Unit 1: Psychology’s History and Approaches

Unit 01 - Overview Psychology’s History? Psychology’s Big Issues and Approaches Careers in Psychology Click on the any of the above hyperlinks to go to that section in the presentation.

Module 01: Psychology’s History

Psychology’s Roots

Early questions in psychology How does our mind work? How does our body relate to our mind? How much of what we know is already built in? How much is acquired through experience?

Psychology’s Roots Prescientific Psychology Ancient Greeks: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle Rene Descartes Francis Bacon John Locke Tabula Rasa (blank slate) Empiricism

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle Socrates and Plato both believed that knowledge is innate. The mind lives after the body is dead. Aristotle believed knowledge grows from experiences stored in our memories. Descartes believed the fluid in the brain contained animal spirits which flowed from the nerves to muscles provoking movement. Memories formed as experiences flowed through the brain and opened pores. Even though it is inaccurate, why is it significant?

Francis Bacon was a British scientist (1600’s) who focused on scientific and experimental observations. John Locke (late 1600’s) argued that our brains are a blank slate when we are born. Tabula Rasa. Our experiences are written into our brain. Empiricism: knowledge happens through our experiences. Science should use observation and experimentation to gain knowledge.

Psychology’s Roots Psychological Science is Born Wilhelm Wundt (1879) University of Leipzig First type of experimental apparatus Reaction time experiment the difference between reacting when you hear a sound and when you are aware of a sound. Awareness is a mental process. G. Stanley Hall (Wundt’s student) First formal U.S. psychology lab at Johns Hopkins Univ 1883

Psychology’s Roots Thinking About the Mind’s Structure Edward Titchener Structuralism Tried to understand structural elements of the mind. Used introspection and asked people to report elements of their experience as they completed a task. Sensations, images and feelings. Introspection Self-reports Why doesn’t this work?

Psychology’s Roots Thinking About the Mind’s Function William James Functionalism Why does our brain function the way that it does? Because it is adaptive… We do things because it helped our ancestors to survive. Our thoughts, emotions, habits, serve a function to survival. Took 12 years to write Principles of Psychology (textbook)

Psychology’s Roots Thinking About the Mind’s Function Mary Calkins denied a Harvard degree (got one from Radcliffe college) Margaret Floy Washburn first female degree from Harvard PhD Experimental psychology- explore behavior and thinking with experiments.

Psychological Science Develops

Psychological Science Develops Sigmund Freud How do childhood experiences and unconscious thought processes influence our behavior? Psychodynamic approach Science of Mental Life (until 1920s)

Psychological Science Develops Behaviorism John B. Watson (1920s) Rosalie Raynor Study of only observable behavior

Psychological Science Develops Behaviorism B.F. Skinner (1960s) “study of observable behavior” Conditioning Behavior is influenced by learned associations

Psychological Science Develops Humanistic psychology (1960s) Carl Rogers Abraham Maslow Focus on current environmental influences and if they nurture or limit our growth Cognitive Neuroscience Brain activity and mental activity. Evolved with science and medical advances.

Psychological Science Develops Psychology Science Behavior Mental processes

Module 02: Psychology’s Big Issues and Approaches

Psychology’s Biggest Question

You are going to visit a relative who has just had a baby You are going to visit a relative who has just had a baby. You are looking through the glass at all of the newborns. What are they thinking? What will they grow up to be? Why do some cry? Will some grow up to be bullies? Will some grow up to love classical music? Which ones will be great athletes? How do we know? How does it happen? Nature or Nurture

Nature Nurture The concept of natural selection…Charles Darwin. Nature has selected traits that allow us to survive. Gender differences, grammar, personality differences? Is it our environment or is it innate?

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis Biological Psychological Social-cultural Biopsychosocial Approach I Love Lucy

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives Behavioral perspective Biological perspective Cognitive perspective Evolutionary perspective Humanistic perspective Psychodynamic perspective Social-cultural perspective

Perspectives and Fear I Love Lucy Behavioral- what is the “trigger”? What instigates your fear? Biological- what brain circuits light up when we are afraid? Is it heredity or learned? Cognitive- how do you see a situation? Is that why you are scared? Evolutionary- does your fear help you to survive a situation? Humanistic- does being scared get you to your goal? Does it make you feel better? Psychodynamic- are you really scared of something else? Social-cultural- are you surrounded by fearful people? Do you feel like you are constantly in fear of those around you? Worksheet on perspectives… Why is it difficult to lose weight?

Psychology’s Subfields

Psychology’s Subfields Psychometrics Basic Research Biological psychologists Developmental psychologists Cognitive psychologists Educational psychologists Personality psychologists Social psychologists

Psychology’s Subfields Applied Research Industrial/organizational psychologists Human factors psychologists Counseling psychologists Clinical psychologists Psychiatrists Positive psychology Community psychologists

Module 03: Careers in Psychology

Basic Research Subfields

Basic Research Subfields Cognitive psychologists Developmental psychologists Educational psychologists Experimental psychologists Psychometric and Quantitative Psychologists Social psychologists

Applied Research Subfields

Applied Research Subfields Forensic psychologists Health psychologists Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists Neuropsychologists Rehabilitation psychologists School psychologists Sport psychologists

The Helping Professions

The Helping Professions Clinical psychologists Community psychologists Counseling psychologists

The End

Definition Slides

Empiricism = the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation.

Structuralism = early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchner; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.

Functionalism = a school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function – how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish.

Experimental Psychology = the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method.

Behaviorism = the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

Humanistic Psychology = a historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people.

Cognitive Neuroscience = the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).

Psychology = the science of behavior and mental processes.

Nature-Nurture Issue = the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

Natural Selection = the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

Levels of Analysis = the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon.

Biopsychosocial Approach = an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis.

Behavioral Psychology = the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning.

Biological Psychology = the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.

Cognitive Psychology = the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Evolutionary Psychology = the study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection.

Psychodynamic Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders.

Social-Cultural Psychology = the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.

Psychometrics = the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.

Basic Research = pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.

Developmental Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Educational Psychology = the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.

Personality Psychology = the study of an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Social Psychology = the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Applied Research = scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychologists = the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.

Human Factors Psychologists = an I/O subfield that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.

Counseling Psychology = a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, and marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.

Clinical Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treat people with psychological disorders.

Psychiatry = a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who often provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy.

Positive Psychology = the scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive.

Community Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.

Testing Effect = enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

SQ3R = a study method incorporating five steps; Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse, Review.