Introduction to Psychology

Psychology Definition

• Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior.
• It encompasses overt and covert behaviors.
• It examines behaviors from various perspectives.

Key Figures and Quotes

• Kenneth Burke (1897-1993): "Every way of seeing is a way of not seeing."

Branches of Psychology

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Focuses on workplace management strategies to enhance work safety.
• Educational Psychology: Examines effective teaching methods to improve student academic performance.
• Cognitive Psychology: Investigates the mental processes involved in complex problem-solving.
• Clinical Psychology: Deals with treating mental health issues such as phobias.
• Health Psychology: Connects lifestyle choices with the risk of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
• Biopsychology: Studies the effect of chemicals released during stressful events on behavior.
• Social Psychology: Investigates how social factors, like depictions of violence, affect behavior.
• Developmental Psychology: Focuses on when children develop emotional attachments to their parents.
• Counseling Psychology: Provides support and guidance in areas like organization and study habits.

The Scientific Method

• Psychology uses the scientific method.
• This method involves gathering empirical data via observations and experimentation.
• Measurements are used to analyze data.

Focus of Psychology

• Focus on mental illness repair.
• Focus on causality determination (correlational studies).
• Focus on categorization and diagnosis.
• Focus on treatment.

Positive Psychology

• This 2000 branch examines healthy states to repair weaknesses and cultivate strengths.
• This branch focuses on positive aspects of human functioning.

Hindsight Bias

• Hindsight Bias is the tendency to overestimate one's ability to predict an outcome after it's already known.
• Kitty Genovese case

Applied vs. Basic Psychology

• Applied psychology applies research to real-world problems.
• Basic psychology involves fundamental research to increase understanding.

History of Psychology

• Greek philosophers (abstract, theoretical deductions) played a historical role in shaping psychology.
• Wilhelm Wundt (1879): Established the first psychology lab.
• Hermann Helmholtz (1850): Pioneered a pathway to experimentally study psychological phenomena.
• Margaret Floy Washburn: First woman to earn a doctorate in psychology.
• Inez Beverly Prosser: First African-American woman to earn a PhD in psychology (Brown v Board of Education).
• Stanley Hall: Established the first experimental psychological lab in the US.
• Francis Sumner: Called the "Father of Black Psychology".
• Albert Beckham: First African-American college psychologist.
• Kenneth Clark: Led the "Doll Study", contributed to understanding racial bias.

Wilhelm Wundt (Father of Psychology):

• He studied consciousness using introspection.
• He wanted to break down consciousness to its most basic parts.
• He established the first psychology lab, in 1879.
• His approach to psychology, called structuralism, focused on the basic elements of conscious experience.

Structuralism / Reductionism:

• This is a school of thought that attempts to break down mental experiences into their simplest parts.
• It relied on introspection, a process of examining one's own thoughts and feelings.

William James (Functionalism):

• Functionalism focused on the "how and why" of mental processes, not just the "what".
• James sought to understand how consciousness helps us adapt to our environment.

Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalysis):

• Focused on unconscious conflicts and their influence on behavior.

Maladaptive Behavior

• Trephination and exorcism were early attempts to treat mental illness.
• Historical treatment of maladaptive behavior.

Biological vs. Psychological Models:

• Biological model focuses on the body/brain.
• Psychological model focuses on unconscious conflicts.

Freud's Conception of the Human Psyche:

• A diagram showing the conscious, preconscious, unconscious mind.
• The structures are the Id, Ego, and Super-ego.

Criticism and Cognitive Revolution:

• Criticism of behaviorism was that it omitted internal mental processes.
• Cognitive psychologists like Tolman challenged the idea that learning only involves observable behaviors, arguing that cognitive processes play a role.

Behaviorism

• Behaviorism: External stimulation shapes behavior.

• Mechanistic vs. Organismic model.

• Observable behavior is the focus.

• J.B. Watson (Early 1900s): Behaviorism's prominent figure, believed the mind was irrelevant.

• Watson's quote: "Give me a dozen healthy infants...and I will guarantee to train him to become any type of specialist."

• B.F. Skinner (20th century)

• Operant Conditioning (volunatary actions)

• Consequences/ reinforcement

Epigenetics

• Changes in behavior and environment can influence gene expression.
• Changes are reversible, unlike genetic mutations.

Biopsychosocial Model

• An approach that considers biological, psychological, and social factors in health and illness.
• It suggests that health/illness arises from their interaction instead of just one factor.