The History and Scope of Psychology Module 1 Adapted from David Myers’ Exploring Psychology: ninth Edition in Modules PowerPoint slides

Where does psychology come from? What do you expect to learn/what questions do you want answered? Curiosity Aristotle (384—322 B.C.E.) Greek naturalist and philosopher -- gave the history’s first fully integrated, systematic account of psychology Snow ball To be human is to be curious about ourselves and the world around us

The birth of contemporary psychology Wundt, 1879, a philosopher and a physiologist, Germany, University of Leipzig, conducting experiments to study the “atoms of the mind” --- the birth of contemporary psychology How long is the history of psychology? Preview Question 1: What are some important milestones in the development of the science of psychology? Aristotle gave the history’s first fully integrated, systematic account of psychology First recorded psychological experiment was conducted by an egyptian king – Psamtick, wanted to proove the long-held belief that the egyptians were the most ancient race on earth. He posed the hypothesis that if children had no pooprtunity to learn a language from the people around them, they would spontaneously speak the primal, inborn language of humankind, that is, the natural language of its most ancient people, which psamtick presumed to be Egyptian. To test his hypothesis, psamtick kidnapped two infants fo a lower-class mothere and ordered a herdsman in a remote area to raise them. The children were properly fed and cared for, but were never spoken to or heard anyone speak a word. Wundt (1832-1920)

Origins of Psychological Science Wundt, a German philosopher and a physiologist Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician William James, an American philosopher At the same time, psychology was originating in many disciplines and countries.

Psychological Science is Born James (1842-1910) William James (1842-1910) American philosopher, founding father of American Psychology, wrote an important 1890 psychology textbook. Mary Calkins, James’s student, became the APA’s first female president. Margaret Floy Washburn At the same time, psychology was originating in many disciplines and countries.

Psychological Science develops Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) an Austrian physician the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. Structuralists (Wundt, Titchener), functionalists (James), and Freud focused on inner sensations and feelings. Used introspection and retrospection. “the science of Mental life.” Freud (1856-1939)

Psychological Science Develops Behaviorists Watson (1878-1958) Skinner (1904-1990) Watson and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology. Redefine psychology as “the scientific study of observable behavior.”

Psychological Science Develops Humanistic Psychology http://facultyweb.cortland.edu http://www.carlrogers.dk Maslow (1908-1970) Rogers (1902-1987) Maslow and Rogers emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance.

Psychological Science Develops In the 1960s, cognitive psychology recapture psychology’s initial interest in mental processes. We define psychology today as the scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner thoughts and feelings). “the science of behavior and mental process”

Contemporary Psychology Psychology’s Biggest Question Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis Psychology’s Subfields CLOSE-UP: Tips for Studying Psychology Preview Question 2: What is psychology’s historic big issue?

Psychology’s Current Perspectives Focus Sample Questions Neuroscience How the body and brain enables emotions? How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? Evolutionary How the natural selection of traits promoted the survival of genes? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? Behavior genetics How 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 Focus Sample Questions Psychodynamic How 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? Behavioral How 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 Focus Sample Questions Cognitive How we encode, process, store and retrieve information? How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? Social-cultural How 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?

Let’s play: “What’s my perspective?” “Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a problem in the orbital cortex.” “Compulsions start as habits and are rewarded by the anxiety relief they bring.” “No, it’s a sign of unresolved childhood issues.” “OCD comes from our natural instinct to control our environment.” “No, OCD is an inherited condition.” “OCD thinking and behavior is a reaction to our fast-paced, out-of-control lifestyles.” Automatic animation. Instructor: This would be “The Seven Psychologists and the client with OCD.” Ask the students if they can identify the perspective used in making the comments. I have created a different example than the “anger” one found in the book. I have color-coded the statements so students can call out suggestions by color, “the orange one is…” The answers: Orange: Neuroscience, Magenta: Psychodynamic, Blue: Behavior Genetics, Black: Behaviorist, Brown: Evolutionary, Gray: Social-Cultural, Green: Cognitive. “No, OCD is a matter of mental habits and errors that can be corrected.”

Different perspectives on a single issue: Six Blind Men and an Elephant No animation. Instructor: This slide illustrates the results of taking only one perspective on an issue. The image refers to the “Six Blind Men and the Elephant,” a poem by John Saxe (1816-1887) based on an ancient Indian folktale. The parable illustrates how people with limited perspective can be mistaken if they feel they have the whole picture, seeing the elephant as a rope, wall, tree trunk, fan, spear, and snake. Image (c) Jason Hunt naturalchild.org/jason

The Big Issue in Psychology: N-N The Nature- Nurture Question: To what extent are our traits already set in place at birth (our “Nature”)? And to what extent do our traits develop in response to our environment/ experience (our “Nurture”)? Click to reveal text.

Nature Nurture Plato: Characters, intelligence, and some Ideas inborn. Aristotle: All knowledge comes through the senses. Descartes: Some ideas are innate. Nature Nurture vs. Charles Darwin: Some traits become part of our nature through natural selection: they help us survive long enough to pass the traits to the next generation. John Locke: The mind is a blank slate (blank chalkboard or screen) “written on” by experience. Click to reveal five bubbles of different perspectives.

We have differences that are shaped by our environmen. We share a common origin that gives us an inborn human nature in common. We have differences that are shaped by our environmen. Nature + Nurture Click to reveal the new nature and nurture bubbles. This interplay of nature and nurture may be more complex in humans than any other species. Another way of looking at this, suggested in the text: Behaviors can be seen as “pushed” (constrained, really) by biology, and “pulled” (influenced) by the environment.

The Roles of Nature and Nurture: No animation. “Nurture works on what Nature endows.”

Biology Plus Environment.. are part of psychology’s three “biopsychosocial” levels of analysis. The outer level, Environment: social Influences, culture, education, relationships The deep level, Biology: genes, brain, neuro-transmitters, survival, reflexes, sensation In the middle, Psychology: thoughts, emotions, moods, choices, behaviors, traits, motivations, knowledge, perceptions Click to reveal three levels.

The three levels as influences on some psychological phenomenon Example: Depression Example: Enjoying Soccer Example: Intelligence Example: Shyness Activity: analyze examples in thee levels

Psychology’s Subfields Basic research Biological Developmental Cognitive Personality Social Positive Psychology Applied Clinical Psychology Counseling Psychology Educational Psychology Industrial-Organizational Community Psychology No animation. Instructor: This slide lists categories that are covered in more depth in the next two slides.

Psychology’s Subfields Research Examples Type of research Biological Developmental Cognitive Personality Social Positive Psychology Explore the structural problems in the brain that may be part of autism Study how the stages of cognitive and emotional development vary in autism Clarify the difficulties autistic children have with understanding sarcasm Decide whether traits like neuroticism need to be measured differently in autism Click to reveal an example for each type of research. Find how autistic children can learn social skills as procedures if not by intuition Explore what motivates people and contributes to life satisfaction

Psychology’s Subfields Applied Clinical Psychology Counseling Psychology Educational Psychology Industrial-Organizational Community Psychology Use exposure therapy to decrease phobic reactions in a traumatized client Help someone achieve career goals despite family conflict and self-doubt Evaluate aptitudes and achievement to plan for a student with learning problems Figure out how a factory can improve coordination of tasks, roles, and personalities Click to reveal an example of each type of applied psychology. Instructor: This slide lists categories that are covered in more depth in the next two slides. Help coordinate a city’s efforts to understand and prevent elder abuse Use exposure therapy to decrease phobic reactions in a traumatized client

An Application of Psychology: Improving your test performance Scientific studies show us that: Testing yourself boosts retention of material. The retrieval practice effect/testing effect Actively processing material helps master it. Put it in your own words, make connections Spaced rehearsal, interspaced with other subjects, is more efficient than cramming. Spread studying over multiple days Click to reveal each study result and advice that goes with it. People tend to overestimate their mastery. If the concept looks familiar… not good enough

Applying this knowledge: Use SQ3R to master a textbook Survey Scan/Skim what you are about to read, especially chapter outlines and section heads. Question Ask questions that the text might answer; write guesses. Read Look for the answer to your questions, reading a manageable amount at a time. Rehearse Click to reveal explantion of each step. 4th, Bonus “R”: wRiting new concepts, answers, reactions, connections. Recall what you’ve read in your own words. Test yourself with quizzes. Review Look over text and notes and quickly review the main ideas of the whole chapter.