WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? Burrhus Frederic Skinner 1904-1990

Psychology is…

Psychology is… the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour: how we think, feel, act and interact individually and in groups.

Psychology is… a science and psychologists study human behaviour by observing, measuring and testing, then arriving at conclusions that are rooted in sound scientific methodology.

Psychology From the Greek:: Psyche – spirit, breath of life, mind Logos - knowledge or study of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LMbLsB492M

How does psychology apply to the health and social care sector?

How does psychology apply to the health and social care sector? Gives a greater insight into human behaviour Helps with interacting with patients Helps with understanding the character of people Helps with supporting people with health difficulties Helps with supporting people with mental health difficulties Helps with supporting people with learning difficulties Helps with supporting people with emotional difficulties

René Descartes – a philosopher 1596-1650 Descartes didn't contribute to psychology. Psychology as a science is really only a century or so old. Prior to psychology, people and philosophers had a concept of mind, and they knew it had some connection to the biological organ of the brain. Descartes himself believed that it was the pituitary gland which connected the non-physical mind, responsible for higher order thoughts, with the physical brain, responsible for simple mechanical control of the body.

Dualism Typically humans are characterised as having both a mind (non-physical) and body/brain (physical).  This is known as dualism.  Dualism is the view that the mind and body both exist as separate entities.

Psychology as a Science Psychology emphasises the use of the scientific method. At the end of the 19th Century, Wilhelm Wundt set up the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany and psychology moved away from philosophy. Psychologists aim to gather observable and measurable evidence and propose hypotheses as explanations. These are then tested, the data examined and conclusions reached. Psychologists try to be objective and minimise bias.

Wilhelm Wundt Took a structural approach to psychology Structuralism, in psychology, was a systematic movement founded in Germany by Wilhelm Wundt and mainly identified with Edward B. Titchener. Structuralism sought to analyse the adult mind (defined as the sum total of experience from birth to the present) in terms of the simplest definable components.

Wilhelm Wundt Interested with INTROSPECTION – what goes on in people’s minds when they complete tasks and how people process sensory stimuli Wundt was the first to draw a distinction between SENSATION (A STIMULUS’ EFFECT ON ONE OF OUR SENSES) and PERCEPTION (OUR BRAIN’S INTERPRETATION OF THE STIMULUS)

Yes- sensation time taken Bell- perception time taken

What does this mean? Processing and categorising sound takes longer than hearing it which shows that perception is separate to sensation

William James Functionalism, in psychology, a broad school of thought originating in the U.S. during the late 19th century attempted to counter the German school of structuralism led by Edward B. Titchener. Functionalists, including psychologists William James and James Rowland Angell, and philosophers George H. Mead, Archibald L. Moore, and John Dewey, stressed the importance of empirical, rational thought over an experimental, trial-and-error philosophy. The group was concerned more with the capability of the mind than with the process of thought.

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN SPORT TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY???   WHY PEOPLE HELP OTHERS (OR DO NOT) TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSION HOW CHILDREN LEARN LANGUAGE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS AND ILLNESS THE BEHAVIOUR OF ANIMALS WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE OUTGOING THAN OTHERS THE CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA HOW PEOPLE SOLVE LOGICAL PROBLEMS IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN SPORT

TOPIC AREAS IN PSYCHOLOGY   DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY   TOPIC AREAS IN PSYCHOLOGY PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY (BIOPSYCHOLOGY)   COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY   INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES   SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

WHAT IS HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY? Health psychology has developed as an area of research within psychology. It is different from the traditional areas because instead of focusing on more and more detailed issues, it takes particular health problems and looks at the range of psychology that can be applied.

In order to understand health psychology we need to understand the background to health psychology and the biomedical model of health and illness. H:\Psychological and Sociological Studies\Psychology\HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY - background.docx

EVALUATION OF THE BIOMEDICAL MODEL OF MEDICINE? Evaluation of Biomedical model.ppt

WHAT IS HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY? Health psychology can be understood in terms of the same questions that were asked of the biomedical model.

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY takes the position that all stages of health and illness are affected by biological, psychological and social factors – the biopsychosocial model