1. Principles of Behavior The Science of Psychology
Chapter One

2. Definition
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes.

3. Why Study Psychology?
Used to understand why people think, feel, and act as they do.
Separates mere opinion from a conclusion based on observation and examination.

4. Goals of Psychology Description and Observation:
Explanation/HypothesisTheory-
Predicting Behavior-
Changing Behavior 

5. HISTORY How did the discipline of psychology evolve?
Greek philosophers----mind-body debate.
Early biology.
Relatively Young discipline
Three main stages in the history of the discipline:
Science of the Mind
Study of Behavior
Cognitive Revolution

6. The Science of the Mind
Introspection: Wilhelm Wundt, first psychological laboratory
Structuralism (def) analysis of complex experiences in terms of their simplest components.
Titchener –student of Wundt, who analyzed the experience of consciousness by breaking it down into it’s smaller components.
Consciousness-our awareness of cognitive processes such as concentrating, making decisions, dreaming
Sensations
Feelings
Images

7. Science of the Mind
Functionalism – ( William James)-theory of thoughts and behavior concerned with how one uses their perceptual abilities to function in the environment.
Theory stated that perceptions, memories and images could not be separated.
William James contribution to education and women.

8. Psychodynamic Theory
Theory stated that we are motivated by unconscious instincts and urges that are not available to the rational, conscious part of our mind.
Sigmund Freud-- physician who was convinced that many ailments were psychological rather than physiological in nature.
He was trying to explain the psychological nature of ailments, and therefore the connection between the brain and behavior at the same time the structuralists were debating consciousness.

9. THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR Radical Behaviorism: B.F. Skinner
Behaviorism-(John B. Watson)-school of psychology that studies only observable and measurable behavior. Therefore, if a phenomenon could not be observed, it did not exist as an object of scientific study.
believed that all mental experiences such as thinking, feeling, awareness of self, are nothing more than physiological changes in response to accumulated experiences.
Classical Conditioning-Ivan Pavlov
Little Albert
Radical Behaviorism: B.F. Skinner

10. Radical Behaviorism
Operant Conditioning: The theory of reinforcement. Therefore, behavior that is rewarded will continue, while behavior that is punished will be extinguished.
B.F. Skinner

11. THE COGNITIVE REVOLUTION
Inability of Behaviorism to explain psychological phenomenon such as perception, child development, personality gave way to the rise of cognitive psychology.
Gestalt & Humanistic Psychology
Cognitive Psychology as a foundation of the discipline.

12. CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY
Multi-disciplined under large umbrella.
Clinical vs. Experimental
The foundations of Psychology are Physiological Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Learning Theory, and Social Psychology

13. Subfields within Psychology
1. Clinical Subfields
Psychodynamic
 Humanistic
Cognitive Behavioral
2. Experimental Psychology Subfields
 Biological
 Cognitive
 Social-Cultural
 Learning/Evolutionary
 Developmental
3. Industrial Organiational

14. Studying Behavior through Different Perspectives
Biological- mechanisms within the brain and body
Cultural-environmental influences
Social Influences- Societal norms

15. Example: Feeding Behavior
Biological- biological mechanisms involved in eating
Homeostasis/Food Regulation
Glucose-Glycogen
Liver-Hypothalamus

16. Feeding Behavior
Cultural Influences
When
How much

17. Feeding Behavior Societal Influences Presence of Others
Societal Perception

18. Advantage of Multiple Perspectives
The understanding of behavior requires:
Different perspectives multiple levels of understanding.
The use of multiple perspectives neccesitates the use of the scientific method.

19. PSYCHOLOGISTS AS SCIENTISTS
Science is not defined by what it investigates but by how it investigates.
Scientific Approach
Curiosity
Skeptical
Objective
Critical thinking
Two Phenomena that limit our thinking and lead to erroneous conclusions.
Hindsight bias
Judgmental Overconfidence

20. The Study of Behavior Critical Thinking- Empirical Evidence
The Scientific Method

21. Phenomenon that limit thinking and lead to erroneous conclusions
Hindsight Bias
Judgmental Overconfidence
“We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out!” quoted by Decca Records Management when turning down a recording contract with the Beatles in 1962…….

22. Scientific Method Perceive a question Formulate a Hypothesis
Question: Does low self-esteem contributes to depression
Hypothesis-Are people with low self-esteem more likely to feel depressed than those with high self-esteem? (testable).
Test the Hypothesis
Formulate explanation for observations.
Report and Replicate-

23. Types of Research Methods
Naturalistic Observation-
Case Study
Survey-
Correlational Research
Experimental

24. Experimental Research
Explains a cause and effect relationship.
Manipulates one or more variables under controlled conditions in order to observe their effect on behavior.
Independent variable-what is being studied or manipulated.
Dependent variable- what is being measured-perception of play.
Control group-
Experimental group-

25. The Effects of Culture on Psychological Research
Cross-cultural psychology is a research method that tests the cultural parameters of psychological knowledge.
Uses participants of more than one cultural background and compares data obtained across those cultures.
Allows psychologists to examine how knowledge about people and their behaviors from one culture may or may not hold for people from other cultures.