Psychology Introduction PDF

What is Psychology? Why is it unique? ▪ Psychology defined - The scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental processes 1  What are the Goals of Psychology? ▪ Describing what happens ▪ Explainin...

What is Psychology? Why is it unique? ▪ Psychology defined - The scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental processes 1  What are the Goals of Psychology? ▪ Describing what happens ▪ Explaining what happens ▪ Predicting what will happen ▪ Controlling what will happen 2  Current Psychological Perspectives ▪ Perspectives differ in terms of: – what’s most important – what explanatory concepts are used – what methods are used ▪ Each perspective makes a valuable contribution to understanding behavior 3  Current Psychological Perspectives ▪ Psychodynamic (Freudian) perspective - Role of conflicting unconscious motives - Emphasis on early childhood in forming personality 4  Current Psychological Perspectives ▪ Behavioral perspective - How do animals learn to respond to stimuli? How do they learn from consequences of behavior? - Focus on objectivity 5  Current Psychological Perspectives ▪ Cognitive perspective - Behavior based on thought - The mind resembles a computer 6  Current Psychological Perspectives ▪ Biological perspective - Focuses on the functioning of the genes, brain, nervous system, and endocrine system 7  Current Psychological Perspectives ▪ Evolutionary perspective: - Focus on how aspects of human behavior may have been selected for in evolution 8  Exercise Why might gentlemen prefer blonds? Assuming this is indeed the case: ▪ Briefly describe two possible explanations ▪ What psychological school of thought is most associated with each explanation? 9