PSYC 1101 Introduction to General Psychology

1. PSYC 1101 Introduction to General Psychology Learning Unit 1 Overview of Psychology

2. History of Psychology Pre-Scientific Psychology India China Ancient Middle East – Hebrews

3. History of Psychology Pre-scientific Psychology, cont’d Ancient Greeks Socrates/Plato Aristotle The Relationship Between Mind and Body Rationalism vs. Empiricism Hippocrates – Focus on natural causes Further information on the pre-scientific history of psychology will be found in The Roots and Branches of Psychology

4. History of PsychologyScientific Psychology Scientific Psychology traces its roots to the older and more established fields of philosophy and biology Philosophy – Uses reasoning and logical argument to discover the basic principles governing the world (including human behavior and mental processes) Biology – the study of living organisms and life processes

5. The Birth of Scientific Psychology 1879 – University of Leipzig, Germany Wilhelm Wundt – established the first psychology laboratory - dedicated to the scientific study of mental processes (consciousness)

6. History of Psychology Wundt was interested in understanding the structure of human consciousness Focused on identifying the basic elements or building blocks of consciousness particularly simple sensations, perceptions and feelings Established the use of the scientific method for research in psychology Developed the method of “trained introspection”

7. History of Psychology Edward Titchener – a British student of Wundt’s joined the faculty of Cornell University in New York in 1892 Coined the term “structuralism” to denote the theoretical perspective that originated in Leipzig

8. History of Psychology Functionalism Theoretical Perspective focused on the functions of human consciousness – including thoughts and feelings Based on the work of American philosopher/psychologist William James at Harvard University James was influenced by Charles Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory

9. James wrote first comprehensive textbook in psychology – Principles of Psychology – published in 1890 Coined the phrase stream of consciousness History of Psychology

10. History of Psychology Though their focuses differed, structuralists and functionalists agreed that psychology was properly defined as “the scientific study of consciousness” (mental processes)

11. History of Psychology Another important figure in the early history of psychology (especially in America) was G. Stanley Hall Hall, who studied with both James and Wundt: earned the first Ph.D. in psychology awarded by an American University established the first working psychology laboratory in America (1882) founded the first psychological journal in America (1887) was the first President of the American Psychological Association (1892) was a founder of developmental psychology and introduced Sigmund Freud to America (1909)

12. History of Psychology Psychoanalysis Originated in the clinical work of Austrian physician Sigmund Freud in the late 1800’s early 1900’s (Freud published his first major work in psychoanalysis in 1900) Freud was a psychiatrist – specializing in the treatment of neuroses (mild to moderate emotional/psychological disorders)

13. History of Psychology Psychoanalysis focused on Unconscious determinants of behavior The influence of early childhood experience on psychological development Was based on Freud’s work with his neurotic patients Under the influence of psychoanalysis psychology expanded its definition of mental processes to include the unconscious

14. History of Psychology Behaviorism John B. Watson, an American Psychologist, is known as the “father of behaviorism” A strictly empirical approach focused on observable behavior and its observable environmental determinants Developed in the early 20th century

15. History of Psychology Watson argued in a 1913 article that if psychology was to be considered a legitimate science it must operate in strictly empirical fashion. The mind cannot be directly observed so, the proper focus of psychology is on behavior. Under the behaviorist influence psychology became defined as the “scientific study of behavior”

16. History of Psychology Other significant contributors to Behaviorism include: Ivan Pavlov – Russian physiologist who studied a form of associative learning (classical conditioning) B.F. Skinner – American psychologist who studied operant learning – Skinner became the leading proponent of “radical” behaviorism

17. History of Psychology Gestalt Psychology Early 1900’s Founded in Germany by Max Wertheimer (first article published in 1912) Other key figures were Wolfgang Köhler and Kurt Koffka

18. History of Psychology Like the structuralists, the early Gestalt psychologists studied sensations and perceptions In opposition to the structuralists, they were more interested in how the mind organizes simple sensations into complex perceptions – the mind imposes structure in order to make sense of experience often making “the whole greater than the sum of its parts” The German term Gestalt can be (roughly) translated as form

19. History of Psychology In addition to studying perception, the Gestaltists were interested in learning and focused attention on the ways in which people learn the meaning of things through experience and generalize that learning to new experiences.

20. Psychology today is defined as: The science of behavior and mental processes It is also a profession that applies scientific knowledge of behavior and mental processes to solving real life problems

21. Psychology’s Current Theoretical Perspectives With the exception of Psychoanalysis and Behaviorism, the early theoretical perspectives have not survived as viable and distinct schools of thought in psychology though they have each influenced various contemporary perspectives Today psychology is characterized by a variety of theoretical perspectives each focusing on psychology from a particular point of view

22. Psychology’s Current Theoretical Perspectives The Biological Perspectives Neuroscience Evolutionary Psychology Behavior-Genetics Each of these perspectives is focused (in different ways) on the role that biological factors play in influencing behavior and mental processes

23. The Biological Perspectives: Neuroscience How do the nervous system (especially the brain) and other biological systems enable and affect psychological processes (for example) Behavior Moods Emotions Perceptions

24. The Biological Perspectives Evolutionary Psychology How does the principle of natural selection explain the many common psychological traits that characterize human beings as a species Behavior-Genetics How do our genes and our environment interact to produce individual differences in psychological traits and characteristics

25. The Psychodynamic Perspective The psychodynamic perspective is a “family” of related perspectives that originated with Psychoanalysis The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the influence on behavior of unconscious drives and conflicts and considers early childhood experience to be critical for psychological development

26. The Behavioral Perspective The behavioral perspective originated in Behaviorism and still emphasizes the primacy of observable behavior and the learning process It has broadened to consider the influence of mental activities on the learning process

27. The Cognitive Perspective The cognitive perspective considers the most important factor influencing our psychological functioning to be the way in which we process, store, and retrieve information It studies how we use information in remembering, reasoning, and problem-solving and how the way in which we process information affects our perceptions and emotions

28. The Social-Cultural Perspective The social-cultural perspective is interested in how the social and cultural contexts in which we developed and in which we presently live affect our thinking and behavior

29. The Humanistic Perspective The humanistic perspective hypothesizes that the primary motivating force in humans is a drive to become self-actualized It emphasizes the capacity of individuals to exercise free will and to overcome environmental obstacles that stand in the way of personal growth

30. The Scope of Psychology Psychology began as a research discipline Today it has a “dual identity” It continues as a scientific research discipline that studies behavior and mental processes It is also a profession that applies knowledge gained through research to solve real life problems

31. The Scope of Psychology Research in psychology can be categorized into two broad areas Basic Research Focused on building psychology’s knowledge base Applied research Focused on learning how psychological knowledge can be most effectively applied to solve practical problems

34. Mental Health Professionals Doctoral Level Professionals Clinical Psychologists Counseling Psychologists Psychiatrists Master’s Level Professionals Professional Counselors Clinical Social Workers Marriage and Family Therapists

35. Is it Nature or is it Nurture?Psychology’s biggest “big” issue The question of which is a better explanation for psychological events: Is the event caused by biological factors (especially genetics) OR is it caused by experience (past or present)? Today the question is understood as how much do both nature AND nurture contribute to various psychological phenomena

36. Other Enduring Issues in Psychology Is stability or change more characteristic of human behavior? Is human behavior more accurately characterized as rational or irrational? Is human behavior more strongly influenced by personal or situational factors?

37. Three Main Levels of Analysis in Psychology Biological Influences Genetics Natural Selection Biological Response to Environmental Stimuli Psychological Influences Learned reactions and responses Emotional responses Cognitions and Perceptions Social Influences Culture/society/family Peer and group influences Media and other influential models

38. Biopsychosocial Approach The integration of biological, psychological and social influences better explains most psychological phenomena than any single set of factors alone.