1. The History and the Scope of Psychology
Module 1
The History
and
the Scope of Psychology

2. Pop Psychology

3. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
What is science?
identifying problems, making initial observations, hypothesizing, testing hypotheses
What is behavior?
any activity that is directly observable
What are mental processes?
not directly observable: e.g., thoughts, motivation, dreams, emotions, beliefs

4. Goals of psychology Human/animal To describe behavior To understand
mental processes
To describe
To understand
To predict
To influence/control

5. Psychology has a long history but a short past” (H. Ebbinghaus, 1908)
the themes of psychology
the methods of psychology
Philosophy & Humanities
Natural Science
Knowledge is a product of introspective thought. Knowledge = insight
Study inner sensations
Knowledge is a product of understanding observable phenomena.
Knowledge = understanding
Study behavior

6. Psychology Psychology has a long history
but a short past” (H. Ebbinghaus, 1908)
Psychology
the themes of psychology
the methods of psychology
Philosophy & Humanities
Natural Science
Pre-Scientific Psychology
Is the mind connected to the body or distinct?
Are ideas inborn or is the mind a blank slate filled by experience?
Empiricism
Knowledge comes from experience via the senses
science flourishes through observation and experiment
(Wilhelm Wundt, 1879)

7. First Perspectives in Psychology
Structuralism
All human mental experience can be understood as a combination of simple elements or events
Used introspection (looking in) to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

8. First Perspectives in Psychology (cont.)
Functionalism
Focused on observable outcomes of processes of consciousness
Focused on how behavioral processes function- how they enable organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

9. History of psychology
Until 1920s – the science of mental life (Structuralism – functionalism)
1920 – 1960 – the science of observable behaviors (Watson, Skinner)
1960s – Humanistic psychology: recaptured interest in mental processes through studying the mind (congitive revolution) and environmental influences
Today: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

10. Today’s Perspectives in Psychology are MANY
Neuroscience
Evolutionary
Behavior Genetics
Psychodynamic
Behavioral
Cognitive
Social-Cultural

11. Today’s Perspectives in Psychology are MANY
Neuroscience: the role of body and brain
Evolutionary: the role of natural selection
Behavior Genetics: the relative roles of genes and environment
Psychodynamic: the role of subconscious drives
Behavioral: the role of learning
Cognitive: the role of encoding, processing, storing and retrieving of information
Social-Cultural: the role of society and culture

12. Perspectives differ in levels of analysis
Biological Influences
Psychological Influences
Behavior or
Mental Processes
Social and cultural influences

13. Levels of analysis differ
Neurons & nervous system & hormones
Genes
Brain
Dyads
Groups
Cultures
Situations
Some study at the nuron level
Some study the mind
Some study dyads
Some groups.

14. Increase the knowledge base  Solve practical problems 
Within Each Perspective Psychologists Could Adopt Two Distinct Objectives
Increase the knowledge base 
Basic research
Solve practical problems 
Applied research

15. Some Specialty Areas Within Psychology
Clinical Psychology: (different from psychiatry) concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of relatively severe mental and behavioral disorders.
Counseling Psychology: deals with problems of adjustment in everyday life (marital, social, occupational).
Developmental Psychology: focuses on how people change and grow over the lifespan—infancy, childhood (child psychology), adolescence, adulthood, and old age (gerontology).
Social Psychology: studies how an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are affected by other people.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology: focuses on behavior in the workplace.
Psychometrics: designs tests to measure mental abilities, personality traits, and symptoms of psychological disorders.

16. What Psychologists Do

17. Where Psychologists Work

18. Turkish Psychological Association