Introduction to Psychology PDF

AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY CHAPTER 1 BY THE END OF THIS LECTURE YOU SHOULD KNOW: Define psychology Differentiate between the different types of psychologists Trace the historical roots of psychology Explain the importance of nature vs. nurture Compare and contrast major sc...

AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY CHAPTER 1 BY THE END OF THIS LECTURE YOU SHOULD KNOW: Define psychology Differentiate between the different types of psychologists Trace the historical roots of psychology Explain the importance of nature vs. nurture Compare and contrast major schools represented by structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and humanism Chapter layout: Describe the main focus of modern psychology 1. Define and describe psychology 2. Briefly trace development of psychology 3. Identify the focus of modern psychology  1. Defining and Describing Psychology What is Psychology? “Oh you’re studying psychology? Don’t psychoanalyze me!” Common belief that psychology deals with the study of mental disorders Psychologists tend to focus just as much on the study of normal behavior as they do on abnormal behavior! To study abnormal behavior, we need to understand baseline “normal” functioning Positive psychology 1. Defining and Describing Psychology What is Psychology? Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior Greek: psyche = “soul” or “breath” + logos = study or investigation of something Mind: the contents and processes of subjective experience (sensations, thoughts, emotions) Behavior: observable and measurable actions Psychology was not an independent field of science until around 1950  1. Defining and Describing Psychology What do Psychologists do? MANY different sub-fields of psychology Three main categories (according to the book) Clinical psychologists Applied psychologists Research psychologists 1. Defining and Describing Psychology What do Psychologists do? Perform assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders Work with people Work with experiencin g temporary teachers, or self- parents, contained students to life remedy Work in companies and problems behavioral, businesses to help select (marital emotional, and productive employees, problems, learning evaluate performance, life difficulties examine the effect of stressors different working and living conditions on people’s behaviors 1. Defining and Describing Psychology What do Psychologists do? Apply psychological principles to legal issues, often through observing and interviewing people in the legal system to assess behavioral, emotional, and psychological problems and disorders Study how and why people Examine change over time the physiologi cal basis of behavior in animals Use research methods to study humans and and human behaviors. Typically narrowly focused humans in fields of expertise  2. Brief History of Psychology Mind and Body Aristotle (384-322 BCE) Wrote on topics central to modern psychology Empiricism: the idea that knowledge comes directly from experience Mind and Body: Are they the same? Two things come together to make a person: Mind – Soul/spirit Physical body – sensory sensing organs, muscles to move etc. This leads to two theories of consciousness: Dualism and Monism Dualism – belief that the body is made out of ordinary matter, and the mind is not. These two are separate Monism – belief that all things consist of matter and energy and that the mind is a product of the nervous system 2. Brief History of Psychology Descartes Rene Descartes (1596-1650) Argued for dualism (mind and body are separate) The mind controls the actions of the body through the pineal gland Introduced reflexes – automatic, involuntary reactions of the body to events in the environment (Ch 3) Psychologists are generally Monists The mind is a product of the brain 2. Brief History of Psychology Nature vs. Nurture Nativism – certain kinds of knowledge and ideas are inborn or innate Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) proposed that humans are born with a certain mental “structure” that determines how they perceive the world Example: People are born to see things in cause and effect and to interpret the world in terms of space and time  2. Brief History of Psychology Nature vs. Nurture Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Proposed that all living things are the end products of an extended period of evolution, guided by the principles of natural selection Natural Selection: best fit survives and passes on their genes Mutations – spontaneous genetic change - can lead to selective advantages and may be selectively bred into the species (adaptations) 4 F’s selected for in natural selection Fighting, fleeing, feeding, and f…reproducing Evolution is a gradual change in the structure and physiology of a species as a result of natural selection Occasionally, humans can interfere with this process – Ex: domesticated dogs  2. Brief History of Psychology Nature vs. Nurture Types of Genetic Selection Stabilizing selection – eliminates extremes of a trait Directional selection – selects for extreme of particular trait Divergent (or disruptive) selection – splits the population into extremes, speciation (new species)  2. Brief History of Psychology Nature vs. Nurture So who wins in nature vs nurture? Both! And there are ways we can study this empirically In the lab with rats Twin studies and adoption studies There are two types of rat mothers: High care mothers -> lots of licking and grooming + active nursing Low care mothers -> low licking and grooming + passive nursing 2. Brief History of Psychology Schools of Psychology Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) Considered by many as the founder of modern psychology Established the first psychology laboratory in 1879 Structuralism – an early school of psychology where individuals try to understand the mind by breaking it down into basic parts Edward Titchener (1867-1927) Systematic introspection – an early technique used to study the mind that requires people to look inward and describe their own experiences  2. Brief History of Psychology Schools of Psychology William James (1842-1910) + James Rowland Angell (1869-1949) Functionalism – believed that the proper way to understand the mind and behavior is to first analyze their function and purpose “What is the purpose of consciousness?” “How to thoughts and feelings help us solve problems?” Now referred to as evolutionary psychology Looking at how we function through the lens of how that functioning may be adaptive to us  2. Brief History of Psychology Schools of Psychology John B. Watson (1878-1958) developed behaviorism Behaviorism – proposed that only proper subject matter of psychology is observable behavior rather than immediate conscious experience If you can’t directly measure it, it should not be measured HUGE shift in the field of psychology away from consciousness and onto behavior B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) – discovered the principles of behavior modification (reinforcement and nonreinforcement) – Ch 7  2. Brief History of Psychology Schools of Psychology Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Psychoanalysis – belief that the mind and its contents (the psyche) must be analyzed extensively before effective treatments can begin Freud believed that psychological problems are best solved through insight and determining unconscious determinates of behavior Relied on the analysis of dreams and the occasional slip of the tongue (Freudian slip) to gain insight into the unconscious A form of psychoanalysis is still used today for the treatment of psychological disorders  2. Brief History of Psychology Schools of Psychology Carl Rogers (1902-1987) + Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Humanistic psychology – a focus on people’s unique capacity for self- awareness, choice, responsibility, and growth People aren’t helpless animals controlled by unconscious forces People control their own destinies and are built to seek their fullest potential  2. Brief History of Psychology Psychology and Women Psychologist Robert M. Sellers “Psychological science must capture the full breadth of human experiences before it can truly say that it understands a particular psychological construct or phenomenon.” It is critical to include issues of diversity in psychological research practice A diverse set of psychologists, counselors, neuroscientists, and psychiatrists opens the door for a diverse set of clients who had otherwise not seen counseling as an option. How diverse is the field of psychology in the modern day? As of 2015, 86% of psychologists in the US were white, 5% were Asian American, 5% were Hispanic, and 4% were African American (Lin et al., 2018) Women make up more than half (56%) of full-time psychology faculty (Bichsel et al., 2019) Only 17% of psychology faculty are racial/ethnic minorities Leaky Pipeline in Science 3. Focus of Modern Psychology Embracing the Eclectic Psychology is still full of controversial ideas/theories/schools of thought (that makes it fun!) Modern psychologists often take an eclectic approach – selecting information from several sources rather than relying entirely on a single perspective/school of thought Example: MDD models BY THE END OF THIS LECTURE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: Define psychology Differentiate between the different types of psychologists. Trace the historical roots of psychology Explain the importance of nature vs. nurture Compare and contrast major schools represented by structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and humanism Describe the main focus of modern psychology