THE scientific study of behaviour and mental process

Intro to Psychology

Why Study Psychology?

Biological- role of biological process and heredity in explaining behaviour

Psychoanalytic- role of unconscious motivationBehavioural- role of the environment in shaping and

controlling behaviourCognitive- importance of the mental process that

underline behaviourHumanistic- importance of the individual subjective

experiance as a key to understandEvolutionary- role of the inherited tendencies that

behaviour have proven adaptive in humansSociocultural- effects of society or culture and behaviour

Subfields of psychology

Interpreting and manipulating mental ideas and images to obtain information, to reason and to solve problems

The ability of humans that defines who we are

Psychology's answer to the question of humanness is:------->The Cognitive process<-------

The BrainWhat makes our brains and cognitive process

different and unique from other species?

...Another key aspect to psychology is...

This theory suggests two different sides of the brain control two different modes. It also suggests what side we prefer

Left                                                              RightLogical Sequential                                      RandomRational                                                     IntuitiveAnalytical                                                    HolisticObjective                                              SynthesizingLooks at Parts                                Looks at wholes

Right Vs. Left

It is human thinking and reason that make us unique

We try to rearrange information in new forms that allow us to answer questions or solve problems

Manipulate what we know into categories or concepts

Deductive Reasoning- Applying general assumptions to specific case

Inductive Reasoning- Collecting specific information to form assumption

Reasoning......

Trial and ErrorLong term memoryWorking backwards from goalDividing problem into partsInsight to make comparisons

When Humans are faced with a problem they generate a solution through:

Society produces both mass murderers and saints. Do our genes create us or does the environment?

Consider the following case. Gerald Levy and Marl Newman are twins who were

separated at birth. Each did not know the existence of the other until recently. However, their lives developed in astonishingly similar fashions. Levy studied forestry; Newman planned to study it. Both had jobs in supermarkets and in installation. Both were unmarried and find the same kind of women attractive. They share similar hobbles and enjoy John Wayne movies and professional wrestling. Both like Chinese food and the same brand of beer. Even their mannerisms are similar. Now how much do you think that human behaviour is dependent on genetics and how much on the environment?

What Makes You, You?

List and explain three reasons for your response. You may argue both sides of the issue. Rank these reasons - from most important to least important - in your opinion. Include in your comments an explanation of your ranking.

Should the Goal of Humanity be toCreate the Perfect Human Being?