Contemporary Psychology Prologue, Lecture 2 “The cluster of subfields we call psychology has less unity than most other sciences. But there is a payoff: Psychology is a meeting ground for different disciplines.” - David Myers

Psychological Associations & Societies The American Psychological Association is the largest organization of psychology with 160,000 members world-wide, followed by the British Psychological Society with 34,000 members.

Psychology’s “Big Issues” First, complete Handout P-3… Now reverse the numbers in front of items 4, 6, 10, 11, 15 Big Issue #1: Nature-Nurture How important are the relative contributions of genetics and environment to psychological topics? Add the numbers for items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15

First, complete Handout P-3… Now reverse the numbers in front of items 4, 6, 10, 11, 15 Big Issue #2: Rationality-Irrationality Are we deserving of the name Homo sapians – wise humans? In some ways, we are smarter than the most powerful computers. In other ways, we are prone to systematic bias and error. Add the numbers for items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13

Psychology’s “Big Issues” First, complete Handout P-3… Now reverse the numbers in front of items 4, 6, 10, 11, 15 Big Issue #3: Stability-Change Do our individual traits persist as we age? Do our personalities change in different situations? Add the numbers for items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14

Psychology’s Subfields: Research PsychologistWhat she does Biological Explore the links between brain and mind. Developmental Study changing abilities from womb to tomb. Cognitive Study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. Personality Investigate our persistent traits. Social Explore how we view and affect one another.

Psychology’s Subfields: Research Data: APA 1997

Psychology’s Subfields: Applied PsychologistWhat she does Clinical Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders Counseling Helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges. Educational Studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings Industrial/ Organizational Studies and advises on behavior in the workplace.

Psychology’s Subfields: Applied Data: APA 1997

A clinical psychologist (Ph.D.) studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy. Psychiatrists on the other hand are medical professionals (M.D.) who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients. Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis Let’s apply this analysis to the case of Andrea Yates…

Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions NeuroscienceHow the body and brain enables emotions? How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? EvolutionaryHow the natural selection of traits the promotes the perpetuation of one’s genes? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? Behavior geneticsHow much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences? To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment?

Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions PsychodynamicHow behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts? How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? BehavioralHow we learn observable responses? How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking?

Psychology’s Current Perspectives PerspectiveFocusSample Questions CognitiveHow we encode, process, store and retrieve information? How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? Social-culturalHow behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures? How are we — as Africans, Asians, Australians or North Americans – alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ?

Link each of the statements regarding prosocial, or helping, behavior to the appropriate psychological perspective. By helping each other, we are more likely to survive and reproduce. Evolutionary A specific brain region underlies our experience of empathy for persons in distress. Neuroscience Unconscious sexual motivation prompts our willingness to help others. Psychodynamic We are most likely to help those we perceive as similar to ourselves and whom we believe deserve our assistance. Cognitive

Link each of the statements regarding prosocial, or helping, behavior to the appropriate psychological perspective. The willingness to help varies greatly across the world’s societies. Social-Cultural Children who have been rewarded for helpful behavior are more likely to be helpful in future interpersonal interactions. Behavioral Identical twins who are separated at birth and raised in very different environments show the same degree of helpfulness toward others. BehaviorGenetics

Homework Study! “Once aware of psychology’s well-researched ideas – about how body and mind connect, how a child’s mind grows, how we construct our perceptions, how we remember (and misremember) our experiences, how people across the world differ (and are alike) – your mind may never again be quite the same.” - David Myers