#1 Warm UP: What is Psychology?

What is your definition?How would you define it? Write it out.

Then we will share it & improve the definition.

What is Psychology

?Psyche – meaning the soulLogos – referring to the study of a subject“The study of the mind.”

Has a foundation in philosophy & physiology

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of the behavior of individuals & their mental processes.

UNIT 1 - History/Evolution of Psychology

The Evolution of Psychology

From Speculation to Science:

How Psychology Developed

Psychology Today: Vigorous & Diversified

Why do I like the people, food, or music that I like?Or, why do I NOT like certain things or have an irrational fear of certain things, like spiders, heights, or public speaking?Why do I feel a sudden boost in mood when my favorite song comes on the radio?Why did I cheat on my test…

my diet, my boyfriend or my girlfriend?Why do I get so tired or maybe bored in a certain class?

(of course not in psychology though)

Have you ever wondere

d…

Or… Have you ever wondered?

Are first-born children more driven to achieve?

Only children? The middle child?

Does handwriting offer any clues to my personality?

Do my dreams really mean anything?

Does hypnosis really work?

Why my family or my relationships look so dysfunctional at times and what to do about it?

What is Psychology?

• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes– Mental processes: Internal, subjective experiences we infer from

behavior• Examples: thoughts, dreams, perceptions, sensations, beliefs or feelings

– Behavior: Anything an organism does. Behavior is observable• Examples: smiling, yelling blinking, sweating talking

• Goals of Psychology– Observe– Describe– Predict– Control/Influence

• Basic • Applied

How does Psychology relate to Science?

• Psychology is a social science, but still a SCIENCE– Psychologists use the scientific method– Scientific Method: Process of gaining knowledge

by identifying problems, forming hypothesis, and then testing hypothesis with observation, experimentation and analysis

Why Study Psychology?

• Application to everyday life• Gain insight into behavior (yours and others)

Big Issues in Psychology

Stability vs. ChangeRationality vs. IrrationalityNature vs. Nurture

Stability vs. Change

Do we change over time in distinct and universal stages or do we basically remain the same drooling, slobbering, simple beings of our beginnings?

Do these things change? Personality traits, sense of humor, tastes, etc…

Can a shy child become the teenage class clown?Do we become adults or are we always just big kids?Do our personalities change in different situations?

Rationality vs. Irrationality

Are we wise or not? Why do we do things that are bad for us when we know they are bad?We screw up, we make mistakes, and we lose sight of good judgmentBut, we often don’t change behavior, we don’t seem rational

Nature vs. Nurture

Am I the way I am because I was born that way or because of my surroundings?

Biology (genes) vs. Experience

Can I ever be like these people, or does nature give me limitations?

History of Psychology• Although the science of psychology started in the

late 1800’s, the concept has been around a lot longer.

• There was evidence of trephination (cutting holes into a skull to let evil spirits out) back in the stone age.

It was like a bad SAW movie!!!!

Psychology hopes to predict & control human behavior.

But, it does so within different approaches. There is not a single agreed upon method.

Pre-Scientific Psychology

How are ideas formed?

Some Ideas are Inborn:Socrates & Plato

The Mind is a Blank Slate:Aristotle & Locke

What are the Origins of Psychology?• Greek Philosophers– Socrates and Plato first conceive the mind as

separate and distinct from the body• Enlightenment Philosophers– Rene Descartes: early ideas of the nervous system

and natural instincts in the physical world.– John Locke develops Blank Slate Theory: men are

shaped by experience, not predisposition– Locke and Francis Bacon came up with

empiricism• Empiricism: idea that knowledge and science should

rely on observation and experimentation

YouTube: Psych 101 -- Modern Roots of Psychology

History of Psychology

Phrenology – Examining bumps on the skull to determine intellect and character traits (19th century)

Past attempts at understanding human behavior (weird or not) have led to what we know today and shaped the current Approaches to Psychology

STOP

Waves of Psychology

• The science of psychology has gone through waves since it started.

• Waves are different ways of thinking over time.

Structuralism & IntrospectionKickin’ it old school

•Started with William Wundt’s first psychological laboratory and his concept of introspection (structuralism). (1832-1920) **Father of Psychology

Structuralism: Identify the parts that make up consciousness & the mind★ Declared psychology should be a

‘science’ ★ Used empirical methods★ Focus for Wundt – consciousness

(awareness of immediate experience)

★ Wundt: Tremendous following- N. America

These guys were considered hot, back in the day!!!!

Functionalism - “Kickin it old school”

William James (1842-1910) “1st American Psychologist”

Wrote: “The Principles of Psychology” & discussed functionalism.

Criticized Wundt’s ideas for being too narrow.

Influenced by Darwin, interested in understanding how consciousness (like thoughts and feelings) functioned to help people adapt to their environments.

Structuralism vs. FunctionalismStructuralism – task of psychology is to analyze consciousness into its basic elements & how they relate. (Titchener continued Wundt's Work)

Dependent on introspection – careful, systematic self-observation of one’s own conscious experience.

Favored lab experiments

Functionalism – psychology should investigate the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure. (James)Influenced by Charles Darwin’s natural selection – heritable characteristics that provide a survival or reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be “selected” over time.

Favored how people adapt to real world situations

Generally thought that functionalism won out and then spawned the more modern –

Applied Psychology & Behaviorism

Edward Titchener

William James

Examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective.

Seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations – that is, the functional products of natural selection or sexual selection.

Argue that much of human behavior is the output of psychological adaptations that evolved to solve recurrent problems in human ancestral environments.The adaptationist approach is steadily increasing as an influence in the general field of psychology.

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Evolutionary Psychology

Psych as a Science: Gestalt Psychology

“The whole is greater/different than the sum of its parts.”

Max Wertheimer revolted against Wundt.

(1923) Believed consciousness was best understood by observing the whole experience, rather than breaking it down into a cluster of component elements.We will see much more of this in the next unit when we study Sensation & Perception.

Gestalt Example

When you look at a chair, you don’t see a flat surface and metal bars. You see the chair as a whole.

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Psychoanalysis1st to focus on abnormal behaviors Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)Psychoanalysis

★ Believed all behavior & mental processes are directed by unconscious forces: which we are not fully aware.

★ Problems arise from unresolved conflict in the unconscious mind.

Used Free Association & Dream Analysis to explore the unconscious.

Freud’s ideas were (and still are) controversial, yet have had a great influence on the field of psychology & popular interest.We will see much more of this in when we study Personality soon.

Behaviorism• During this time period (early to mid 1900s), people started to

ignore how you feel inside.

• All that mattered was how you acted.

• If you they could change your behavior, who cares how you feel.

• Very popular during the conservative 1950’s when social appearance mattered more than self expression.

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Behaviorism

John B. Watson (1878-1958) takes the focus on behaviors to another level. Scientific psychology should study only observable behavior. Proposed abandoning the study of consciousness altogetherFocus on Observed behaviors: any overt/observable response or activity by an organism

Watson also shined a light on nature versus nurture

Behaviorists look for stimulus – any detectable input from the environment.Behavior approach is often referred to as (S-R) Stimulus-Response

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) - Championed a return to the Watson strict focus on observable behaviorsOrganisms tend to repeat responses that lead to positive outcomes & they tend not to repeat responses that lead to neutral or negative outcomes.

Working with lab rats & pigeons, he conducted experiments to show how he could control behaviors of the animals. **Trained pigeons to play Ping-Pong!**Wrote Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) – asserted that all behavior is fully governed by external stimuli.People are controlled by their environment, not by themselves. Free Will is an Illusion?

Skinner is often thought to be the most or one of the most influential contributors to psychology. **much more on behaviorism in the chapter on “Learning.”

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Behaviorism

To understand human behavior, the physiological underpinnings must be understood.Neuroscientific Perspective: Cellular, Neuron, Brain & Central Nervous SystemRole of drugs, Use animal models as means to understand human behavior. How are messages relayed throughout the body?

What role do our senses play?

Endocrine system – glands, hormones The Fight or Flight Response is an example.

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Biological Approach

Cognitive Perspective

• Focuses on how we think (or encode information)

• How do we see the world?

• How did we learn to act to sad or happy events?

• Cognitive Therapist attempt to change the way you think.

You meet a girl…Hopes are high!!!

She rejects you…don’t even get digits.

How do you react to the rejection?

Some learned get back on the horseAnd try again.

Some learned to give up and live a lonely life of solitude.

1950s opposition to behaviorism and psychoanalytic theoryHumanism – theoretical orientation that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth.

More optimistic view of human nature.Carl Rogers (1902-1987) & Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

– prominent humanists in psychology

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Humanism

People are goal related & drivenSelf-actualization: someone who has reached his or her own unique potential. (Maslow) Free will & motivation – We are in complete controlIn therapy, attempt to help individuals see the misconceptions they hold in their subjective view of reality. If those views are corrected, the individual will feel better about themselves.

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Humanism

Focuses on the diversity of the human experience

★ Context (developmental)★ Influence of groups (social)★ Applied aspect (forensic psychology)

Human behavior does not occur in a vacuum & groups, cultures, and situations all have impact on human behavior.

Behavior can be predicted by the presence or absence of another person.

Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Socio-Cultural

YouTube: Schallhorn on Psychology Approaches

Growth of PsychologyThe Wars of the 20th Century (WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, etc.) created a huge demand for mental testing of military recruits.1950s & 60s saw advances in study of cognition led to renewal of interest in mental processes.1980s saw a growth in cultural factors influencing behavior. Trend sparked by growing global interdependence & cultural diversity.1990s witnessed emergence of new theoretical perspective called evolutionary psychology. Patterns of behavior are the product of evolutionary forces & natural selection favors behaviors that enhance reproductive success.2000s saw the emergence of “Positive Psychology” the study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals & communities to thrive. It is the psychology of positive human functioning, which achieves scientific understanding to find a fulfilling life.

Psychology Today: Vigorous & Diversified

Psychology – the science that studies behavior & the physiological & cognitive processes that underlie it.It is the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems.Contemporary psychology is multifaceted & spread throughout mainstream society that has seen rapid growth.

The “OUTRAGEOUS CELEBRITY” Project

Approaches to Psychology Group Skit

• Each group will be assigned one of the approaches we discussed.

• You groups will need to develop a skit to demonstrate the approach.

**You can read more about each approach in the textbook!!

**Everyone in the group must be involved in the skit!