building blocks of psychology ms. carmelitano. what is this?
TRANSCRIPT
BUILDIN
G BLO
CKS OF
PSYC
HOLOGY
MS
. C
AR
ME
L I TA
NO
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY??
Word comes from Greek:Psyche: of the mind or soulLogos: ReasonReasoning about the soulPsychology is: The scientific study of mental processes and behavior and how these are affected by internal processes and the environment
Started in the field of PhilosophyPhilosophers aim to answer questions as to human nature
They answer questions relating to the mind and the brain
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGY
Scientific Psychology Empirical study of why people do what they do Based on data and facts
Folk Psychology Common Sense psychology Used everyday to explain human actions Based on observations of beliefs, motives, love, childhood
experiences, etc It is not scientific
Pop Psychology Psychobabble Using psychological buzzwords out of context Based on unsupported claims or believes IE: astrology
A BRIEF HISTORY
Epistemology: The study of how humans come to know the world
“Episteme”: knowledge
“Logos”: ReasoningSensation, perception, memory, language, reason
Today this is cognitive psychology
Ethics: Questions whether people are good or evil by nature, what motivates people
HISTORY CTD
Beginning of modern psychology1879: German Wilhelm Wundt = father of modern psychologyConducted the first psychological experimentStudied lag time between people hearing a ball hit a platform and pressing a button
DIVERSITY OF PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is “multi-disciplinary” Includes knowledge from the natural and social sciencesBiology, sociology, anthropology
Biology
Anthropology
Psychology
Sociology
• Psychologists will gather data from all of these sciences through various research methods
Experiments, brain scans, interviews
DIVERSITY OF PSYCHOLOGY
• Typically psychologists specialize in one field For example, the social psychologist will
research group processes while the neuropsychologist will carry out brain scans to get a picture of memory
When scientists work together between fields, real strides are made
For example, a cognitive neuroscientist combines the study of knowledge from cognitive psychology, and the advanced brain scanning from neuroscience.
PSYCHOLOGY VOCABULARY
Word Definition Example
Biological Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.
A neuropsychologist studies how the brain affects our behavior.A genetic psychologist studies how our genetics affect our behavior.
Cognitive Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the structure and functions of the mind.
A cognitive psychologist studies how the human mind comes to know things about the world and how it uses knowledge.
Sociocultural Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the link between society and culture and human behavior.
A sociocultural psychologist studies how culture and group dynamics affect human behavior.
LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
It is almost impossible fully understand human behavior without studying it from multiple “lenses”
This year we will look at psychology on three levels of analysis:Biological level – which focuses on physiology and genetics
Cognitive Level – which focuses on mental processes like memory, thinking, perception, and attention
Sociocultural level – which focuses on how environment and culture affect behavior and thinking.
THE INTEGRATION OF DISCIPLINES (TRIANGULATION)
ACTIVITY
Define each of the types of analysis
GALLERY WALK!!!!