1 SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGY: Theory & Research
2 What do psychologists do? Stereotype -- treat mental illness Sigmund Freud
3 Half true, but on what basis? Need a database of research: BASIC RESEARCH: –Try to understand human behavior and mind –Why do people act, think, and feel the way they do? APPLIED: Solve specific problems eg mental illness, selecting personnel
4 Our textbook: The Adaptive Mind Q: What is the function of the mind ? A: helps us adapt to our environment How do (or did) psychological processes contribute to survival? –e.g. –How do you recognize and avoid danger? –How do we procreate in the optimal way?
5 Meaning of the term
6 Defining Modern Psychology The scientific study of behavior and the mind that causes it Scientific: systematic observation Behavior: Observable actions Mind: Subjective experiences such as sensations, thoughts, and emotions.
7 What Psychologists Do Clinical Psychologists Counsellors Applied Psychologists Research Psychologists Teach
8 Clinical Psychologists Main Goal: –diagnose and treat severe psychological problems (schizophrenia, depression) –PhD in psychology –work in clinics and private practice
9 Psychiatrists Medical doctors who specialize in diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems. Have to have an M.D. Licensed to prescribe drugs.
10 Counsellors Provide some sort of therapy or support to clients, Deal with everyday problems: –family disputes –Career advice
11 Applied Psychologists Main Goal: –Apply psychology to practical problems in the real world –Examples: School psychologists Industrial/organizational psychologists Human factors psychologists Not involved with psychological disorders
12 Research Psychologists Main Goal: –Conduct experiments to acquire new knowledge about behavior and the mind Work in universities, colleges, research institutes Specialties: –Bio-psychologists –Personality psychologists –Cognitive psychologists –Social psychologists
THE BIG ISSUES 13
14 HOW Can We Study The Mind? Metaphor: Mind is a “Black Box” –Can observe what it does, how it responds, but can’t see it Approaches –Self-report –Find a way to open it –Study how it behaves Example: How long does it take to respond to different stimuli?
15 Three Methods
16 WHERE is the mind ? Answer has varied over history of psychology
17 WHAT Determines Behavior? 1.Mind or Body? 2.Nature or Nurture?
18 1. Mind or Body ? Roots of modern psychology lie in the disciplines of philosophy and biology Descartes: Two Separate entities –Mind controls body through pineal gland –If so: impossible to scientifically study the mind. Psychologists today: One and the same –Mind arises from brain activity –“The mind is what the brain does” – Steven Pinker
19 2. Nature or Nurture ? To what degree are we shaped by innate/inherited tendencies, environment? NATURE: –Babies are born with a set mental structure, already know certain things - Natural selection for certain adaptive traits (Darwin) NURTURE: –We are shaped by our environment –That is, our personal experiences
20 The Modern View: Nature + Nurture Most characteristics do have a genetic (inherited) component –Examples: personality, intelligence Experience shapes how these traits develop –Example: educational experiences, traumatic experiences both matter; both necessary
21 Details Depend on Theory Freud’s psychoanalysis Skinner’s behaviorism Maslow’s humanistic psychology