psychology
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PsychologyPhilosophical and Historical Roots
Definition
OPsychology is the study of behavior and mental processes
OPsyche = soul + Logos = the study of
When Did the Study of Psychology Begin?
O Relatively new; 1870s O Humans have been asking questions that
relate to the study of psychology since the beginning of civilizationO 6000-5000 BC: Assyrians described their
dreams O 500 BC: Confucius discussed the power of an
educated mind O 500 BC: Buddha asked how sensation and
perceptions combine to make ideas
Philosophy and Physical Sciences
O Psychology has its roots in philosophy and the physical sciences
O Philosophy and psychology are both interested inO The nature of the selfO Effects of early experienceO Free willO Origin of Knowledge O How biological and environmental factors
result in behaviorO Physical science – interested in knowledge of
the brain and nervous system
Philosophical Roots O What was the relationship between the body
and mind?O Dualists – body and mind are different and
separateO Monists – mind and body are not separate
O Was knowledge inborn or a result of experience?
Ancient Greek Philosophers
O Socrates O Mind is separate from the body and continues
on after death O Plato’s Three Part Mind
O Reason, Spirit, and Appetite must be in balanceO Similar to a team of horses (spirit and appetite)
guiding a driver (reason)O Believed in monism
O Aristotle O Believed all knowledge is gained through
sensory experience (not preexisting)O Importance of careful observation
René Descartes (1595-1650)
O Dualist O Believed the brain had
cavities containing “animal spirits” that flowed through hollow nerves to the muscles to cause movement
O Also thought memories formed pores in the brain into which the animal spirits flowed
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
O Observed that the human mind tends to perceive patterns in random events
O Also noticed that humans tend to notice and remember events that confirm their beliefs
John Locke (1632-1704)
O The mind was a blank slate (tabula rasa) that was filled with ideas gained through experience
O One of the founders of modern empiricism: knowledge is a result of experience and science should rely on experimentation and observation as a result
Physical Sciences O 7,000 years ago healers drilled holes into a
person’s skull to relieve them of conditions like headaches or hallucinations O Understanding that the brain was important
for mental lifeO Egyptians understood that paralysis was due
to brain damage that was permanent O 500 BC Greek physicians dissected bodies
and saw the connection between the sense organs and the brain; Also noticed the brain’s connection to emotional problems
Greek Theory of Personality
O Personality was a result of the amounts of four different body fluids: yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegmO Treatment resulted in “bleeding” to
change the amount of the body fluids
17th and 18th Century Developments
O New technology (like the microscope) resulted in new discoveries about the body and mind
O Phrenology (1796): Measuring of the brain O Size of certain areas of the skull (and thus,
brain) meant something
The Birth of PsychologyWilhelm Wundt
O Conducted the first recorded psychological experiment at the University of Leipzig in 1879 (Germany)
O Studied reaction timesO How quickly after
hearing a ball drop could a person strike a telegraph key?
Edward Titchener O Student of Wundt
O Wanted to find the structural elements of the mind O Established the theory of structuralism
O Mind could be broken down into the smallest elements of experience
O Asked participants to use introspection (self-reflection) by training them to report elements of their experience as they experienced different sensations O Looking at a rose O Listening to a metronomeO Smelling somethingO Tasting something
O Introspection proved to be unreliable;Fell out of favor in the world of psychology
FunctionalismO School of thought proposed by William JamesO Influenced by Charles Darwin and natural
selectionO Functionalism
O Behavior was purposeful because it led to survivalO How do our mental and behavioral processes
function? O How do they enable us to adapt, survive, and
flourish?O Offered a psychology course at Harvard O Wrote the first psychology textbook – Principles
of Psychology (1890)O Today’s study of psychology is based in
functionalism
Gestalt Psychology O Founded by a group of German psychologists
who rejected structuralism (early 20th century)O Gestalt = form or wholeO Thought that breaking perception into its
building blocks resulted in the loss of psychological information
O Also interested in learning, memory, motivation, group dynamics, and perception
O Today it is no longer a distinct school of thought
Psychoanalysis O Sigmund Freud - Austrian physicianO Views dominated psychology for the first half of
the 20th century O Believed that actions were a result of
unconscious drives and conflicts O Humans are not always aware of the roots of their
behaviorO Came up with theories regarding: human
sexuality, dream analysis, roots of abnormal behavior, personality, treatment of disorders
O Did not use experimentation; Relied on introspection; Studied unhealthy people
O Modern day version of psychoanalysis = psychodynamic perspective
Behaviorism O From the early 1900s until the 1960s, behaviorism
became another dominant force in psychology O Behaviorism – study and careful measurement of
observable behaviorO Pioneers:
O Ivan Pavlov: Salivating dogs and classical conditioningO Learning by association
O John B. Watson: Believed all phenomena was the result of conditioning; Strong supporter of the blank slate theory
O B.F. Skinner: Behavior is related to rewards and punishment
O Still a dominant perspective in psychology today
Cognitive PsychologyO Challenged the two major forces in psychology in
the mid-20th century (psychoanalysis and behaviorism)
O Studied the information that behaviorists avoided – internal mental processes O Thinking, feeling, learning, remembering, states of
consciousness O One reason for the shift were new research methodsO Believed internal processes could and should be
studied O We can make inferences about the cognitive
processes that underlie behaviorO Still a major force in psychology today
Contemporary PsychO Psychologists approach the study from
different approaches/perspectives/schools of thought
O Most psychologists do not strictly adhere to one perspective or anotherO Acknowledge the importance of multiple
perspectives in examining behavior and mental processes
O Perspectives are helpful for examining psychological phenomena from one particular angle
Historical Schools of Thought Still Adhered ToO BehaviorismO Cognitive PsychologyO Psychodynamic Theory
O Expanded and revised version of Freud’s ideas
Humanistic Psychology O Approach that sees humans as inherently
good and motivated to learn and improve O Emphasize human potential, love,
belonging, self-esteem, and self-expressionO Importance of self-actualization
O Fulfilling of one’s potentialO Focus on mental well being, rather than on
mental illness O Abraham MaslowO Forerunner of positive psychology
O Focuses on positive experiences, self-determination, relationship between positive emotions and physical health, and the factors that allow humans and societies to flourish
Abraham Maslow
Social-Cultural Psychology
O Describes the effects of social environment and culture on the behavior of others
O How would memory be affected by the presence of others?
O How would the tendency to help be affected by one’s culture?
Biological PsychologyO Also referred to as behavioral
neuroscience O Focuses on the relationships
between the mind and behavior and their underlying biological processes O Genetics, anatomy, biochemistry,
physiologyO How is memory affected by brain
chemicals or hormones?
Evolutionary Psychology
O Concerned with the evolutionary origins of behaviors and mental processes, their adaptive value, and the purposes they continue to serve
O Food aversion
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