1. The Early History and Scope of Psychology

2. The science of behavior and mental processes
Define Psychology
The science of behavior and mental processes

3. Where did Psychology come from?
Aspects of the Mind have been pondered for thousands of years by Philosophers!
….like…
Socrates!
Plato!
It’s Nature – we’re just born this way!

4. It’s Nurture! Our environment shapes who we are!
Aristotle (335 B.C.)
It’s Nurture! Our environment shapes who we are!

5. Nature Vs. Nurture
Nature = If you are intelligent, you were born with a smart brain. If you are athletic, you were born with strong muscles and balance. If you are violent, depressed, or forgetful, you were born with a brain disorder.
Nurture = You are violent because you watched it on television. You are smart because you studied. You are kind because you were loved.
This is still the fundamental debate in Psychology today!

7. Rene Descartes (French Philosopher) (1600s)
The body and the mind are separate entities, but do interact & communicate
Early dissections led to the early understanding of mind/body connections
Knowledge is inborn as well.

8. John Locke (British Philosopher)
Tabula rasa (Empiricism) – literally means “blank slate”
Theory: the mind is at birth a "blank slate" and what we know comes from experience.

9. Francis Bacon (English Scientist)
Stressed the scientific principles of observation and experimentation when evaluating human behavior

10. Wilhelm Wundt
1879 establishes the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany.
This is generally considered the starting point of Psychology as a science.

11. Psychology Comes to America
G. Stanley Hall ( )
A student of Wundt
Establishes 1st American laboratory at Johns Hopkins (1883)
Founded 1st American Psych. journal (1887)
Founded American Psychological Association-APA (1892)

12. Edward Titchener (Structuralism)
A student of Wundt
Identify elements, or structures, of mental process
Introspection

13. Functionalism William James (1842-1910)
American psychologist and philosopher
Identify purposes, or functions, of the mind
Why is human thought adaptive?
Natural flow of thought, or
stream of consciousness
Reintroduced Darwin’s theory
Body & Brain evolve as we learn &
experience the world
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14. Psychoanalytic Perspective
Psychoanalysts believe that the unconscious mind controls much or our thought and action.
Sigmund Freud

15. IE. An introverted person avoids social situations because of a repressed memory of trauma in childhood involving an acutely embarrassing experience at a party.

16. Behavioral Perspective
Behavioral psychologists explain human thought and behavior by looking strictly at observable behaviors.
Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, B.F. Skinner

17. IE. An introverted person may be withdrawn and shy because they are punished for speaking at home. An extrovert may get monetary rewards for garnering attention.

18. Humanistic Perspective
Humanists believe that we choose most of our behaviors and these choices are guided by physiological, emotional, or spiritual needs. Humanists stress free will and individual choice.
Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers

19. IE. An introverted person chooses to limit social contact with others because he or she finds that social needs are better satisfied by contact with a few close friends rather than large groups.

20. Biopsychology (Neuroscience)
Biopsychologists explain human behavior in terms of biological processes including:
Genetics
hormones
brain (dys)functions.
Biopsychology (Neuroscience)

21. IE. An introverted person may lack a certain gene for sociability, or an extroverted person may be producing an overabundance of a particular hormone. There may be a dysfunctional frontal lobe.

22. Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychologists (sociobiologists) examine human behavior in terms of natural selection and survival traits.
Charles Darwin

23. IE. An extroverted person carries a social genetic trait based upon the need to make friends or allies, thus increasing their chances of survival. An introverted person may have a genetic quality that precludes isolation as a way to avoid predators, thus increasing their chances for survival.

24. Cognitive Perspective
Cognitive psychologists explain human behavior in terms of how we interpret, process, and remember environmental events.
How we view the world plays a big role in what we do!
Stimulus Mental process Behavior

25. IE. An introvert does not socialize much because they interpret friendship as pity, or whispered conversations as criticism. An extrovert may think that the world is a happy and safe place, and therefore all people are potential friends.

26. Social-Cultural Perspective
Sociocultural psychologists:
emphasize the influence of groups and culture on the way that we think and act.

27. IE. An female introvert lives in a society where women are not allowed to talk, vote, or own land. An extrovert lives in a society where gluttony and extravagance is encouraged.

28. What do people do with a degree in Psychology?
Fields in Psychology
What do people do with a degree in Psychology?
…what can I do with a degree in Psychology?

29. Applied v. Basic Psychology:
Fields in Psychology
Applied v. Basic Psychology:
Applied refers to practical and interactive psychology.
the use of psychological principles and theories to overcome problems in other areas
Basic refers mainly to the research fields of psychology.

30. Mental and physical rehabilitation regarding mental disorders.
Therapy
Mental and physical rehabilitation regarding mental disorders.
Can include medications, in/out patient services, counseling, etc.

31. Assisting school-aged children, adolescence issues, counseling, etc.

32. Diagnosis and treatment of troubled people.
Clinical
Diagnosis and treatment of troubled people.
Career, marriage, stress counseling.

33. Industrial/Organizational
Productivity, job stress, motivation, automation.
Practical issues of selecting and training a workforce

34. Forensic Psychology
Provide advice to legislators, judges, correctional officers, lawyers and the police
Called upon, for example, to serve as an expert witness, diagnose and treat incarcerated and probation offenders; and screen and evaluate personnel in the law enforcement and judicial systems

35. Sports Psychology
Issues and techniques of sport-specific psychological assessment and mental skills
Goal-setting, visualization and performance planning, self-confidence, eating disorders, overtraining and burnout counseling, team building, sportsmanship

36. Developmental
Study mental and physical growth from prenatal through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and into old age.

37. Social
Study how people influence each others attitudes, prejudices, norms, interpersonal attractions, etc.

38. Experiment with how we perceive, think, and solve problems
Cognitive
Experiment with how we perceive, think, and solve problems

39. Experimental
Conduct research on learning, memory, sensation, perception, cognition, motivation, etc.

40. Major Research Areas pie chart

41. Careers in Psychology: Percentage of Psychology Degrees by Specialty

42. Current Perspectives in Psychology

43. Woman and Minorities Few woman and minorities in early 1900’s Women
 Margaret Floy Washburn - first PhD 1894
- Mary Calkins - first president of APA
- Currently woman get about 70% of PhD’s
African Americans
 Francis Sumner - first PhD in 1920
- Kenneth B. Clark- first PhD from Colombia in brown vs. white doll study - helped with desegregation of public schools

44. What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

45. Psychology v. Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the study of mental disorders.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors and can prescribe medications to treat the physical and mental causes of psychological disorders.