Seminar 1 - Psychology and Pseudo-Psychology

Psychology and Pseudo-Psychology

• Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes.
• It is based on research, evidence, and testable ideas.
• Pseudo-psychology is similar to psychology but is not founded on research and evidence.
• Pseudo-psychology is based on fraudulent methods and is sometimes referred to as ‘pop psychology’.

Common Sense

• "Birds of a feather flock together", “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”, “Two heads are better than one”, & “Action speaks louder than words” are examples of common sense sayings but are not always true.

Contemporary Psychology

• Biological psychology - study of the relationship between the brain and behavior
• Sensation and perception - study of how we detect sensory information and how our brains process it.
• Cognitive psychology - study of mental processes such as memory, attention, and language.
• Personality psychology - study of individual differences in personality.
• Industrial and organizational psychology - study of people in the workplace
• Health psychology - study of the relationship between health, behavior, and the environment.
• Sport and exercise psychology - study of the psychological factors that influence performance in sports and exercise.
• Clinical psychology - study of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses.
• Forensic psychologists - apply psychology principles to legal issues, such as criminal profiling.

History of Psychology

• Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920) founded structuralism.
• Structuralism aimed to scientifically study conscious experience in psychology.
• It focused on the components and combination of mental processes to form conscious experiences.
• Structuralism focused on identifying the basic elements of conscious experience.
• It employed controlled methods like introspection, or self-observation, to break down consciousness into its basic elements.
• William James (1842–1910) emphasized the practical function of the mind and behavior in adapting to the environment.
• Functionalism is the study of the function of behavior in the world.
• Functionalism focused on how mental activities helped an organism fit into its environment.

Psychological Perspectives

• Psychodynamic Perspective - focuses on internal unconscious mental processes, motives, and desires that may explain behaviors.
• Behavioral Perspective - focuses on external causes of behavior.
• Sociocultural Perspective - focuses on societal and cultural factors that may influence behavior.
• Humanistic Perspective - focuses on how peoples’ view of themselves and the world influence behavior.
• Cognitive Perspective - focuses on how mental processes, such as memory, expectations, beliefs, and problem-solving, influence behavior.
• Eclectic Approach - integrates and combines several perspective to explain behavior.

Goals of Psychology

• Psychology seeks to describe, predict, explain, and influence behavior (control).

Goals of Psychology Applied:

• Describe - What you observe.
• Predict - forecasting behavior based on the description.
• Explain - why the behavior happens.
• Control - altering conditions that influence behavior.

Six Main Perspectives in Psychology

• Biological - All thoughts, feelings, and behaviors would have a biological cause.
• Cognitive - Interpretation of experience by means of mental processing.
• Behavioral - Focuses on what is observable, i.e., behavior.
• Whole-person (Psychoanalysis, humanistic, trait & temperament) - Psychoanalysis: Focuses on the effects of thoughts and feelings on behaviour; mainly concerned with unconscious mental processes, and the constant interaction between conscious and unconscious forces. Humanistic: Assumes that humans have positive values, free will, deep inner creativity, and strive to achieve personal growth. Emphasizes the uniqueness of every person and every situation.
• Developmental - Studies effects of nature and nurture on behaviour. People change in predictable ways as the influence of heredity and environment unfold over time.
• Socio-cultural - Interpretation of human behaviour in a social context. Emphasises social influence, the power of the situation, on behaviour. Interested in cultural differences in social processes.

Abstract: Key Information

• This article discusses a study examining the effects of stress and warning on false and true memories using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm.
• Purpose: To investigate how stress and warnings about false memories jointly affect the occurrence of false and true memories.
• Method: Involved 126 participants. Used word lists from the DRM paradigm to measure false and true recognition rates. Participants were exposed to either a stress condition or a no-stress condition. They were then given either a pre-warning, post-warning, or no warning about false memories.
• Key findings: Stress had a significant effect on true recognition but not on false recognition. Warnings given after the DRM lists decreased the frequency of false memories. No significant interaction was found between stress and warning.
• Implications: Stress and warnings have different effects on true and false memories in the DRM paradigm.

Glossary of Terms

• Forensic psychology: Applies psychology principles within the justice system.
• Humanism: Emphasizes the potential of humans to be good.
• Introspection: Process of examining your own conscious experience.
• Natural selection: Organisms with traits better suited to their environment will reproduce more successfully.
• -ology: Denotes the scientific study of a subject.
• Personality psychology: Study of patterns of thought and behaviour unique to individuals.
• Personality trait: A consistent pattern of thought and behaviour.
• Psychoanalytic theory: Focuses on the unconscious's role in affecting conscious behavior.
• Psychology: Scientific study of the mind and behaviour.
• Sport and exercise psychology: Focuses on the interaction of mental and emotional factors and physical performance in activities like sports and exercise.
• Structuralism: Understanding conscious experience through introspection.

This quiz explores the fundamentals of psychology and its distinction from pseudo-psychology. It also covers key areas of contemporary psychology, including biological, cognitive, and personality psychology. Test your understanding of these concepts and their implications for human behavior.