1. History and Perspectives in Psychological Science
Unit 1- Module 1 Notes

2. What is Psychology? Definition:
Scientific study of behavior and mental process
Scientific Study means that psychologists use scientific research methods to answer their questions
Psychologists study things that we can see (human behavior) and things that we cannot (mental processes such as thoughts, dreams, and feelings)

3. What is Psychology? Research types: Basic Research: Applied Research:
Research done to increase knowledge
Applied Research:
Research intended to solve problems

4. Roots of Modern Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
Struggled as a student in his youth, eventually graduated from medical school
Wasn’t interested in practicing medicine- rather, he wanted to understand human consciousness
Conducted experiments that tested how perceptions, sensations, and feelings related to human behavior
Considered the “Father” of psychology because he used experimental methods to study consciousness

5. Roots of Modern Psychology
Wundt Experiment
Task 1: when the picture below appears, raise your hand

6. Roots of Modern Psychology
Wundt Experiment
Task 2: one of 2 pictures will appear below. If the picture is a PLHS logo, raise your LEFT hand. If the picture is a TITAN logo, raise your RIGHT hand.

7. Roots of Modern Psychology
Results:
The response time for Task 2 was longer than Task 1. Why?
Required more mental processes

8. Roots of Modern Psychology
Edward Titchener
Created structuralism
First major school of thought in psychology
Tried to create a physical picture of consciousness
Provided many theories, most of which were disproven, giving rise to other schools of psychology

9. Roots of Modern Psychology
Gestalt Psychology
Emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Examples:
By itself, the bass line of a song is quite bland and boring
When put with the rest of the pieces, the whole result is much different from the sum of its parts

10. Roots of Modern Psychology
William James
First American psychologist, published first psychology textbook
Functionalism: ways consciousness helps people adapt to their environment
Example: washing hands has been proven to help prevent disease

11. Roots of Modern Psychology
Sigmund Freud
Introduced psychoanalysis
Our thoughts and actions are attributed to unconscious motives and conflict
Example: A teenager might start smoking as a way to get back at their parents
Freud started the practice of having his patients sit on a coach and share their thoughts

12. Roots of Modern Psychology
Sigmund Freud
Freud’s methods varied from other schools of study in two main ways:
Psychoanalysis focused on abnormal behavior
Psychoanalysis did not rely on controlled scientific experimentation
While many of Freud’s theories have been disproved over the years, he still has many followers who continue to work in the spirit of his original ideas

13. Roots of Modern Psychology
Behaviorism:
Theory that psychology should only study observable behaviors, not mental processes
Ivan Pavlov began the movement to study learning through observable behaviors
John B Watson expanded Pavlov’s ideas, concluding that our behavior was shaped by our life’s experiences

14. Roots of Modern Psychology
Humanistic Psychology
Individuals have free will and strive to reach their full potential
Influenced by Gestalt psychologists, in that the entire person was greater than any one part
Maslow believed that humans went through stages that eventually led to reaching their fullest potential

16. Roots of Modern Psychology
Jean Piaget
Observed that younger children made mistakes on psychological tests that older children did not
Concluded that younger children think differently that older children
Considered a pioneer in developmental psychology