PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY Art & Philosophy!

Psychology - is the science of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior – anything an organism does – a recordable action Mental Processes – internal subjective experience we infer from behavior

History of Psychology. Paradigms - schools of thought Paradigm Shift – involves dumping the old way of thinking and embracing a new paradigm.

Contemporary Paradigms

John Locke (1632-1704) – believed that we come into this world as a blank slate and that the mind is molded by what comes through our senses.

Empiricism – knowledge originates in experience and science should rely on observation and experimentation.

Beginnings of Scientific Thought

Beginnings of Scientific Study of Psychology Wilhelm Wundt – 1879 - He created the first laboratory for studying behavior. - “Atoms of the mind” and lag time experiments.

Edward Titchener – 1892 – Cornell University Structuralism - focused on the structure of the mind. This school of psychology used introspection to study the structure of the mind

Introspection – method used to study the mind – involved training people to look inwards and report all their experiences while performing simple tasks.

William James – 1890 –published the first Psych book “The principles of psychology.” Behavior is shaped by its consequence. Functionalism - our environment creates our mind though evolution. Shift from looking inwards to outwards. Behavior and emotion should be studied as a product of our biology.

Mary Whiton Calkins 1863 – 1930 – the first woman president of the American Psychological Association she was also denied her doctorate from Harvard because she was a woman.

Margaret Floy Washburn

The first woman to receive a Ph.D in psychology, she wrote a very influential book called The Animal Mind and was the second female president of the APA in 1921.

Gestalt Psychology – 1912 - Germany - Max Wertheimer -The whole human experience must be looked at when examining behavior.

"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” By Georges Seurat

Psychoanalysis - Sigmund Freud – 1900 - Austria - the unconscious mind determines the way we think and feel – he believed he discovered the unconscious mind.

Behaviorism - 1915 – John Watson - The science of psychology should only focus on observable behavior. - Stimulus – physical cause for the behavior - Response – the observable reaction to the stimulus

Where are we now? - Eclectic approach - multiple perspectives

Humanistic – Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers - Focus: Free will – we have the ability to make choices about how we think and behave. We all have the ability to reach our full potential.

Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic

Focus - Unconscious mind - controls much of our behavior, thoughts and actions. We must examine the unconscious mind and unearth all of those repressed thoughts in order to understand the conscious mind.

Biological Psychology or Neuroscience - Behavior – is strictly looked at as a biological process. We must look at how the body and brain create emotion, memories and sensory experiences

Evolutionary or Sociobiology - Natural Selection – nature selects those traits that enable a species to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Behavioral - Focus, to look only at observable behavior and how we are shaped by our environment.

Cognitive - Behavior is determined by how we view, interpret and process the world. Our belief systems determine our thinking.

Social Cultural or Cross-cultural - Looks at how culture/society dictates in how we behave, think and act.

1.  Explain how a person committed to each of the following perspectives would explain human aggression.

A)  Psychoanalytic B)  Biological C)  Cognitive D)  Humanistic

Free Response

1. Stability vs Change - Are we born miniature versions of what we

are now or do we evolve, learn and grow? - Are we born with a personality type? - If we are a violent child are we going to be a

violent adult? - Can we change? - Introverted – can you become extroverted? 2.  Nature Vs Nurture. - How much is our behavior determined by

biology and how much of it is determined by our environment?

- Plato – all inherited, intelligence and character

- Aristotle/Locke – everything in our mind comes from our senses.

BIG ISSUES in psychology

Most psychologists

have an undergraduate

degree in psychology

and graduate degree in a specialized

area

Psychiatrists – Doctors and can prescribe drugs

Clinical Psychologists – diagnosis and treatment of disorders, duties include testing (psychometrics), interviewing and therapy.

Counseling Psychologists – generally work with moderate disorders, specialize in group counseling

Educational Psychologists – involved in teacher training and curriculum design – concerned with how effective teaching and learning takes place

Industrial/ Organizational Psychologists or Human Factor Psychologists – work in business, their goal is to improve productivity, study consumer behavior or design equipment.

Experimental Psychologists – laboratory research working in a primary area

Social Psychologists – study social situations, conformity, obedience etc.

Developmental Psychologists – study changes across a life span

Forensic Psychologists – apply psychological principles to legal issues – custody issues, mental competence etc.