Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology

• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
• A key aspect of psychology is the scientific method.
• Pseudopsychologies are observations about human behavior without scientific support.

What is Psychology?

• Psychology is about critical thinking, the ability to analyze information and draw rational conclusions.
• Critical thinkers are flexible, tolerate ambiguity, and identify biases.
• They are skeptical, basing claims on objective evidence.
• Critical thinkers avoid oversimplification, recognizing the complexity of human behavior.
• Critical thinkers are logical and inferential.

Critical Thinking

• Critical thinkers separate facts from opinions, and consider evidence quality.
• They use empirical evidence, obtained from experiments, observation, or measurement.
• They avoid "argument by anecdote" (personal stories as evidence.)
• They avoid oversimplification, and consider the complexity of the subject matter.

The Beginnings of Psychology

• Psychology has existed since the beginning of time in a general sense.
• Psychology as a formal discipline began in 1879 with Wilhelm Wundt's psychology laboratory in Germany.
• Wilhelm Wundt trained some of the first scientific psychologists
• Wundt wrote the important book "Principles of Physiological Psychology"
• Early psychologists were primarily interested in visual and auditory sensations, and feelings
• Edward Titchener was a student of Wundt in Germany.

Structuralism

• Titchener developed structuralism, an approach to psychology.
• Structuralism aimed to identify basic building blocks of human experience (sensation, perception, emotion).
• The method used was introspection (looking inward).

Functionalism

• Introspection limitations gave rise to functionalism (studying how the mind adapts).
• William James is considered crucial in developing and explaining functionalism.
• Functionalism broadened the scope of psychology, considering observable behaviors and emotions.
• Functionalism also influenced modern psychological testing and the modern education and industry methods.

Sources of Empirical Information

• Psychology textbooks are a source of empirical information.
• Scientific journals/periodicals, such as non-scientific sources like newspapers, television, websites or Wikipedia, can also provide information.
• Anecdotes, opinions of non-experts, should also not be used as evidence or factual information.