Psychology An Introduction

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. What is Psychology? Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Breaking this down.. Let’s distinguish between behavior and mental processes…. Behavior: outward actions and reactions Some examples: frowning, running, salivating Mental processes: internal activity (i.e. thinking, feeling, dreaming, remembering)

Why study behavior & mental processes? THE FOUR GOALS To Describe (what is happening) To Explain (why is it happening) To Predict (when will it happen again) To Control (how can it be changed) Let’s look at some examples of behavior psychologists investigate. Can you think of others?

Isn’t psychology just common sense? Systematically studying bias can be helpful. Why does astrology appeal to others? Looking at the “Barnum Effect”: Illusory correlation Self-serving bias

Who uses psychology? Clinical and Counseling psychology Social psychology and I/O psychology Developmental psychology and Cognitive psychology Experimental, Physiological and Comparative

Figure 1.2 Work Settings and Subfields of Psychology (a) There are many different work settings for psychologists. Although not obvious from the chart,many psychologists work in more than one setting. For example, a clinical psychologist may work in a hospital setting and teach at a university or college (Tsapogas et al., 2006). (b) This pie chart shows the specialty areas of psychologists who recently received their doctorates (Hoffer et al., 2007). Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not total to 100 percent.

History: Wilhelm Wundt The Father of Psychology 1879 sets up his lab in Leipzig Germany Develops idea of psychophysics…applying the laws of the natural world to the mind The first systematic attempt at objectivity History: Wilhelm Wundt

When Wundt established his laboratory, he was hoping, most specifically, to find a way to measure the speed of mental processes in order to discover the elements that made up thought. The faster the process, he argued, the more “basic” the element. A typical experiment: have people complete two reaction time tasks, one more complex than the other. Subtract the simpler from the more complex. End up with the extra mental effort, in units of time, that the more complicated task requires.

PERSPECTIVES Psychdynamic Behavioral Humanistic Cognitive Sociocultural Biopsychological PERSPECTIVES

Psychodynamic Perspective Sigmund Freud (1900s)

Basic Ideas Behavior is the result of psychic conflict that we repress (try not to think about) Childhood conflict over sexual feelings becomes unconscious and determines our behavior as we grow up Human nature is self serving (the pleasure principle) and aggressive

Characteristics and Examples The couch (!) Accessing the unconscious: Dream Analysis Free Association Little feedback from your therapist

Behavioral Perspective

Basic Ideas Behavior is the result of the environment in a couple of ways Things paired together lead to new responses The environment directs behavior with rewards or punishments

Characteristics and Examples Let’s only look at behavior ! Applied in many different settings (children, adults, animals) Behavior is determined, not free

Humanistic (Maslow/Rogers)

Basic Ideas Human being are inherently good. Given the right environment our natural instinct is to grow and become our best selves. Aggressive or self destructive behavior is the result of not being accepted for who you really are (conditions of worth).

Characteristics and Examples Reflective Listening in therapy “So you are saying…” Actualization – Flow – Positive Psychology owes a great deal to approach In pop culture: Self-Esteem and Self-Worth

Cognitive Perspective

Basic Ideas Our behavior is the result of the way think – the we process information internally Memory, Perception, Language, Problem-solving all become more important

Characteristics and Examples Using rationality to challenge thoughts and feelings Approaching life like a scientist – trying out a hypothesis and looking at your results Most clinical psychology programs now have a CBT orientation

Sociocultural Perspective

Basic Ideas Our behavior is strongly influenced by other people around us Our cultural values and expectations determine how we will behave or express ourselves Our own ideas about mental health are shaped by our culture

Characteristics and Examples Looking for larger scale explanations for human behavior Many groundbreaking studies on negative behavior Comparisons between cultures Diversity Training

Biopsychological Perspective

Basic Ideas Biological processes (brain functioning, hormones, physical development) determine behavior “Hard wiring” Genetics

Characteristics and Examples Much of psychiatry (a medical model of mental illness) “Born this way” Evolutionary Psychology – this behavior MUST have been adaptive