Why do we care how people act, think and learn?

Can we predict how people act, think and learn?

Major theories and thinkers

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THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

WHY STUDY PSYCHOLOGY• Psychology is a very exciting field of study,

one that attempts to discover how the mind works.

• Be forewarned, however, that this is still a young science, one that is apt to cause more questions than it can provide answers for.

• Nevertheless, psychology remains a ready source of explanations on how people process information and why they act a certain way under given circumstances.

• Psychology pushes us towards greater self-knowledge by making us more aware of our actions and personalities.

Know Yourself

WHY STUDY PSYCHOLOGY• The first though most people think of when they

hear the word psychology is something along the lines of "shrink."

• The reality is that very few psychologists are clinicians, counsellors, or psychiatrists. The American Psychological Association recognizes over 50 subdivisions to psychology.

• The next time you meet a psychologist, don't assume that he or she can solve your problem. Chances are, it is completely out of their range of expertise!

• Also, don't think that he or she is trying to "figure you out" or judge you in any way. That is not the point of psychology. Know Yourself

WHY STUDY PSYCHOLOGY• Psychologists study things you've probably never

even considered. They investigate the different types of disgusts, which visual cues activate what brain areas, why categories of objects have archetypal examples

• Psychologists also focus on things that have probably happened to you or someone you know. – Ever had a word "right on the tip of your mouth"? – Does your cat come running every time it hears the can

opener? – Do some songs make you happy, others sad? – Has a smell ever suddenly reminded you of an event or

place in your past? – Have you ever had a bad day and then taken it out on

your unsuspecting dog? Know Yourself

WHY STUDY PSYCHOLOGY• Psychology also plays an important part in

marketing. The fact that more cereal commercials are shown at night than during the rest of the day is no accident. Sugary foods are often found on low shelves in the supermarket, and there's a good reason for it.

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Know Yourself

IN THE BEGINNING: WHERE IT STARTED• Philosophical interest in the

mind and behavior dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China and India.

• Predating Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung by nearly 1000 years, psychotherapy was performed by Islamic physicians on those with mental illness in psychiatric hospitals built as early as the 8th century in Fez, Morocco Know Yourself

IN THE BEGINNING: WHERE IT STARTED

• Psychology as a self-conscious field of experimental study began in 1879, when Wilhelm Wundt founded the first laboratory dedicated exclusively to psychological research in Leipzig.

• Other important early contributors to the field include Hermann Ebbinghaus(a pioneer in the study of memory), William James(the American father of pragmatism), and Ivan Pavlov(who developed the procedures associated with classical conditioning).

IN THE BEGINNING: WHERE IT STARTED

• Until the middle of the 19th century, psychology was widely regarded as a branch of philosophy.

• For instance, Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) declared in his Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science (1786) that psychology cannot be made into a "proper" science because its phenomena cannot be rendered in mathematical form, among other reasons.

• However, Kant proposed what looks to modern eyes very much like an empirical psychology in his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View(1798). Know Yourself

THE GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGYThere are three main goals in Psychology1. To find an accurate description of human

behaviour– Observing and recording facts in order to understand

what is happening

2. To explain the data that has been collected– Seems straightforward but is complicated by factors

including general belief structure and biases

3. To seek to know the future regarding human behaviour– Where hypothesis comes in, a sophisticated hunch

that a certain response is related in a particular way to some other response or condition

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THE ETERNAL PSYCHOLOGYDEBATESPsychology has always and will always debate the following two points

1. Are human beings a result nature(genetic makeup) or nurture(environments/experiences)?– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AIHC4PNCak&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

2. Are human beings naturally good or naturally evil

Know Yourself

TWINS ARE OFTEN USED TO EXAMINE THE NATURE VS. NURTURE DEBATE

OPTIMISM AND PESSISM: What they say about our beliefs

Psychologists often link optimism with people who think man is generally good and pessimism with people who think man is generally evil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piie7qDUPxg&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh7vTipaW6g&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

OPTIMISM AND PESSISM: What they say about our beliefs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO_3qfJTeG4&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

THE TWO MAIN BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

PROBLEM: Pilots falling asleep in planes at 30,000 feet

• Research Psychologists– Study the origins, causes and/or results of

certain behaviours– ex: study sleep patterns and basic body

rhythms to determine why this happens• Applied Psychologists

– Use such information to deal with people and solve problems directly

– ex: consult with airlines and suggest ways to alter schedules in order to avoid the problem

MAJOR PSYCHOLGY THEORIES• There are six major theories of psychology, some

theories have fallen out of favor, while others remain widely accepted, but all have contributed tremendously to our understanding of human thought and behavior.

• The six theories are:– Behavioural theories– Cognitive theories– Developmental theories– Humanist theories– Personality theories– Social Psychology theories

BEHAVIORAL THEORIES• Behavioral psychology, also

known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning.

• Advocated by famous psychologists such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, behavioral theories dominated psychology during the early half of the twentieth century

COGNITIVE THEORIES

• Cognitive theories of psychology are focused on internal states, such as motivation, problem solving, decision-making, thinking, and attention.

• Piaget's stage theory describes the cognitive development of children. Cognitive development involves changes in cognitive process and abilities. In Piaget's view, early cognitive development involves processes based upon actions and later progresses into changes in mental operations

DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES• Theories of development provide a

framework for thinking about human growth, development, and learning.

• If you have ever wondered about what motivates human thought and behavior, understanding these theories can provide useful insight into individuals and society.

• According to Sigmund Freud , personality is mostly established by the age of five. Early experiences play a large role in personality development and continue to influence behavior later in life.

• Freud's theory of psychosexual development is one of the best known, but also one of the most controversial

HUMANIST THEORIES• Humanistic psychology theories

began to grow in popularity during the 1950s. While earlier theories often focused on abnormal behavior and psychological problems, humanist theories instead emphasized the basic goodness of human beings.

• Some of the major humanist theorists include Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

PERSONALITY THEORIES• Almost everyday we describe and assess

the personalities of the people around us.

• Whether we realize it or not, these daily musings on how and why people behave as they do are similar to what personality psychologists do.

• Personality psychology looks at the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior that make a person unique

• Carl Jung suggested that the psyche was composed of three components: the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY THEORIES• Social psychology is focused on helping us

understand and explain social behavior. • Social theories are generally centered on

specific social phenomena, including group behavior, prosocial behavior, social influence, love and much more.

• According to psychologist Gordon Allport, social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods "to understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings"

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