Unit 1 PSYCHOLOGYS HISTORY AND APPROACHES UNIT OVERVIEW

Unit 1 PSYCHOLOGY’S HISTORY AND APPROACHES

UNIT OVERVIEW �What is Psychology? �Contemporary Psychology

Growth of Approaches to Psycholo gy Psychology Careers Ethics We are here The Science of Psychology Research Statistics Methods Sampling Descriptiv e Correlatio n Naturalistic Observation Case Study Survey Experimen t Descriptive Central Tendenc y Varianc e Inferential

PSYCHOLOGY’S ROOTS PRESCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY �Ancient Greeks �Socrates and Plato Mind is separate from the body and continues after the body dies Knowledge is innate (born within us) �Aristotle Loved data Careful observation Knowledge is not pre-existing/ it grows from experiences stored in our memories

PSYCHOLOGY’S ROOTS PRESCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY �Rene Descartes �Francis Bacon �John Locke Tabula Rasa (blank slate) Empiricism

PSYCHOLOGY’S ROOTS PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE IS BORN � Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory at the University of Liepzig in 1879. � Reaction time experiment Seeking to measure what? Introspection By insisting on measurement and experimentation he moves psychology from a philosophy to a science This is my lab!

PSYCHOLOGY’S ROOTS THINKING ABOUT THE MIND’S STRUCTURE � Edward Titchener � Structuralism School of psychology that stressed the basic units of experience (physical sensation, feelings, and memories) and the combinations in which they occur. Study these ‘atoms of experience’ to get the structure of the mind � introspection

FUNCTIONALISM William James Rejects Structuralism Influenced by Darwin Functionalism –theory of mental life and behavior that is concerned with how an organism uses its perceptual abilities to function in its environment. Functionalists wanted to the whole system of mental processes rather than focusing on the tiny elements of consciousness Functionalism also emphasized individual differences, which had a profound impact on education.

PSYCHOLOGY’S ROOTS THINKING ABOUT THE MIND’S FUNCTION �William James �Functionalism �Mary Calkins �Margaret Floy Washburn �Experimental psychology

WILLIAM JAMES (1842 – 1910) �Published Psychology’s first textbook �The Principles of Psychology (1890) Analysis Introspection Experiment Comparison

STRUCTURALISM VS FUNCTIONALISM How would each study this situation?

PSYCHOLOGY’S 3 BIG ISSUES Nature vs Nurture 1. controversy over genes and experience make to psychological traits and behaviors Stability vs Change 2. individual traits change over time/situations? Rationality vs Irrationality 3. free will or at the mercy of the unconscious?

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE DEVELOPS � Wundt and Titchener: focused on inner sensations, images and feelings � James: introspection analysis of consciousness and emotion � Freud: emphasized the ways emotional responses to childhood experiences and our unconscious thought processes affect our behavior “Science of mental life” – through the 1920’s

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE DEVELOPS 1920’s – 1960’s �Behaviorism �John B. Watson �B. F. Skinner �“study of observable behavior” “You can not observe a sensation, a feeling, or a thought, but you can observe and record people’s behavior as they respond to different situations”

PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE DEVELOPS 1960’s �Humanistic Psychology �Carl Rogers �Abraham Maslow �Cognitive Neuroscience

WHAT IS PSYCHOLGY? Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes � Scientific? � Not just common sense or guesses Psychology uses the scientific method Scientific Method: careful observations and the experimental testing of hypothesis � � � Behavior – what people do on the outside Mental Processes – Thinking - we call this cognition. Psychology includes the study of both humans and animals

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? � Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes � It is the study of WHY. � Why do humans do the things they do? � “Cause we’re crazy” � Please delete this word from your everyday usage. It means nothing.

CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGY’S BIGGEST QUESTION �Nature – Nurture Issue �Biology versus experience �Charles Darwin �Natural Selection Nurture works on what nature endows.

PSYCHOLOGY’S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS �Levels of Analysis �Biological �Psychosocial �Social-cultural �Biopsychosocial Approach

PSYCHOLOGY’S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

PSYCHOLOGY’S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

PSYCHOLOGY’S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

PSYCHOLOGY’S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

We are here Approaches to Psychology Careers Growth of Psychology The Science of Psychology Ethics Research Statistics Methods Sampling Descriptive Correlation Naturalistic Observation Case Study Survey Experiment Descriptive Central Tendency Variance Inferential

WHAT ARE APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY? Approaches are lenses through which to explain human behavior Biological Evolutionary Behaviorism Cognitive Psychodynamic Humanism Social-cultural

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY � This approach to explaining human behavior and mental processes focuses on biological mechanisms and structures. It looks to such things as the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, drugs (both legal and illegal), and genetics.

Biological Psychology is Observable Here is a view of how massive cell loss changes the whole brain in advanced Alzheimer's disease.

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY � Explains human behavior by looking at what made us most likely to survive/reproduce Language – How did communication make us more likely to survive? Altruism – Why are we nice to each other if this is just about survival of the fittest? Sexual attraction – Is there a reason certain aspects of a person are considered ‘attractive’ Why not sexy elbows?

Why do we find blue eyes attractive?

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

PERSPECTIVE: PSYCHODYNAMIC � How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts � Analysis of personality traits and disorders in terms of sexual and aggressive drives as the disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas � Unresolved complexes hidden within ones unconscious (Oedipus and Electra, potty training) � ID, EGO, SUPEREGO � Unconscious of why we do what we do � Treatment? ? ?

ID, EGO, SUPEREGO �id = pleasure principle �ego = reality principle �superego = conscience (inhibitions and moral values) �Battleground id, ego, superego

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

PERSPECTIVE: BEHAVIORAL (LEARNING) � How observable responses are acquired and changed � How we learn to fear particular objects or situations � How we most effectively alter our behavior, say, to lose weight or stop smoking � Reinforcements and Punishments � How has ones environment shaped who they are � Personal experiences and reinforcement guide individual development � Skinner box, Pavlov’s dog, Little Albert � Treatment? ? ?

BEHAVIORISM � This approach only studies observable human BEHAVIOR. It focuses on how we: LEARN (or are conditioned) React to our environment � Since you can not observe the mind, behaviorists see it as a BLACK BOX. Can’t see it? Don’t study it. � Big names Pavlov – Dogs Watson – Little Albert Skinner – Operant Conditioning

� http: //www. youtube. com /watch? v=Xt 0 ucx. Or. PQE � http: //www. youtube. com /watch? v=D-RS 80 DVvrg � http: //www. youtube. com /watch? v=hhqumfpxuz. I � http: //www. youtube. com /watch? v=qy_m. IEnnl. F 4 � Classical Conditioning � Operant Conditioning � Observational Learning � Little Albert � Skinner’s Box – Operant Conditioning � Pavlov’s Dog – Classical Conditioning

This is odd behavior, right? ent? m h s i n oid Pu Av Re w ard Would you do it?

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY �Gestalt is a German word that means “the whole” �This approach to psychology looks at how your perceptions of the word come together to form you whole perception. �This perception is often greater than the sum of its parts.

GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY � School of psychology that studies mental processes Thinking, feeling, remembering, making decisions/judgments and language Studies how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information. � Studies behavior and makes inferences about the mental processes behind the behavior � Thanks to new technologies like CAT scans, MRIs and f. MRIs, we can open the black box. �

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

PERSPECTIVE: HUMANISTIC � School of psychology that emphasizes the means of realizing one’s full human potential � Importance of love, belonging, human potential, and self-esteem. � Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers � Not mainstream, more a cultural and spiritual movement.

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES/PERSPECTIVES

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY � Study of how people influence � Topics include: First impressions Interpersonal attraction Attitude formation Prejudice Behavior in a group Obedience to Authority � Some applications include: Support groups Family Therapy Sensitivity Training one another

Approaches Growth of Psych to Psych We are here Careers The Science of Psychology Ethics Research Statistics Methods Sampling Descriptive Correlation Naturalistic Observation Case Study Survey Experiment Descriptive Central Tendency Variance Inferential

CLINICAL VS COUNSELING � About 50% of all Psychologists � Counseling psychologists deal with “normal” problems, such as stress caused by career change or marital problems � Counseling psychologist’s focus more on the psychologically healthy individual where clinical focuses on individuals with serious mental illness (e. g. schizophrenia). � Clinical psychologists are concerned with diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders � Split time between treatment and researching the cause of psychological disorders and the effectiveness of different types of psychotherapy and counseling. � Career options include: Licensed social workers Counseling psychologists Clinical psychologists Psychiatrists Psychoanalysts

DEVELOPMENTAL �Study of physical and mental growth from birth to old age �study of changing abilities from womb to tomb �Subfields Child psychology Adolescent psychology Life-span psychology

EDUCATIONAL �School Psychologist �Psychological evaluations �Consult with school personnel in relation to students’ learning, behavior, and environments �They are trained to look at the effectiveness of academic programs, classroom agendas, and treatment interventions, which assists in the development of specific interventions.

EXPERIMENTAL �Design research experiments �May or may not have a direct impact the treatment of patients �Animal subjects �Drug trials on

HUMAN FACTORS � The science of understanding the properties of human capability (Human Factors Science). � The application of this understanding to the design, development and deployment of systems and services (Human Factors Engineering). � The art of ensuring successful application of Human Factors Engineering to a program (sometimes referred to as Human Factors Integration). It can also be called ergonomics.

INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONAL �Study of psychological principles in industry and business �Examples Selecting and training personnel Productivity improvement Optimizing working conditions Managing the impact of automation on workers

PERSONALITY � looks at the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that make a person unique. � Study of how people differ from one another on traits such as Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism Openness Extraversion � Administer personality tests such as the MMPI or the Myers Briggs

PSYCHOMETRIC �the field of psychology concerned with theory and technique of psychological measurement. �Create psychological tests that are reliable and valid.

PSYCHOLOGY’S SUBFIELDS �Psychometrics �Basic Research �Developmental psychology �Educational psychology �Personality psychology �Social psychology

PSYCHOLOGY’S SUBFIELDS �Applied Research �Industrial/organizational psychology �Human factors psychology �Counseling psychology �Clinical psychology �Psychiatry