Introduction to Psychology PDF

Introduction to Psychology Glynnis A Lieb PSY 104  Introduction and Research Methods What is Psychology?  “The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes”  For many psychologists, the most important part of this definition is the term ‘scientific’. Why i...

Introduction to Psychology Glynnis A Lieb PSY 104  Introduction and Research Methods What is Psychology?  “The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes”  For many psychologists, the most important part of this definition is the term ‘scientific’. Why is this the case?  Pseudopsychologies = observations about human behaviour that do not have scientific support (pseudo means false)  We commonly come across pseudopsychologies in the form of: psychics, palm readers, in astrology, psychometry (determining facts about an object by handling it), psychokinesis (moving objects by means of ‘mental energy), etc. What is psychology? Psychology is about critical thinking  the ability to accurately analyze information, and to  draw rational, fact-based conclusions from the evidence 1. Critical thinkers are flexible and can tolerate many shades of grey (ambiguity) and uncertainty 2. Critical thinkers can identify inherent biases and assumptions; it takes practice and experience to be open and objective in our assessment of ‘the facts’ 3. Critical thinkers can be seen as ‘sceptical’ ; claims must be based on objective evidence; learn to ask: ‘how do you know that?’ Critical thinking.... 4. Critical thinkers separate facts from opinions  Over the course of their training and experience scientists learn how to ignore opinions and to look for evidence  Empirical evidence refers to data or information obtained from experiments, formal observation, and/or from measurement  Critical thinkers do not fall into the trap of ‘argument by anecdote’ = evidence provided by personal story or word-of-mouth Critical thinking....  5. Critical thinkers do not oversimplify  The subject matter of psychology, i.e. people, their thinking and behaviours, are complex and diverse  Critical thinkers understand that although simple explanations can be appealing, they are often times too simple to be correct  In our busy world people are often impatient and make demands for ‘quick and simple’ solutions to complex issues and problems Critical thinking....  6. Critical thinkers use their ability to be logical and to draw inferences  When evaluating information, data, or circumstances of an event, it is important to be logical and inferential  That is, ‘if it sounds weird, inconsistent, or illogical, then it is time to seek more information by way of asking relevant questions Critical thinking.... 7. Critical thinkers examine the available evidence  Perhaps the most important requirement of critical thinking is the need to consider the quality of the evidence gathered  Does it qualify as ‘empirical’ or as scientific evidence?  What are some of the sources of empirical information?  Psychology textbooks  Scientific journals/periodicals Non-scientific sources of ‘evidence’:  Newspapers  News programs on television  Websites, e.g. ‘Wikipedia’  Anecdotes; opinions of non-experts The Beginnings of Psychology....  In some sense, psychology has been around since the beginning of time  That is, all humans are innately curious about the way that they feel, think and behave....  As a formal discipline psychology began with the set up of the first psychology laboratory by Wilhelm Wundt in Germany in 1879  Wundt helped to train the first scientific psychologists and he wrote one of the most important books, Principles of Physiological Psychology (1874)  Psychologists in these first laboratories were mainly interested in understanding how we form sensations (such as visual and auditory impressions) and feelings The psychological laboratory...  One of the first Americans to study with Wundt was Edward Titchener  Titchener developed an approach to psychology termed ‘structuralism’  Structuralism’s aim was to identify the structures or basic building blocks of human sensation, perception, emotion and experience Structuralism gives rise to Functionalism....  The method used in structuralism was referred to as ‘introspection’  This involved looking inward, observing and reporting on conscious experiences  Structuralism could not be used to study children, non-human organisms, or more complex psychological phenomena (e.g. mental disorders)  This gave rise to functionalism - looking at how the mind or psyche functions in adaptive ways.... Functionalism and William James....  William James (1842-1910) was an American who is known as writing the first textbook in Psychology  He was a leader in functionalism, having been strongly influenced by the work of Charles Darwin on evolution  Although functionalism was also superseded by new theories and ways of explaining behaviour, it expanded the scope of psychology in a number of ways: 1. By considering research dealing with emotions and with observable behaviours 2. Initiated the modern psychological testing movement 3. Influenced modern education and industry  While functionalism captured the attention of psychology in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the psychoanalytic school was gaining popularity in Europe