Psychology can provide insight into behavior and give one the chance to acquire practical information

1. Psychology – the scientific study of behavior and mental processes that are tested through scientific research

2. Psychologists differ in how much importance they place on specific types of behaviorThey do agree that the study of behavior must be

systematic

Goals of Psychology1. Description – 1st goal is to describe or gather information about

the behavior begin studied and to present what is known2. Explanation – they seek to explain why. Hypothesis – an

educated guess about some phenomenon. Theory – a complex explanation based on findings from a large number of experimental studies. Theories change as more information is gathered.

3. Prediction – 3rd goal is to predict, form the knowledge gathered, what things will do, think or feel in various situations. By studying past behaviors, future behavior can be predicted.

4. Influence – Basic Science – research as compared to Applied Science – discovering ways to use scientific findings to accomplish practical goals.

Dr. Zimbardo Video #2

The Scientific Basis of Psychology1. Psychologists rely on the Scientific Method – a general approach

to gathering information and answering questions so that errors and biases are minimizeda) Identify a problem or questionb) Formulate a hypothesisc) Collect data though observation and experimentationd) Analyze the data

Section 1 Review

Origins of Psychology

1. 5th and 6th century BC – the Greeksa) began to study human behavior and decided that

people’s lives were influenced more by their minds than by gods

2. Mid-1500’s – Nicholaus Copernicusa) Earth was not the center of the universe, during the

Renaissance period, experimentation through observation

3. 17th Century – Rene Descartesa) Others popularized dualism – the mind and body are

separate and distinctb) Descartes said there was a link, he assumed that the

mind and body influence one another to create a person’s experiences

Historical Approaches

1. Structuralism a) Established modern psychology as a separate formal field of

studyb) Wilhelm Wundt started thisc) Structuralism – the study of the basic elements of human

experienced) Introspection – a method of self-observation in which

participants report their thoughts and feelings2. Functionalism

a) William James – the fathers of psychology in Americab) Functionalism – the study of how animals and people adapt

to their environments3. Inheritable Traits

a) Sir Francis Galton b) Study of seeing if genetics/hereditary factors played a role in

abilities, character and behaviorc) Debate is still ongoing regarding genetics versus environment

4. Gestalt Psychologya) A group of German psychologists disagreed with the

principles of structuralism and behaviorismb) Believed that the whole pattern or Gestalt, was important

Contemporary Approaches

Psychoanalytic Psychology

1. Sigmund Freud 2. Interested in the unconscious mind, beneath the surface are

primitive biological urges that are in conflict with the requirements of society and morality

3. Believed that unconscious motivations and conflicts were responsible for most human behavior

4. Had a method for indirectly studying unconscious processesa) Free Association – a patient says everything that comes to

mind, no matter how absurd or irrelevant it may seem, without attempting to produce logical or meaningful statements

b) No editing or censoring their thoughts5. Psychoanalysis – the study of how unconscious motives and

conflicts determine human behavior

Behavioral Psychology

1. Ivan Pavlova) Dog experiment with salivation/Classical Conditioning

2. John B. Watsona) Believed that psychologists should only deal with observable facts

of behavior; all behavior is a result of conditioning and occurs because a stimuli is present

3. B.F. Skinnera) Introduced the concept of reinforcement/Operant Conditioning

i. Reinforcement – a response to a behavior that increase the likelihood the behavior will be repeated

ii. Wrote Walden 2

Humanistic Psychology

a) Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Rollo Maya) Human nature is evolving and self-directedb) Environment and outside forces are just the background to our

own growth, they don’t influence usc) Each person is unique and has a self-concept and potential to

develop fully

Cognitive Psychology

1. Jean Piageta) Focuses on how we process, store and use information and how

this information influences our thinking, language, problem solving, and creativity

b) Behavior is influenced by a variety of mental processes like perception, memories and expectations

Biological Psychology

1. Emphasizes the impact of biology on our behaviora) Study how the brain, CNS, hormones and genetics influence our

behaviorb) Use PET and CAT scans as tools

Sociocultural Psychology

1. The study of the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on behavior and social functioning

2. Our knowledge, ways of thinking, feeling and behaving are dependent on the culture we belong to

Section 2 Review

What is a Psychologist

1. Psychologist – people who have been trained to observe, analyze and evaluate behaviora) Usually have a doctorate in Pyschologyb) Psychiatrist differs in that it is a specialty of medicine. They

are medical students who do their residency in a psych ward or psych hospital

2. Clinical Psychologist – help people deal with their personal problemsa) Work in mental hospitals, private offices, prisons and clinicsb) ½ of psychologists specialize in clinical psychology

3. Counseling Psychologist – usually work in schools or industrial firmsa) Help people adjust to the challenges of lifeb) Most states require a doctorate to be a clinical and counseling

psychologist

Other types of Psychologists

1. School psychologists – help students with emotional and learning problems

2. Social Psychologists – study groups and how they influence behavior

3. Developmental Psychologists – study physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes that occur throughout lifea) They study children, the elderly and the process of dying for

example4. Educational Psychologists – deal with topics related to teaching

children and young adults, such as memory, intelligence, teaching methods, and develop new instructional devices.

5. Experimental Psychologists – perform research to understand how humans (and animals) operate physically and psychologicallySection 3 Review

Chapter 1 Study Guide

Chapter 1 Test