Unit 01 Overview Psychologys History Psychologys Big Issues

Unit 01 - Overview • Psychology’s History • Psychology’s Big Issues and Approaches • Careers in Psychology 1

Psychology’s Roots: Prescientific Psychology • Ancient Greeks: – Socrates, Plato: mind separate from body, preexisting knowledge, used logic – Aristotle: no preexisting knowledge (comes from experience), loved data over logic • Rene Descartes: – agreed with Socrates & Plato, 1 st to talk about nerve pathways • Francis Bacon: focused on experimentation (Enlightenment period/scientific approach) • John Locke: “tabula rasa (the mind is a “blank slate”) • Empiricism: (Locke & Bacon) what we know comes from experience; observation & experimentation enable scientific knowledge 2

Psychology’s Roots Psychological Science is Born • Wilhelm Wundt (1879): “father of psychology”, 1 st psych lab ever – University of Leipzig – Reaction time experiment • G. Stanley Hall: – 1 st US psych lab 3

Psychology’s Roots Thinking About the Mind’s Structure • Edward Titchener – Structuralism • Used introspection (looking inward, describing sensations & feelings of an experience) to reveal the structures of the mind • Unreliable, unscientific, required highly trained, verbal people 4

Psychology’s Roots Thinking About the Mind’s Function • William James: Harvard professor, influenced by Charles Darwin – Functionalism: explored how mental & behavior processes function: adapt, survive & flourish – Wrote the 1 st psych textbook: Principles of Psychology 5

• Mary Calkins: 1 st woman in psych program at Harvard, denied degree, 1 st female APA President • Margaret Floy Washburn: 1 st female psych Ph. D. , 2 nd female APA president • Experimental psychology: study of behavior & thinking using the experimental method 6

Psychological Science Develops • Sigmund Freud – Emphasized how emotional responses to childhood experiences & unconscious thought processes affect our behavior – Father of psychoanalysis 7

• Behaviorism: (1920 s) view that psych should be objective; studies behavior without reference to mental processes – John B. Watson & Rosalie Rayner: • Science based on observable behavior, not mental processes • Behavior influenced by conditioning 8

• Behaviorism – B. F. Skinner – “study of observable behavior” – Conditioning – Used rats & pigeons 9

• Humanistic psychology: (1960 s) emphasized the growth potential of healthy people: drew attention to the way the environment influences behavior & importance of meeting need for love & acceptance – Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow • Cognitive Neuroscience: interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition (perception, thinking, memory, language) 10

• Psychology: – The science [way of asking & answering questions] of behavior [anything an organism does] and mental processes [internal, subjective experiences: sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, feelings 11

Psychology’s Biggest Question • Nature vs Nurture – Biology versus experience • Debated by Greeks, Locke & Descartes • Charles Darwin – Natural selection: traits contributing to reproduction & survival will most likely be passed on (evolution) – Nurture works on what nature endows 12

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis • Levels of Analysis: differing complementary views for analyzing any given phenomenon – Biological – Psychological – Social-cultural • Biopsychosocial Approach: integrated approach, includes all 3 above • See Table on pg. 12! (VERY important) 13

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis 14

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives • Behavioral: how we learn observable responses • Biological: how body & brain enable emotions, memories, sensory experiences; genes & environment influence on differences • Cognitive: thinking, knowing, remembering, communicating; how we encode, process, store & retrieve info • Evolutionary: how natural selection promoted survival of genes (evolution of behavior & mind) • Humanistic: how we meet our needs for acceptance & achieve self-fulfillment • Psychodynamic: how behavior springs from unconscious drives/conflicts (looks as past experiences) • Social-cultural: how behavior/thinking varies across 15 situations & cultures

Psychology’s Subfields • Psychometrics: scientific study of measurement of human abilities, attitudes & traits • Basic Research: pure science; aims to increase knowledge (for its own sake) – Biological psychologists: study links between brain & mind – Developmental psychologists: study changing abilities from “womb to tomb” – Cognitive psychologists: experiment with thinking & how we solve problems – Educational psychologists: study influences on thinking & learning – Personality psychologists: investigate persistent traits – Social psychologists: explore how we view & affect each other 16

• Applied Research: scientific study that aims to solve problems – Industrial/organizational psychologists: application of psych concepts/methods to optimize behavior in workplaces – Human factors psychologists: how people/machines interact; how environments can be made safe & efficient – Counseling psychologists: assists people with problems in living & greater well-being – Clinical psychologists: studies, assesses & treats disorders – Psychiatrists: medical doctors; provide medical & psychological therapy (often, use of drugs) – Positive psychology: study of human functioning; goal of discovering/promoting strengths/virtues to help people thrive – Community psychologists: Study how people interact with social environments & how social institutions affect people & groups 17

Research Subfields (Careers) • Cognitive psychologists: anything related to thinking, attention, perception, language, memory, judgement, decision-making, forgetting, intelligence (professor, consultant) • Developmental psychologists: research on age-related issues; education/school, child psychopathology, gerontology; public policy, health care, child care. Usually specialized by age. • Educational psychologists: learning & environment; research, testcreation, employee-training • Experimental psychologists: investigate behavioral processes in humans/animals; learning, attention, memory; academic settings, zoos, government agency, business • Psychometric and Quantitative Psychologists: design, analyze, interpret tests & results of research; university, testing company, research firm, government agency • Social psychologists: study aggression, attitudes, prejudice, attraction, group behavior, leadership; university, market research, hospital, government agency, research firm 18

• Forensic psychologists: legal issues & psych. Often work with law enforcement. • Health psychologists: promote health & prevent disease. Smoking, weight loss, sleep, pain management, problems associated with terminal illness. Private practice, hospital school, mental health, rehab, etc. • Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists: ways to increase productivity, personnel selection, job satisfaction. Organizational structure, behavior, training. • Neuropsychologists: treat nervous system disorders (Alzheimer’s, stroke, head injuries, learning disabilities, autism, ADHD) • Rehabilitation psychologists: work with people who’ve lost function after accident or illness. Usually in rehab or hospitals. • School psychologists: diagnose & treat problems that affect learning • Sport psychologists: study factors that influence participation in sports. Coach & athlete prep, diagnose/treat problems (substance abuse, anxiety). Usually research, teaching, private practice or with a team/organization 19

The Helping Professions • Clinical psychologists: often specialize in disorders; research, teaching, assessment, consultation; private practice, mental health, schools, medical settings, counseling, government, military • Community psychologists: enhance environmental settings; prevention, crisis intervention; focus on underserved & minorities; work with public health; mental health depts. , corrections, welfare, research, consultation, teaching • Counseling psychologists: help people adjust to life transitions or changes; don’t usually deal with severe psychopathology. Therapy, assess mental health; coping mechanisms. Academic setting, mental health, private practice. 20

Definition Slides (you do not have to copy these in your notes—put them on your flash cards!) 21

Empiricism = the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation. 22

Structuralism = early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchner; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind. 23

Functionalism = a school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function – how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish. 24

Experimental Psychology = the study of behavior and thinking using the experimental method. 25

Behaviorism = the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. • Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). 26

Humanistic Psychology = a historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people. 27

Cognitive Neuroscience = the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language). 28

Psychology = the science of behavior and mental processes. 29

Nature-Nurture Issue = the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. • Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture. 30

Natural Selection = the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations. 31

Levels of Analysis = the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to socialcultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon. 32

Biopsychosocial Approach = an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and socialcultural levels of analysis. 33

Behavioral Psychology = the scientific study of observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of learning. 34

Biological Psychology = the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. • Some biological psychologists call themselves – behavioral neuroscientists, – neuropsychologists, – behavior geneticists, – physiological psychologists, or – biopsychologists. 35

Cognitive Psychology = the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. 36

Evolutionary Psychology = the study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection. 37

Psychodynamic Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders. 38

Social-Cultural Psychology = the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking. 39

Psychometrics = the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits. 40

Basic Research = pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base. 41

Developmental Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span. 42

Educational Psychology = the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning. 43

Personality Psychology = the study of an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. 44

Social Psychology = the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. 45

Applied Research = scientific study that aims to solve practical problems. 46

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychologists = the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces. 47

Human Factors Psychologists = an I/O subfield that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use. 48

Counseling Psychology = a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, and marriage) and in achieving greater well-being. 49

Clinical Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treat people with psychological disorders. 50

Psychiatry = a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians who often provide medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychological therapy. 51

Positive Psychology = the scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive. 52

Community Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups. 53

Testing Effect = enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply rereading information. • Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning. 54