1. Introducing Psychology
Chapter 1

2. Section 1 – Why study Psychology?
Through the study of psychology, people can discover psychological principles that have the potential to enrich the lives of humans

3. Gaining insight into behavior
Psychology can provide useful insight into behavior
Example
You may not be shy all the time
You may just be uncomfortable in certain settings

4. Acquiring practical information
You may learn how you are shaping the behavior of those around you
You may learn how development in your childhood impact your actions today
You may learn why you have certain fears or phobias

5. Overview of Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Psychology covers everything people
Think
Feel Do
The study of behavior is systematic

6. Goals of Psychology Describe behavior Explain behavior
Develop a hypothesis
Develop a theory
Predict behavior
Influence behavior
Basic science – research/long-term studies
Applied science – using psychological principle to solve immediate problems

7. The scientific basis of Psychology
Scientific method – psychologists used this to make sure they are collecting and analyzing data accurately
William Wundt set up the first psychology lab in Germany in 1879
Said psychology was two kinds of elements
Sensations
Feelings
Wundt’s beliefs led to the theory of introspection or the SCIENTIFIC METHOD

8. Section 2 – A Brief History of Psychology
Psychology involves sets of questions, theories, methods, and possible answers that have been passed on and changed from generation to generation

9. The Origins of Psychology
Greeks
5th and 6th Centuries
Decided people were not dominated by the gods, but by their own minds – people were rational
Tried to interpret the world through human perceptions
Set the stage for the sciences, including psychology, by using observation

10. 17th Century Philosophers gave us DUALISM
Copernicus – mid 1500s
Earth was not the center of the universe, it revolved around the sun
Galileo – 1500s & 1600s
Used a telescope to confirm predictions about star position and movement base on Copernicus’s works
17th Century Philosophers gave us DUALISM
The mind and body are separate and distinct
Descartes disagreed
The mind controlled the body’s movements, sensations and perceptions
Mind and body work together to influence each other and crate a person’s experiences

11. Chemists developed the periodic table of elements
Hilgard (1987)
Modern science began to emerge by combining philosophers’ reflections, logic, and mathematics with the observations and inventiveness of practical people
19th century – biologists announced the discover of cells as the building blocks of life
Chemists developed the periodic table of elements
Physicists made great progress in our understanding of atomic forces
Natural scientists were studying complex phenomena by reducing them to simpler parts
Psychology was formed

12. Historical Approaches
Structuralism (Wundt) – established his Laboratory of Psychology
Became known as the founder of modern psychology
Was interested in the basic elements of human experience
Introspection is self-observation where Wundt tried to map out the basic structure of thought processes.

13. Functionalism – William James – father of psychology in the U.S.
Wrote the first Psychology textbook, The Principles of Psychology, in 1890
Theorized that all activities of the mind serve one major function
To help us survive as a species
Focused on the functions or actions of the conscious mind and the goals or purposes of behaviors
Functionalists study how animals and people adapt to their environment

14. Inheritable Traits – Sir Francis Galton – mathematician and scientist – wanted to understand how heredity influenced a person’s abilities, character, and behavior
Traced ancestry of famous people and found that greatness runs in families – thus heredity
Invented tests to assess the abilities and characteristics of a wide range of people – these are the forerunners to today’s personality and IQ tests
Faults found because it was discovered that heredity and environment impact how a person behaves

15. Gestalt Psychology
German scientists: Wertheimer, Kohler, and Kofka argued that perception is more than the sum of its parts – it involves a whole pattern – Gestalt in German
They studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences.
This is the forerunner for Cognitive approaches to Psychology

16. Contemporary Approaches
Psychoanalytic – Freud – was interested in the unconscious mind.
Biological urges conflict with society and morality
Use free association to delve into his patients minds
Psychoanalyst’s role was to be objective – just sit and listen then interpret the associations

17. Behavioral Psychology – Pavlov – behavior can be influenced by conditioned responses
Pavlov’s Dogs Experiment
Psychologists who wanted to investigate observable behavior became known as Behaviorists
Watson said psychology should only concern itself with observable facts
Skinner came up with the concept of reinforcement
Humanistic Psychology – Maslow, Rogers, & May – each person is unique and has a self-concept and potential to develop fully

18. Cognitive Psychology – Piaget, Chomsky, & Fetinger – focuses on how we process, store, and use information; how this information influences out thinking, language, problem solving, and creativity
They believe behavior is more than a single response to a stimulus
Biological Psychology – emphasizes the impact of biology on our behavior
Psychobiologists study how the brain, the nervous system, hormones, and genetics influence our behavior
PET Scans
CAT Scans

19. Sociocultural Psychology – The newest approach, studies the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on behavior and social functioning
Also study the impact of immigration and integration in the U.S. society
Look at gender and socioeconomic status

20. Section 3 – Psychology as a Profession
Psychologists are trained to observe, analyze, and evaluate behavior patterns to develop theories of behavior, and to apply what they have learned to influence behavior.

21. What is a Psychologist?
Psychologists are people who have been trained to observe, analyze, and evaluate behavior.
Psychiatry is a specialty of medicine – where one learns to treat people with disturbed behavior
Clinical Psychologists help people deal with their person problems
Private offices
Mental hospitals
Prisons
clinics

22. Counseling Psychologists usually work in schools or industrial firms advising and assisting people with the problems of everyday life
Developmental Psychologists study physical, emotional, cognitive, and social changes that occur throughout life.
Children
Elderly
Process of dying

23. Educational Psychologists deal with topics related to teaching children and young adults
Intelligence
Memory
Problem solving
Motivation
Community Psychologist may work in a metal health or social welfare agency operated by the state or local government or by a private organization
May help design, run, or evaluate mental health clinics

24. Industrial/Organizational Psychologists are employed by business firms and government agencies.
They study and develop methods to
Boost production
Improve working conditions
Place applicants in the best jobs
Reduce accidents
Environmental Psychologists work in business settings or within the government to study the effects of the environment on people

25. Forensic Psychologists work in legal, court and correctional systems.
The help police by developing personality profiles of criminal offenders or help law enforcement understand problems like abuse
Health Psychologists study the interaction between physical and psychological health factors
Stress
Depression
Physical Ailments
Experimental Psychologists perform research to understand how humans and animals operate physically and psychologically.

26. American Psychological Association (APA) founded in 1892 is a scientific and professional society of psychologists and educators