Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology Lecture Notes PDF

Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology 1. What is Psychology? Psychology: Scientific study of the mind Psychologists: Use the scientific method to acquire knowledge The scientific method: Systematic empirical observation, measurement, and evaluation The scientific method is an empiric...

Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology 1. What is Psychology? Psychology: Scientific study of the mind Psychologists: Use the scientific method to acquire knowledge The scientific method: Systematic empirical observation, measurement, and evaluation The scientific method is an empirical method Empirical method: Method for acquiring knowledge based on observation 2. History of Psychology Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) Voluntarism Pioneered use of psychological measures in research on human minds and behavior ○ Physiological measure: Assess physical manifestations of the underlying psychology ○ Behavioral measure: Assess overt behaviors that indicate underlying psychology ○ Self-report measure: Ask directly Introspection Problems? William James (1842-1910) American psychologist Goal was to study and understand the function of behavior in the world Functionalism Problems? Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian neurologist Worked with patients suffering from a variety of psychological disorders Believed problems arose from the unconscious mind Founded psychoanalytic theory Problems? Gestalt Psychology: Focus on how the parts of a sensory experience relate to each other as a whole to produce our perception Max Wertheimer (1880–1943) Kurt Koffka (1886–1941) Wolfgang Köhler (1887–1967) Behaviorism: Focus on observing and controlling behavior Founder John B. Watson (1878–1958) Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936) ○ Classical conditioning: Organisms learn to associate events that repeatedly happen together B.F. Skinner (1904–1990) ○ Operant conditioning: Organisms learn to associate a behavior and its consequence (reward or punishment) Humanism: Emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) Carl Rogers (1902–1987) Cognitive Revolution: Mind as a focus of scientific inquiry Noam Chomsky 3. Contemporary Psychology A diverse field that is influenced by all of the historical perspectives Biopsychology: Explores how our biology influences our behavior Evolutionary Psychology: Seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regards to the ancestral problems they evolved to solve The cognitive perspective of psychology focuses on Developmental Psychology: Study of development across the lifespan Personality Psychology: Study of patterns of thoughts and behaviors that make each individual unique  Social Psychology: Focuses on how we interact with and relate to others Industrial-Organizational Psychology: Applies psychological theories, principles, and research findings in industrial and organizational settings Health Psychology: Focuses on how health is affected by the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors Sport and Exercise Psychology: Study of the psychological aspects of sport performance Forensic Psychology: Deals questions of psychology as they arise in the context of the justice system Clinical Psychology: Focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and other problematic patterns of behavior 4. Careers in Psychology Clinical psychologists have a PhD or a PsyD, whereas psychiatrists have a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) Both psychiatrists and licensed clinical psychologists can administer and interpret psychological tests, whereas only psychiatrists can prescribe medications Clinical psychology will be addressed again when we cover Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders and Chapter 16: Therapy and Treatment