1. Introduction to Psychology Day 2

2. Psychologists must be skeptical and think critically What is the evidence? How was it collected? Psychology is Empirical Psych conclusions based on research NOT tradition or common sense Knowledge acquired through observation

3. Different Perspectives in Psychology Biological Psychology Behavioral/Clinical Psychology Cognitive Psychology Social-Cultural Psychology

4. Biological Perspective Focus How the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Focus How the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Sample Issues How do evolution and heredity influence behavior? How are messages transmitted within the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives?

5. Behavioral/Clinical Perspective Focus How we learn from observable responses. How to best study, assess and treat troubled people. Focus How we learn from observable responses. How to best study, assess and treat troubled people. Sample Issues How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter certain behaviors? What are the underlying causes of:  Anxiety Disorders  Phobic Disorders  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

6. Cognitive Perspective Focus How we process, store and retrieve information. Focus How we process, store and retrieve information. Sample Issues How do we use info in remembering and reasoning? How do our senses govern the nature of perception? (Is what you see really what you get?) How much do infants “know” when they are born?

7. Social-Cultural Perspective Focus How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. Focus How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. Sample Issues How are we, as members of different races and nationalities, alike as members of one human family? How do we differ, as products of different social contexts? Why do people sometimes act differently in groups than when alone?

8. What’s Happening in Our Class?

9. Taking a look at Psychology by asking five broad questions. How did we get here? How do we act? How do we think/know? How do we interact? How do we differ?

10. What’s Happening in Our Class? Let’s examine how the physical state of an organism and its environment simultaneously influence an organism’s behavior and mental processes.

11. Let’s discuss how people are similar while at the same time talk about how they are different.

12. What’s Happening in Our Class? We will draw on what we know about other critters to help us understand ourselves.

13. What’s Happening in Our Class? As we will with the other social sciences (psychology, sociology, anthropology, and criminology), we will study and critique all kinds of ideas about the way people interact with one another.

14. What’s Happening in Our Class? Examples of psychology in action: What happens to our brains when we eat chocolate? Are women just gold-diggers and men just superficial? How do people overdose on drugs? Why are we fooled by magic tricks?