The Evolution of Psychology Ms Bamford WinterSpring 2020

The Evolution of Psychology Ms. Bamford Winter/Spring 2020

Million Dollar Question. . . Is psychology a science? The Scientific Attitude 1: Curiosity: Does it work? 2: Skepticism: What do you mean? How do you know? 3: Humility: Researchers are able to be surprised and follow new ideas. How do these 3 key elements support scientific inquiry? The rat is always right. . . Psychologists' job is to find out the "why"?

Canadian Psychology It's A Girl's World Documentary put Psychology in Canada on the map https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=h 5 Bsgwu. Jn. Rw After viewing this documentary trailer, using scientific inquiry, why would psychologists become involved with this case? Curiosity Skepticism Humility

Contemporary Definition 2 Greek Words Psyche=soul Logos= study of a subject Psychology- is the science that studies behaviour and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems.

Prescientific Psychology Historic philosophical and physiological thinkers paved modern psychologists' questions Greece: Socrates and Plato (469 -399 B. C. E. ) vs. Aristotle (384 -322 B. C. E. ) Socrates and Plato: The mind is separable from the body- knowledge is innate Plato's student, Aristotle: Observations show that knowledge is not pre-existing; rather it grows from experiences in our memories French Philosopher Rene Descartes (1595 -1650)- Dualism "I think therefore I am" Dualism- Realms communicate through "animal spirits"- flow brain to nerves to muscles. Memories formed allowing the "animal spirits" to flow Rene DAY CART: quote means: cognition and the human experience 2 Realms: the. Physical Realm and the Mental Realm British Scientist Francis Bacon (1561 -1626) The mind is hungry for patterns of order and equality British Political Philosopher John Locke (1621 -1704) The mind is a tabula rasa on which experience writes <---Empiricism is that we know comes from experience, and that observation and experimentation enable scientific knowledge.

The Beginning of Psychological Science Wilhelm Wundt, Germany 1879 https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Z r 7 O 41 r 8 u. EI Measuring "atoms of the mind" The first psychological laboratory

Psychology's First Schools of Thought Structuralism, Functionalism, Behaviourism, Gestalt and Psychoanalysis Structuralism vs. Functionalism Structuralism: Edward Bradford Titchener aimed to classify elements of the mind's structure. Using Introspection (looking inward), he trained people to report elements of their experience: what were their immediate senesations, their images, their feelings? And how did these relate to each other. Why would this be later to be found unreliable? Functionalism: Darwinian thinking through Philosopher-psychologist William James who looked at the evolved functions of our thoughts and feelings: Smelling is what the nose does; thinking is what the brain does. Consciousness serves a function. James studied down-to-earth emotions, memories, willpower, habits, and moment-to-moment streams of consciousness. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=SW 6 nm 69 Z_IE

Continued Development of Approaches Approach Psychologists Definition Behaviourism John B. Watson B. F. Skinner "the scientific study of observable behaviour" Freudian/Psychoanalytic Sigmund Freud Our unconscious mind and childhood experiences affect our behaviour Humanistic Carl Rogers Abraham Maslow Potential for Human Growth Cognitive Psychology Contemporary How we perceive, process, and remember information and how thinking and emotion interact in anxiety, depression, and other disorders

Evolutionary Psychology and Behaviour Genetics Are our human traits inherited, or do they develop through experience? Nature vs. Nurture: controversy between genes and experience-which are involved in the development of psychological traits and behaviours. Natural Selection: a principle that considers inherited traits to enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment (ex: The Dodo Bird- no fear for humans) Evolutionary Psychology: the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection Behaviour Genetics: the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental behavior (ex: twin studies- how much genetics has a part in behavior versus the environment).

Cross-Cultural and Gender Psychology Cultures who share ideas and behaviours from one generation to another, shapes behaviour-promptness, frankness, attitudes of premarital sex and varying body shapes, to be casual or formal, to make eye contact and conversations Similarities: Specific Learning Disorder (formally dyslexia), grammar, basic body language, loneliness Gender (socially and biologically) differences in what we dream, how we express and detect emotions, risk for alcohol use disorders, depression, eating disorders (Ex: Females= conversations, Males=information advice) Similarities: learn to walk, sensations of light and sound, vivid emotional events, forget mundane details hunger, desire, fear, intelligence

Positive Psychology Founded by Martin Seligman and others (2002 -2011) The scientific study of human flourishing, with goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

Biopsychosocial Approach Integrates 3 viewpoints (biological, psychological, and social-cultural) for a more complete picture of any given behaviour or mental process: Biological: genetic predispositions, mutations, natural selection, and genes responding to the environment Psychological: learned fears and expectations, emotional responses, cognitive processing and perceptual interpretations Social-Cultural: presence of others, cultural/societal/family expectations, peer and other group influences, compelling models (ex: media)

Anger Theoretical Perspective Prompt Behavioural What triggers angry responses or aggressive acts Biological Brain circuits that cause face redness OR how heredity and experience influence individual temperament Cognitive Study interpretations of a situation affects our anger and how our anger affects our thinking Evolutionary How our interpretation of a situation affects our anger and how our anger affects our thinking Humanistic How angry feelings affects a person’s potential for growth (positive psychology- human flourishing) Psychodynamic (Psychoanalysis) Outbursts of anger as an outlet for unconscious hostility Social-Cultural Expressions of anger vary across cultural contexts

Subfields in Psychology: describing and explaining behaviour and the mind underlying it. Psychometrics: studying the measurement of our abilities, attitudes, and traits Basic Psychology Definition Biological Exploring links between body and mind Developmental Studying our changing abilities from womb to tomb Cognitive How we perceive, think, and solve problems Educational Studying influences on teaching and learning Personality Investigating our persistent traits Social Exploring how we view and affect one another

Subfields in Psychology Continued Applied Psychology Definition Industrial-Organizational To help companies and organizations select, train, boost morale, productivity, etc. with their employees Human Factors Interaction of people, machines, and physical environments Counseling To help people cope with challenges and crises to improve personal and social functioning Clinical Assess and treat people with mental, emotional, and behaviour disorders Psychiatrists Medical doctors licensed to prescribe drugs to treat physical causes of psychological disorders Community Work to create social and physical environments that are healthy