Module 1: Discovering Psychology

Mr. Kennedy

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Defining Psychology

The systematic, scientific study of behaviors and mental processesBehaviors- observable actions

Eating, speaking, readingMental processes

Thinking, imagining, dreaming, studying

4 Goals of Psychology

1. Describe- the different ways an organism behaves

2. Explain- the cause of the behavior

3. Predict- how organisms will behave in certain situations

4. Control- an organisms behavior

Modern Approaches

Biological Approach Examines how our

genes, hormones, and nervous system interact with environments to influence learning, personality, memory, motivation, emotions, coping techniques, and other traits and abilities.

Modern Approaches

Biological Approach Examples

EEG Cat Scan Pet Scan

Physical reaction to external stimuli.

Human Genome

Modern Approaches

Cognitive Approach Focuses on how we

process store and use information

and how this information influences what we attend to perceive learn remember believe and feel

Cognitive Neuroscience Use of EEG’s, Cat Scans, Pet Scans to view the living brain

during mental tasks http://youtube.com/watch?y=3eZTAAlt3QU&mode=

related&search= EEG equipment, PET scans and MRI machines (youtube.com)

Modern Approaches

Behavioral Approach Analyze how

organisms learn new behaviors or modify existing ones, depending on whether events reward or punish these behaviors

Ivan Pavlov?

Modern Approaches

Psychoanalytic Approach Stresses the influence of

unconscious fears, desires, and motivations on thoughts and behaviors.

The development (first 5 years) of personality traits affected a person’s psychological problems later in life.

Unconscious can cause fear and anxiety

Modern Approaches

Humanistic Approach Emphasizes that each

individual has great freedom in directing his/her future, a large capacity for achieving personal growth, and considerable amounts of intrinsic worth and potential for self-fulfillment.

Modern Approaches

Cross-Cultural Approaches Examines the influence of cultural and ethnic

similarities and differences on psychological and social functioning of a culture’s members

How Did Psychology Begin?

Wilhelm Wundt Father of psychology Established the 1st

psychology laboratoryin Leipzig, Germany

Established the world's first experimental laboratory in psychology, the

Institut fur Experimentelle Psychologie (1879)

Often referred to as the "Father of Experimental

Psychology" the "Founder of Modern

Psychology"

Wilhelm Wundt

Structuralism Study of the most basic

elementsprimarily sensations & perceptions that make up our conscious mental experiences

Introspection Method of exploring

conscious mental processes by asking subjects to look inward and report their sensations & perceptions

William James

Functionalism Study of the functions rather

than the structures of consciousness

Interested in how our minds adapt to changing environments

William James Viewed mental activities

as having

developed through ages of evolution

because of their adaptive functions

Wrote 1st Psych Textbook

Gestalt “whole pattern” Psychologists

Emphasized that perception is more than the sum of its parts

Studied how sensations are assembled into meaningful perceptual experiences

Max Wertheimer

Gestalt “whole pattern” Psychologists

Behaviorism (John B. Watson)

Emphasized the objective, scientific analysis of observable behaviors

John B. Watson Rejected introspection as a psychological

technique because its results could not bescientifically verified by other psychologists

Behaviorism

“Give me a dozen healthy infants… I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select” (Watson, 1924)

Careers in Psychology

Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist A psychologist is someone who has completed 4 or

5 years of postgraduate education and has obtained a Ph.D. in psychology

Some states permit individuals with master’s degrees to call themselves psychologists

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D.) who has spent several years in clinical training, which includes diagnosing possible physical and neurological causes of abnormal behaviors

Careers in Psychology

Careers in Psychology

Careers in Psychology

Areas of Specialization

Social & Personality Social psychology involves the study of social

interactions, stereotypes, prejudices, attitudes, conformity, group behaviors, and aggression

Personality psychology involves the study of personality development, personality change, assessment, and abnormal behaviors

Developmental Examines moral, social, emotional, and cognitive

development throughout a person’s life span Experimental

Includes areas of sensation, perception, learning, human performance, motivation, and emotion

Areas of Specialization

Biological Involves research on the physical & chemical

changes that occur during stress, learning, and emotions

Cognitive Involves how we process, store, and retrieve

information and how cognitive processes influence our behaviors

Psychometrics Focuses on the measurement of people’s abilities,

skills, intelligence, personality, and abnormal behaviors