WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

LO 1.1 Definition and Goals of Psychology

Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and

mental processes
study on animals? (for the human mind and
behavior)
behavior: outward or overt actions and reactions
mental processes: internal, covert activity of our
minds
PSYCHOLOGY IS A SCIENCE

Prevent possible biases from leading to faulty

observations.
Precise and careful measurement
PSYCHOLOGYS FOUR GOALS
LO 1.1 Definition and Goals of Psychology
Description
What is happening?
describe
Explanation
Why is it happening?
theory: general explanation of a set of
observations or facts
PSYCHOLOGYS FOUR GOALS
LO 1.1 Definition and Goals of Psychology
Prediction
Will it happen again?
Predict the future
Control
How can it be changed?
Change or modify the behavior

Not all will try to meet the 4 goals.

HOW HEAVY IS THE GLASS OF WATER?

Put the glass

down!
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

Wilhelm Wundts psychology laboratory

Germany in 1879
study the structure of the human mind
developed the technique of objective
introspection: the process of objectively
examining and measuring ones thoughts
and mental activities
the father of Psychology
STRUCTURALISM
LO 1.2 Structuralism and Functionalism
Edward Titchener
Wundts student; brought structuralism to America
Structuralism: focused on the structure or basic elements
of the mind
Experience -> emotions and sensations
STRUCTURALISM

Margaret Washburn
Titcheners student; first woman to earn a
Ph.D. in psychology
Published The Animal Mind

Structuralism died out in the

early 1900s.
FUNCTIONALISM

William James (Harvard prof)

Functionalism
how the mind allows people to adapt, live,
work, and play
Influenced the modern fields of:
educational psychology
evolutionary psychology
industrial/organizational psychology
GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
Max Wertheimer: studied sensation and perception
- Gestalt Psychology
good figure psychology
Naturally seek out patterns (wholes) in the available sensory
information
Gestalt ideas are now part of the study of cognitive psychology, a
field focusing not only on perception but also on learning,
memory, thought processes, and problem solving.
FIGURE 1.1 A GESTALT PERCEPTION
THE EYE TENDS TO FILL IN THE BLANKS HEREAND SEES BOTH OF THESE FIGURES AS CIRCLES RATHER
THAN AS A SERIES OF DOTS OR A BROKEN LINE.
MORE GESTALT PERCEPTION
PSYCHOANALYSIS

Psychoanalysis: the theory and therapy

based on the work of Sigmund Freud
Freuds patients suffered from nervous
disorders with no apparent physical cause.
Freud proposed the existence of an
unconscious (unaware) mind into which we
pushor repressall of our threatening urges
and desires.
PSYCHOANALYSIS

Freuds patients suffered from nervous

disorders with no apparent physical
cause.
He believed that these repressed urges, in
trying to surface, created nervous disorders.
Freud stressed the importance of early
childhood experiences.
BEHAVIORISM
Behaviorism
the science of behavior that focuses on
observable behavior only
must be directly seen and measured
 BEHAVIORISM

Proposed by John B. Watson

based on the work of Ivan Pavlov,
who demonstrated that a reflex
could be conditioned (learned)
Watson believed that phobias were
learned.
case of Little Albert: taught to
fear a white rat
BEHAVIORISM

Mary Cover Jones: an early pioneer in

behavior therapy
- Counterconditioning with
Little Peter
MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Psychodynamic perspective: modern

version of psychoanalysis
Unconscious minds influence over conscious
behavior and on early childhood experiences
more focused on the development of a sense
of self and the discovery of other motivations
behind a persons behavior than sexual
motivations
 MODERN PERSPECTIVES
LO 1.4 Modern Perspectives: Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers

Behavioral Perspective
B. F. Skinner studied operant conditioning of
voluntary behavior.
Behaviorism became a major force in the
twentieth century.
Skinner introduced the concept of reinforcement
to behaviorism.
MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Humanistic Perspective
Owes far more to the early roots of psychology
in the field of philosophy
Humanists held the view that people have free
will: the freedom to choose their own destiny
Early founders:
Abraham Maslow
Carl Rogers
MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Humanistic Perspective
Emphasized the human potential, the ability
of each person to become the best person he
or she could be
self-actualization: achieving ones full
potential or actual self
MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Cognitive Perspective
focuses on memory, intelligence, perception,
problem solving, and learning
Sociocultural Perspective
focuses on the relationship between social
behavior and culture
MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Biopsychological Perspective
physiological or behavioral neuroscience
attributes human and animal behavior to
biological events occurring in the body, such
as genetic influences, hormones, and the
activity of the nervous system
MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Evolutionary Perspective
focuses on the biological bases of universal
mental characteristics that all humans share
looks at the way the mind works and why it
works as it does
Behavior is seen as having an adaptive or
survival value.