Introduction to Psychology

Trephining – early form of “therapy”

Salem witch trials s/salemwitchtrials/story/story.html

Predict what will happen Systematically observe events Do events support predictions? Life Before Psychology René Descartes ( ) Philosophy asks questions about the mind:  Does perception accurately reflect reality?  How is sensation turned into perception? Problem - No “scientific” way of studying problems Physiology asks similar questions about the mind – but with a biological perspective (ie chemicals, etc) SCIENTIFIC METHOD Descartes believed that there was a link between the mind and body

Psychology Is Born Wilhelm Wundt ( ) First Experimental Psych Lab (1879) Focuses on the scientific study of the mind. Wundt insists that Psych methods be as rigorous as the methods of other sciences. Wundt began to study humans in a lab. University of Leipzig Harvard University Yale University Columbia University Catholic University Univ of Pennsylvania Cornell University Stanford University Wundt’s students start labs across USA ( )

Women of Psychology Mary Calkins Mary Calkins - student of William James at Harvard but was not awarded a Ph.D. Founded psych lab at Wellesley College (1891) Maragaret Washburn Maragaret Washburn - first woman to receive Ph.D. in Psychology. Wrote The Animal Mind, which helped begin the Behaviorist movement. Leta Hollingworth Leta Hollingworth - Debunked popular theories that suggested women were inferior to men. Did pioneering work on adolescent development, mental retardation & “gifted” children.

Psychology (pre-1920) Wilhelm Wundt ( ) Physiologist & Perceptual Psychologist Founder of Psychology as a Science Experiments Edward Titchner ( ) Student of Wundt Formed  at Cornell Introspection William James ( ) Philosopher & Psychologist Formed  at Harvard Psychology Understanding Mental Processes

Structuralism vs Functionalism William James ( ) Analyze consciousness into basic elements and study how they are related Introspection - self-observation of one’s own conscious experiences Investigate the function, or purpose of consciousness rather than its structure Leaned toward applied work (natural surroundings) Structuralism Functionalism Wilhelm Wundt

Behaviorism Scientific Psychology should focus on observable behavior. John Watson ( ) Ivan Pavlov Psych the Science of Behavior Stimulus-ResponsePsychology Mental Processes cannot be studied directly

Psychology (1920s-1960s) John B. Watson ( ) Watson believed that a person’s behaviour was a product of his/her experiences as opposed to their internal mental state “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.” John B. Watson “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.” John B. Watson Psychology Science of Observable Behavior Behaviorism

Unconscious expressed in dreams & “slips of the tongue ” Freud & Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud ( ) Proposes the idea of the UNCONSCIOUS Thoughts, memories & desires exist below conscious awareness and exert an influence on our behavior Psychoanalytic Theory attempts to explain personality, mental disorders & motivation in terms of unconscious determinants of behavior

Freud believed that our minds were divided into conscious, subconscious and unconscious behaviours. He believed these behaviours looked like an iceberg – with only a small part of our conscious self exposed to the world – and a large component of our minds buried or hidden beneath – filled with conflicts and desires which would bubble up to the surface and cause us anxiety and guilt. Psychoanalysis – is a treatment method that involves bringing unconscious conflicts and unresolved issues to the surface to be dealt with and “put to rest”.

Freud’s techniques Free association – is a technique used to bring unconscious thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc to the surface - The traditional method is to have the patient lie on a couch and respond to random words without using the conscious mind to “think” - The idea is that the unconscious thoughts rise above the conscious mind  Freud’s couch

The following exercise is a FREE ASSOCIATION test that you are going to take… When you see the word on the screen – simply write down the FIRST word that comes into your head – try NOT to think about it!! There are 20 words in total… READY?

white

death

house

holiday

child

water

dog

boat

blue

shoes

sea

stars

head

sad

black

eat

flower

moon

love

mother

What to look for in your free association test …. -Freud would have looked for numerous words relating to sexual images, violence, dark images, seemingly unrelated images (eg: holiday = machete) - most of the time our minds associate words together, and link common themes - unless there is something dark and unresolved brewing in the unconscious, the words should be fairly benign – usually opposites or related words. - Try this next activity: you will be given a word to start with – write down words one after another as they come to you (don’t “think” about them!) - you will have one minute – here is the word…..

school

Behaviouristic Psychology Ivan Pavlov ( ) - was a Russian physiologist who was trying to study the effects of salivation on digestion in dogs. He inadvertently discovered something else – that the dogs would salivate even without food present – just the sight of the experimenter would cause the dog to salivate! Pavlov began to study this phenomenon and called it “classical conditioning”.

Behaviourist Psychology B.F. Skinner ( ) – Skinner believed that reinforcements were needed in order for the subject to stay motivated to complete the task. He coined the term “operant conditioning” which is based on the theory of positive and negative reinforcements to shape behaviours.

Cognitive Psychology Noam Chomsky “Language” Advent of computers (late 1950s) provides a new model for thinking about the mind Cognitive Psychologists return to the study of learning, memory, perception, language, development & problem solving Cognition the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing & using information

Humanistic Psychology Carl Rogers ( ) – was the founder of humanistic psychology according to Rogers, we value positive self-regard, that is, self- esteem or self-regard. Without this self-regard, we feel small and helpless, and we can fail to become all that we can be!

Different Perspectives in Psychology Humanistic Psychology Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Social-Cultural Psychology Biological Psychology

Biological Perspective Focus How the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Focus How the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Sample Issues How do evolution and heredity influence behavior? How are messages transmitted within the body? (hormones) How is brain and blood chemistry linked with moods and motives?

Behavioral Perspective Focus We are a product of our experiences and our environment How to best study, assess and treat troubled people. Focus We are a product of our experiences and our environment How to best study, assess and treat troubled people. Sample Issues How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter certain behaviors? What are the underlying causes of:  Anxiety Disorders  Phobic Disorders  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

Humanistic Perspective Focus People are inherently good and strive to be the best that we can be. You are in control of your own destiny. Focus People are inherently good and strive to be the best that we can be. You are in control of your own destiny. Sample Issues people with mild depression can relook at their past and future path encouraged to take control of one’s own life and set a new course for recovery you are in control of your own destiny and future

Cognitive Perspective Focus How we process, store and retrieve information. Focus How we process, store and retrieve information. Sample Issues How do we use info in remembering and reasoning? How do our senses govern the nature of perception? How can we analyze our thought and behavioural processes?

Social-Cultural Perspective Focus How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. Focus How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. Sample Issues How are we, as members of different races and nationalities, alike as members of one human family? How do we differ, as products of different social contexts? Why do people sometimes act differently in groups than when alone?

Psychologists must be skeptical and think critically What is the evidence? How was it collected? Psychology is Empirical Psychology conclusions are based on research NOT tradition or common sense Psychology conclusions are based on research NOT tradition or common sense Knowledge acquired through observation

Influence of Heredity & Environment NATURE versus NURTURE

Identical twins = identical DNA These identical twins lived in different environments – evidence for environmental influence?

Perception Is Subjective Internal Information Current mental state Memories from previous experiences External Information Actions/behaviours from others Both Determine Our Experience of the World

Work In Psychology (?) Universities & Colleges 27.2% Elementary/ Secondary Schools 4.2% Hospitals, Counseling, Clinics, etc. 22.3% Business, Government or Consulting 12.1% Independent Practice 33.1%

Specialties In Psychology Clinical, Community & Counseling 51.1% Research/university 3.6% Cognitive 5.2% Industrial 5.7% Social/ Developmental 6.4% Other 8.6% School 19.4%