General Psychology Prepared by: Asst. Prof. Nancy C.

Castro
Handout

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

PSYCHOLOGY derived from two Greek words, psyche means soul or mind, and logos, means study or
knowledge. It is the science of behavior and mental processes.

BEHAVIOR MENTAL PROCESSES

Running, Walking, Dancing, Cognition, Intuition, Learning,

Eating, Talking, Laughing Memory, Insight, Imagination

History of Psychology:

Socrates whose famous credo was know thyself, emphasized the importance of self examination and
personal reflection. He believed the unexamined life is not worth living.

Plato student of Socrates stated that we should not rely on our senses to acquire knowledge about the
world, since the world that is given to us by our senses is an imperfect copy of reality.

Aristotle famous student of Plato, he believed that knowledge could be acquired by the senses through
careful observation.

Rene Descartes - French philosopher and mathematician, proposed that mind consisted of two kinds of
ideas: innate ideas, such as self and God, and derived ideas which are acquired through experience in the
world.

John Locke, British empiricist, rejected the notion of innate ideas and argued forcefully that all ideas were
derived from experience. With Aristotles idea of tabula rasa, Locke described how experience would write
on the blank slate of the mind.

Johannes Muller - German physiologist, discovered the nerves of the five different sensory systems carried
only the information specific to a single sensory system, regardless of the nature of stimulation of the
sensory nerve.

Hermann von Helmholtz - student of Muller, explained that nerve impulses were measurable by studying a
motor nerve in a frogs legs, as he calculated the speed of the impulse travelling at about 90 feet per
second.

Paul Broca - French surgeon, performed an autopsy on the brain of a man.

Gustav Theodore Fechner German physiologist, studied psychophysics, the ways in which the intensity
and other physical characteristics of stimuli, such as light and sound, give rise to our psychological
experience of them (loudness, taste, roughness, etc.).

1879 Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental laboratory at Leipzeig, Germany.
1883 G. Stanley Hall established the Americas first research laboratory in psychology at Johns Hopkins
University.
1890 William James published his seminal work, THE PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY.
1904 Ivan Pavlov showed how responses are created, paving the way for stimulus-response psychology.
1905 Alfred Binet developed the intelligence test.
1913 John B. Watson wrote the classic behaviorism manifesto, arguing that psychology should study only
observable behavior.
1920 Gestalt psychology nears its peak influence.
1933 Sigmund Freud published the NEW INTRODUCTORY LECTURES ON PSYCHOANALYSIS.
1950 Erik Erikson wrote the CHILDHOOD AND SOCIETY in which he extends Freuds theory of
development across the life span.
1951 Carl Rogers helps launch humanistic movement with the publication of the CLIENT-CENTERED
THERAPY.
1953 B.F. Skinner published his influential Science and Human Behavior, advocating radical behaviorism
similar to Watson
1954 Abraham Maslows MOTIVATION AND PERSONALITY helps fuel humanistic movement.

GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY
1. To describe.
2. To explain/understand.
3. To predict.
4. To control/manipulate.

FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY

EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY conducts research on learning, cognition, sensation and perception,

biological bases of behavior and animal behavior.

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY evaluates and treats people with psychological problems and disorder.

COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY helps people with adjustment problems.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY works in school systems to help children with academic problems or special needs.

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY constructs standardized psychological tests; improve course planning and
instructional methods.

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY studies the physical, cognitive, social, and personality development
across the life span.

PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY studies the psychological characteristics that makes us unique.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY studies the nature and causes of peoples thoughts, feelings, and behavior in social
situation.

ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY studies the ways in which peoples behavior and mental processes
influence, and are influenced by, their physical environment.

INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY studies the relationship between people and their work environment.

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY studies the relationship between psychological factors and the prevention and
treatment of physical illness.

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY studies relationships between psychological factors and consumers

preferences and purchasing behavior.

ENGINEERING PSYCHOLOGY work at the interface between people and equipment.

ASSESSMENT PSYCHOLOGY - are trained in the process of evaluating behavior and/or characteristics of
individuals or groups by integrating information from multiple data sources to derive an in-depth
understanding of an individual.

TEACHING PSYCHOLOGY - concerned with training and development of strategies in the teaching of
psychology.

BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE - it explains the connection of the nervous system to human behavior.

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY - it focuses on the internal processes such as problem solving, decision making,
consciousness, memory, attention, reasoning, judging, and language.
CROSS CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY - it identifies the contribution of culture to the human character.

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY - it examines the chemical coding of information of human cells to broaden
the understanding of their actions that helped our ancestors in the process of survival.

FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY - it examines the psychological profiles of the people with conflict of the law.

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY - it conducts research that uses psychological techniques such as relaxation training
on the positive self-talk that will enhance athletes sports performance.

METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY:

CASE STUDY METHOD the researcher interviews or observes an individual (or small group of individuals)
or examines historical records of the lives of particular individuals.

SURVEY METHOD the researcher uses questionnaires or interviews to obtain information about a
particular group of people.

NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION METHOD the researcher observes the behavior in the field that is, where it
occurs naturally.

CORRELATIONAL METHOD the researcher uses statistical methods to reveal and describe positive and
negative relationships (correlations) between variables.

EXPERIMENTAL METHOD the researcher manipulates one or more independent variables (makes changes
in the participants environment) and observes their effects on one or more dependent (measured)
variables. Experiments are conducted to establish cause-and-effect relationships between independent
and dependent variables.

SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY:

STRUCTURALISM - Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Bradford Titchener

It was an early school of psychology that attempted to understand how the mind is structured by breaking
down mental experiences into their smallest components.

INTROSPECTION careful examination and reporting of ones conscious experience what one is
perceiving, feeling, thinking, or sensing at each particular moment in time.

FUNCTIONALISM William James

He is the founder of functionalism, believed that psychology should focus on how our behavior and mental
processes help us adapt to the demands we face in the world.

BEHAVIORISM John B. Watson

Watson focused on the measurement of overt behaviour.

GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY Max Wertheimer

It was based on a core principle that the brain organizes our perceptions of the world such that we
perceive organized patterns or wholes, not individual bits and pieces of sense experiences added together.

PSYCHOANALYSIS Sigmund Freud

Freuds method of psychotherapy; it focuses on uncovering and working through the unconscious conflicts
he believed were at the root of psychological problems.
According to him, early childhood experiences play a determining role in shaping our personalities and
behavior, including abnormal behaviors like excessive fears or phobias.
REFERENCES:
1. Benjamin, Jr., L. (2009). A History of Psychology (Third edition). Blackwell Publishing.
2. Bernstein, D., Penner, L., Clarke-Stewart, A., & Roy, E. (2006). Psychology (Seventh edition).
Houghton Mifflin Company.
3. Nevid, J. (2007). Psychology: Concepts and applications (Second edition). Houghton Mifflin
Company.
4. Passer, M., & Smith, R. (2007). Psychology: The science of mind and behavior (Fourth edition).
McGraw Hill.
5. Schultz, D. & Schultz, S. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (Ninth edition). Thomson,
Wadsworth.