1 / 44

Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology. History, Application, Methods. What is Psychology. The science of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings)

cleo
Download Presentation

Introduction to Psychology

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Introduction to Psychology History, Application, Methods

  2. What is Psychology • The science of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings) • Psychologists examine how we process information--how we organize, interpret, store, and use it. • APA: American Psychological Association largest organization dedicated to the advancement of Psychology

  3. What do psychologists worry about • Stability vs. Change • How does age affect personality? • How does our personality change within the “stages?” • Rationality vs. Irrationality • Are we really “wise”? • Biology vs. Experience (nature/nurture) • Nature v. Nurture

  4. The Big One: Nature v. Nurture • The question: the relative contribution that genes and experience make to development of psychological traits and behaviors • Notables have said: • Plato-character and intelligence inherited. • John Locke-mind is a “tabula rosa” (blank slate); experience writes • Rene Descartes-ideas are innate • Charles Darwin-natural selection; survival of the fittest Natural selection: principle that those inherited trait variations contributing to survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

  5. View Point

  6. Levels of Analysis

  7. Types of Psychologists • Clinical: work in clinics, hospitals, private practices treating disorders • School: work for school districts to treat mild disorders • Counselors: Talk therapy for everyday problems • Psychiatrist: Medical doctor who specializes in disorders uses psychotherapy and drugs for treatment

  8. Types Continued • Sports/Performance: Work for sports teams to maximize performance and minimize anxiety • Forensic: Study criminal behavior and/or testify in court regarding defendant sanity • Industrial/Organizational: Work for large organizations to maximize employee output and profit

  9. Schools of Psychology Historical Development

  10. Ancient History • Stone Age • Trephination: carving holes in the skull to release evil spirits • Greeks • Socrates and Plato concluded that mind is separate from the body and knowledge is innate • Plato and Democritus: Relationship between thought and behavior • Aristotle: Observation/data based and knowledge is aquired

  11. Pre-Scientific Psychology • Who • Rene Descartes (1596-1650)—Pre-Science • John Locke (1632-1704)—Science • What did they ask • Is the mind connected to the body or distinct? • Descartes: mind distinct • Are ideas inborn or is the mind a blank slate filled by experience? • Descartes: inborn • Locke: filled

  12. HistoricalContemporary Debates

  13. The Birth of Psychological Science • Francis Bacon (1561-1626) • Natural Sciences and revolutionary in Scientific Philosophy • Empiricism • Knowledge comes from experience via the senses • Science flourishes through observation and experiment • Phrenology • Study of personality based on head bumps

  14. Fathers of Psychology • Hermann von Helmholtz • Physicist • Conducted simple experiments on perception and the nervous system • First to measure the speed of a nerve impulse. • William Wundt(1879 Leipzig, Germany) • Founded the first formal laboratory devoted to experimental psychology • Founder of structuralism, • Utilized introspection

  15. Fathers of Psychology • Herman Ebbinghaus • 1885 published classic studies on memory • G. Stanley Hall • First psychology laboratory in US (1883) at John Hopkins Univ • First American Psychology Journal (1887) • First president of American Psychological Association (1892)

  16. Fathers (and Mothers) of Psychology • Margaret Floy Washburn: First woman to receive PhD in Psychology (1894) • Francis Cecil Sumner: First African-American PhD in psychology • Mary Whiton Calkins: First woman elected president of APA, 1905

  17. Growth of Psychology Figure 1- British Psychological Society membership

  18. Schools of Psychology

  19. Structuralism • Edward Titchener(Cornell University) • Student of Wundt • Emphasized the “what” of mental illness rather than “why” or “how” of thinking • Founder of structuralism • Founder of experimental psychology

  20. Structuralism • Uses introspection: the systematic examination by individuals of their own thoughts and feelings about specific sensory experiences. • Emphasized the structure of the mind and behavior. • Opposition • Reduced all complex human experience to sensations • Studied only verbal reports of human conscious awareness • Sought to combine parts into a whole rather than study complex behaviors directly.

  21. Functionalism • Major opponent to structuralism • Primary importance to learned habits that allow organisms to adapt to their environment and to function effectively • “What is the function or purpose of any behavioral act?”

  22. Famous Functionalists • William James • John Dewey • Pragmatist • Progressive education • Mary Calkins • Student of William James • Denied Harvard PhD • Posthumously awarded the degree • Memory research and President of the APA • Margaret FloyWashburn • First female PhD in psych • Second female President of the APA (1921) • The Animal Mind

  23. William James • Mind has an ongoing relationship with our environment (perhaps a product) • Influenced by Darwin • Influence for behaviorists • Consciousness cannot be studied • Published “Principles of Psychology” 1890

  24. Behaviorism • Emphasizes the study of objectively observable behavior rather than inner mental experiences. • Emphasizes the role of environment as the cause of behavior • From our environment, we learn to do certain behaviors and learn not to do others. Sometimes called learning theory. • Rewards and punishment

  25. Nail Biting • When nervous I bite my nails • Behaviorist: Let’s learn how to stop biting your nails • Not let’s learn on how to calm down

  26. Learning • If we study aggressive behavior in adults: • We might conclude that extra attention given to a child’s classmates or siblings. • Behaviorismthatchildren from physically abusive parents often learn to be abusive with their own children. • Behaviorismeducation through positive reinforcement rather than punishment

  27. Famous Behaviorists • John B.Watson • Importance of observable behavior • The chief goal of psychology was the prediction and control of behavior. • B. F. Skinner • Radical behaviorism • Acknowledged that evolution provided each species with a repertory of behaviors. • Ivan Pavlov • Classical conditioning.

  28. Gestaltism • The whole is greater than the sum of its’ parts • Opposes structuralism • Max Wertheimer • (1880-1943) • University of Prague • Founded psychiatric hospitals in Prague, Frankfurt, and Vienna • Professor of Psychology at the University of Frankfurt • Wolfgang Köhler • Kurt Koffka • Kurt Lewin

  29. Biological • The biological school of psychology focuses on the causes of behavior in the genes, the brain, the nervous system, and endocrine system. • Example • Study the role of specific brain systems in aggression • Stimulating different regions • Recording any destructive actions that are elicited.

  30. Cognitive • Cognition: mental activity including • Thinking • Remembering • Learning • Using language. • Behavior is only partly determined by environmental events and learning • People act because they think

  31. Cognitive Psychologists Study • The hostile thoughts and fantasies people experience when witnessing violent acts • Noting aggressive imagery and intentions to harm others • They study the impact of violence in movies and videos, including pornography, on attitudes toward gun control, rape, and war

  32. Predominant Cognitive Psychologists • Jerome Bruner • Developed a learning theory based upon categorization • David Ausubel • Attempted to explain meaningful verbal learning as a product of consciousness rather than of behavior • Created the “advance organizer” • Jean Piaget • Identified stages of cognitive development.

  33. Psychoanalytical • Emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts • Originally also called "psychodynamic" • Looking at aggression • Reaction to frustrations caused by barriers to pleasure, such as unjust authority. • They view aggression as an adult’s displacement of hostility originally felt as a child against his or her parents.

  34. Famous Psychoanalysists • Sigmund Freud • Developed from his work with mentally disturbed patients • Views a person as being pushed and pulled by complex network of inner and outer forces. • Developed stages of life to age 12, claiming that an individual would change little after that point.

  35. Erik Erikson • Expanded on Freud’s stages of life to include 8 stages into later adulthood.

  36. Psychoanalysts • Carl Jung • Challenged his mentor Freud with the hypothesis that adulthood, not childhood, represents the most significant phase of psychology. • Bernice Neugarten • Focused on the difference between chronological age and social age.

  37. Humanism • Emphasize personal growth, self-esteem, and the achievement of human potential • Less on thescientific understanding, prediction, and control of behavior. • Humans are not driven by the powerful, instinctive forces suggested by Freudians or manipulated by environments.

  38. Maslow • Developed the Hierarchy of Needs • Stated that each level of needs must be satisfied before one moves onto the next.

  39. Carl Rogers • Developed the idea of active listening and the concept of UPR (unconditional positive regard).

  40. Evolutionary • Connect contemporary psychology to a central idea of the life sciences, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. • Researchers focus on the environmental conditions in which the human brain evolved. • Survival of the fittest • Begs the question • Do selfish genes mean selfish people? • Is evolutionary psych racist?

  41. Social-Cultural • Study cross-cultural differences in the causes and consequences of behavior. • Example • Compare the prevalence of eating disorders for white Americans vs. African American teenagers within the U.S.

  42. Social-Cultural Psychologists Study • Perceptions of the world as affected by culture • Languages one speaks, and how it affects one’s experience of the world • How does culture affect child development toward adulthood. • Symbolic culture • Individuals within the culture • Acceptable behaviors within a culture

  43. Subfields of Psychology • Personality psychologists investigate our persistent traits • Social psychologists explore how we view and affect one another • Biological psychologists explore the links between brain and mind • Developmental psychologists study changing abilities from womb to tomb • Cognitive psychologists study how we perceive, think, and solve problems

More Related