Unit One:Introduction to

Psychology and Its

Careers!Friday, September 5th

Our Goals For Today

I can distinguish between behaviors and mental processes

I can state AND use the goals of psychology by applying them to the real world

When you leave class today I want every single person to be able to say the following:

What is Psychology? Psychology is the study of BEHAVIOR

and MENTAL processes.

Behavior: Any ACTION that can be MEASURED or OBSERVED

Behavior can always be measured by OBSERVATION or using TECHNOLOGY

Examples

:

TALKINGLAUGHING

HEART BEAT BLOOD PRESSURE

Mental Processes (or Cognitive Activities) – these are PRIVATE activities that CANNOT be observed by anyone else.

Examples: DREAMING, THINKING, FEELING, EMOTION

Notice the difference…we can see change in blood pressure using technology, but we CANNOT see explicit dreams

Why Study Psychology?

The goals of psychology are to observe describe explain predict control behavior

(WHAT is happening, WHY is it happening, and HOW can we use that to help us.)

Ms. Hartley’s Example

Observe: MS. HARTLEY IS IN A BAD MOOD TODAY

Describe: Explain: Predict: Control:

My Thoughts… Describe: SHE IS SWEATING AND SEEMS

IRRITATED. SHE IS NOT SMILING MUCH Explain: WE DON’T KNOW HER VERY

WELL YET BUT ALL OF HER BEHAVIORS SHOW THAT SHE IS NOT HAVING A GOOD DAY

continued… Predict: IF THE TEMPERATURE STAYS THIS

HOT, MS. HARTLEY’S MOOD WILL NOT GET ANY BETTER. IF IT COOLS DOWN SHE WILL BE MUCH HAPPIER

Control: IF WE BUY MS. HARTLEY A SWEET AC UNIT HER MOOD MIGHT CHANGE. MAYBE IF WE BRING HER COLD WATER THAT WILL HELP CHANGE HER MOOD AS WELL

(NOTE: PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE NOT HYPNOTISTS, NOT TRYING TO CONTROL EVERYONE’S BEHAVIOR, JUST

TRYING TO GET A POSITIVE OUTCOME)

Now your turn!On the sheet I hand out, you will be applying these five goals of psychology to your own lives. You can write fictional or non fictional situations…it is up to you! The most creative situation will have its 15 minutes of fame Monday!

Goals For Today: I can state what a theory is and how

they relate to psychology I can describe multiple careers in the

field of psychology AND give examples of when someone would benefit seeing them

Most creative situations that utilized the goals of psychology

Pop Quiz!!!Flip your notes upside down for a minute…

Psychology is the study of ______________________ and ___________________________

How Do We Study Psychology?

Psychology is a SOCIAL SCIENCE, just like history, anthropology, SOCIOLOGY, ECONOMICS, ANTHROPOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE, and PHILOSOPHY, to name a few.As with any type of science, psychologists form THEORIES and conduct EXPERIMENTS to test them out.

As with any type of science, psychologists form

THEORIES and conduct EXPERIMENTS to test them

out.

Theory – an ATTEMPT to EXPLAIN why something happens.

A good theory will also accurately PREDICT future behavior.

Example: AS TEMPERATURE INCREASES, THE

NUMBER OF MURDERS INCREASES

NOT ALWAYS TRUE!

Theories are NOT ALWAYS true. Example: FLAT EARTH THEORY, THE

EARTH IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, HEAVIER OBJECTS FALL FASTER THAN LIGHTER OBJECTS

What Do Psychologists Do? What Psychological Careers Are There?

Clinical Psychologists MOST COMMON type of psychologist Help clients with PROBLEMS such as

ANXIETY and DEPRESSION, or, in extreme cases, conditions like SCHIZOPHRENIA

Evaluate clients using INTERVIEWS and psychological TESTS

Work in HOSPITALS, PRISONS, and PRIVATE PRACTICES

Clinical psychologists are NOT PSYCHIATRISTS!

When would you see a clinical psychologist?

I have been feeling very down lately and I am not sure why. I have tried to go to social gatherings with my friends to cheer up but I get so anxious that I have to make up an excuse and go home.

School Psychologists

Work in schools to help EVALUATE students with DISABILITIES

CONSULT with parents and teachers to improve students’ welfare

When would you see a school psychologist?

I cannot seem to focus in class no matter how hard I try. I have tried sitting away from my friends and I have even come to school early to ask my teachers questions. No matter what I do I cannot focus!

Social Psychologists

Observe how behavior CHANGES when people are put in DIFFERENT social situations.

Topics for study include: AGGRESSION, CULTS, GANGS, and ATTRACTION

Stanford Prison Experiment

Experimental Psychologists

Carry out RESEARCH for major UNIVERSITIES and ORGANIZATIONS

This is the group of psychologists that truly embraces the SCIENTIFIC part of psychology

Experimental psychologists would usually fall into another category of psychologist, as well (for example, an experimental social psychologist would conduct experiments about how other people behave in specific social settings)

My personal experience with experimental psychologist While studying psychology at Michigan

State I was required to participate in experiments.

I could sign up for experiments that sounded interesting to me, that worked with my schedule, or that paid money (I was the true definition of a ‘broke college student’)

Experiments were conducted by professors and graduate students

One experiment I remember vividly Sat in hallway until they called my name

(they called me right when I got there) Took me to a room with a conference

table(had 8 seats total) and 4 seats with coats on them

Told me the other 4 people were already doing the experiment across the hall so to take a seat and wait for further instruction

After I sat down they came back into the room and told me that I was done and could go home

“Wait, did I do something wrong?!” “I know I am on time!”

Facilitator told me that they were observing through a one way mirror to see if I sat directly next to a seat with a coat on it

Of course I did not…. So, what do you think this told them

about me? People in general? Do you think if I grew up in a different culture I would have sat next to someone?

Forensic Psychologists

Psychologically PROFILE criminal behavior

Serve as expert WITNESS in trials Testify to determine if suspects are

INSANE Forensic psychologists are part of the

JUSTICE SYSTEM

Every U.S citizen has the legal rights to a fair trial. This means that a forensic psychologist needs to determine if they were legally sane before and during the time of their crimes

James Eagen Holmes

Sports Psychologists Use psychological concepts to help

athletes deal with issues like PRESSURE and ANXIETY

Ron Artest of LA Lakers Admits to working with a sports psychologist!

Here is the article from the American Psychological Association APA

Other Types of Psychologists Developmental – CHANGES OVER THE LIFESPAN Behavioral – REWARD AND PUNISHMENT,

CONDITIONING Cognitive – BRAIN AND THINKING Industrial/Organizational – IMPROVING

WORKPLACE Consumer – SHOPPING, COMMERCIALS Health – EATING DISORDERS, OBESITY, DIET

FADS Educational – HOW PEOPLE LEARN Counseling – DEAL WITH MORE EVERYDAY

PROBLEMS THAN CLINICAL

Is There A Psychology Career For You? On a half sheet of paper, answer… Which careers we talked about today

interest you the most? Describe what they do Why did they interest you? Are they a psychologist you could see

talking to one day to help you in your own life?

Is it a potential career for you in the future?

Goals For Today: I can state which psychologist would

benefit people in certain situations I can decide (or begin to decide)

whether college is worth it or not

Take 5 minutesRead over your notes, paying attention to the different types of psychologists. Hopefully you wrote down great examples….

Now Put Your Notes Away…On your own, read each scenario and match them with the psychologist that person should see for help

Is College Worth It? Some say that college is worth the

financial burden

Others say that they can be successful without a degree and have a career that not only makes them happy but supports their family as well

Lets Say College IS WORTH IT

"Going to college and getting a bachelor's degree is important, but the major that you take is more important than that"

"You want your child to pursue their dreams, but at some point they've got to wake up and make a living. It's good to know when you're dreaming and when it's real”

Michael Murrey

"None of the average 40-year careers don't pay back the college expense, plus a few hundred thousand dollars,”

found a 300 percent difference between the average salary of the highest-earning petroleum engineers and the lowest-earning high school guidance counselors

Here is the list in descending order of earnings -- from highest to lowest 1. Engineering 2. Computers and

Mathematics 3. Business 4. Health 5. Physical Sciences 6. Social Science 7. Agriculture and

Natural Resources 8. Communications and

Journalism

9. Industrial Arts and Consumer Services

10. Law and Public Policy 11. Biology and Life

Science 12. Humanities and

Liberal Arts 13. Arts 14. Education 15. Psychology and

Social Work

Now Lets Say College IS NOT WORTH IT “Education isn’t a four-year program” “It’s a mind-set” Bill Gates dropped out of college. So did

Michael Dell. So did Mr. Zuckerberg, who made the Forbes billionaires list at 23

“College puts a lot of constraints, a lot of limitations around what you can and can’t do.” “Some people, they want to stretch their arms, get out and create more, do more.”

Alex Williams

“College is training for managerial work, and the economy doesn’t need that many managers,”

“Experience has proved to be a far better teacher in my life than any book, classroom or educator”

It is not an easy decision for students whose future is on the line