Psych Immersions?
(Connections to something else in
psychology, another text, or your world.)
Critical questions
from the reading?
What is Psychology? Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental
processes Scientific?
Not just common sense or guesses Psychology uses the scientific method Scientific Method is careful observations and the experimental
testing of hypothesis Behavior – what people do on the outside Mental Processes – What is going on inside someone's
head. We call this cognition. Psychology includes the study of both humans and
animals
Approaches to the field of Psychology
1. Biological/Neuroscience
2. Evolutionary
3. Behavioral
4. Cognitive
5. Psychodynamic
6. Humanistic
7. Social
AP Psych Metamap (keep this in the front of your binder)
Psychology It is a Science
Biological Approach
Evolutionary Approach
Behavioral Approach
Social Approach
Psychodynamic Approach
Cognitive Approach
1. Biological/Neuroscience
Psychology Investigates the biological basis of human behavior, thoughts and emotions. Looks at how the following biological mechanisms effect your behavior and mental processes.BrainNeurotransmittersHormonesDrugs (both legal and illegal)Gender differences in brain structure and
function
2. Evolutionary Psychology Asks the question: How did our species get to be the
way we are?Language – Why do we talk?Altruism – Why are we nice to each other?Sexual attraction / mate selection – Why are some people
considered beautiful? Answers these questions by looking at what would
most help us pass on our genetic code. Very concerned with reproduction!
Contemporary Psychology’s Big Debate Nature v. Nurture
Darwin - nature selects traits that best enable organism to survive & reproduce in a
particular environment.
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3. Behavioral
This approach only studies observable human behavior focusing on how we learn, react and manipulate our environment.
We learn observable responses through conditioning or by trying to get rewards/avoid punishments.
Mind is a BLACK BOX. Can’t see it? Don’t study it. Big names
Pavlov – Dogs Watson – Little Albert Skinner – Operant Conditioning
4. Cognitive Psychology
School of psychology that studies mental processesThinking, feeling, remembering, making
decisions and judgments 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 fMRIs, we can open the black box.
5. Psychodynamic Psychology
Personality theory that says behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts
Unconscious is a dynamic cauldron of primitive drives, forbidden desires and nameless fears
Psychoanalysis – patient lies on a couch and recounts dreams and conducts free association.
Sigmund Freud
6. Humanistic Psychology School of psychology that emphasizes
nonverbal experiences and altered states of consciousness as a means of realizing one’s full human potential
Importance of love, belonging, human potential, and self-esteem.
Abraham Maslow Not mainstream, more a cultural and
spiritual movement.
7. Sociocultural Psychology
Study of how people influence one another Topics include:
First impressionsInterpersonal attractionAttitude formationPrejudiceBehavior in a groupObedience to Authority
Some Applications include:Support groupsFamily TherapySensitivity Training
Careers in Psychology
1. Clinical and counseling
2. developmental
3. educational
4. experimental
5. industrial–organizational
6. personality
7. psychometric
1. Clinical and Counseling Psychology 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.
2. Developmental Psychology Study of physical and mental growth
from birth to old age study of changing abilities from womb to
tomb Subfields
Child psychologyAdolescent psychologyLife-span psychology
3. Educational Psychology
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.
4. Experimental Psychology Design research experiments May or may not have a direct impact on the
treatment of patients Animal subjects Drug trials
6. Industrial and Organizational Psychology Study of psychological principles in
industry and business Examples
Selecting and training personnelProductivity improvementOptimizing working conditionsManaging the impact of automation on
workers
7. Personality Psychology Study of how people differ from one
another on traits such asConscientiousnessAgreeablenessNeuroticismOpennessExtraversion
Psychiatry
A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders
Practiced by physicians who sometimes use medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychotherapy
Licenses in Psychology
Psychologists - Ph.D., Psy.D. Psychiatrists - M.D. Psychoanalysts - M.D. or Ph.D. Social Workers (M.S.W.) - LSW Marriage Family Therapists - M.A.