belonging, self-expression, creativity, and spirituality.
Such needs, they believe, are as important as our biological needs for food and water.
For example, newborn infants deprived of human love may die just as surely as they would if deprived of food

26. Humanism: Some Concepts
Self-image: Your perception of your own body, personality, and capabilities
Self-evaluation: Positive and negative feelings you have about yourself
Frame of Reference: Mental or emotional perspective used for evaluating events
Self-actualization (Maslow): Fully developing one’s potentials and becoming the best person possible
Free will: The human ability to make choices
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27. Psychology Today
Biopsychology: Our behavior can be explained through physiological processes
Uses brain scans to gather data (MRI, PET)
Looks at neurotransmitters
Cognitive: Study thoughts, memory, expectations, perceptions, and other mental processes
Eclectic: Drawing from many sources
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28. 5 ways to Look at Behavior
Psychodynamic View
Behavioristic View
Humanistic View
Biopsychological View
Cognitive View
Read page 15-16

29. Critical Thinking
Imagine that you are a psychologist. You client, Linda, who is Native American, tells you that spirits live in the trees near her home. Is Linda suffering from a delusion? Is she abnormal?

30. Cultural Awareness
Many thoughts and behaviors are influenced by our culture
Psychologists need to be aware of the impact cultural diversity may have on our behaviors
What is acceptable in one culture might be unacceptable in another
Cultural Relativity: Behavior must be judged relative to the values of the culture in which it occurs
Norms: Rules that define acceptable and expected behavior for members of various groups

31. Many Flavors of Psychologists
Psychologists: Usually have masters or doctorate; Trained in methods, knowledge, and theories of psychology
Clinical Psychologists: Treat more severe psychological problems
Counseling Psychologists: Treat milder problems, such as adjustment disorders
Not all psychologists perform therapy!

32. Specialties in Psychology
Psychiatrists: MD; usually use medications to treat problems; Generally do not have extensive training in providing “talk” therapy
Psychoanalysts: Receive post-PhD. or M.D. training in Freudian psychoanalysis at an institute
Clinical: Treat psychological problems or do research on clinical topics
Counselor: Adviser who helps solve marriage, career, work, or school problems
Psychiatric Social Workers: Many have masters degrees and perform psychotherapy
Presently a very popular profession
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33. Critical Thinking: Key Principles
Few truths transcend the need for empirical testing
Evidence varies in quality
Authority or claimed expertise does not automatically make an idea true
Critical thinking requires an open mind

34. Critical Thinking
Ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information
What would you expect to see if the claim were true?
Gather evidence relevant to the claim
Evaluate the evidence
Draw a conclusion
Oftentimes used in research

35. Pseudo-Psychology An unfounded system that resembles psychology
Schemes that give an appearance of science, but are actually false
P.T. Barnum: “Always have a little something for everybody”
Barnum Effect: A tendency to consider personal descriptions accurate if they are stated in very general terms
Horoscopes
Palm readings
Fortunes

36. Pseudo-Psych Not on handout
Uncritical Acceptance: Tendency to believe positive or flattering descriptions of yourself
Fallacy of Positive Instances: When we remember or notice things that confirm our expectations and forget the rest
Crossing over with John Edward

37. Assignment Horoscope assignment
Review your horoscope for 3 straight days.
Write horoscope
Write interpretation of horoscope
Write belief of horoscope
Write where horoscope was from.

38. Quiz
Quiz next class over Chapter 1