Introduction to Psychology Student Notes PDF 2020-2021

Pack:A2 Introduction to Psychology Lecturers: Ms Stephanie Bugeja Dr. Olivia Galea...

Pack:A2 Introduction to Psychology Lecturers: Ms Stephanie Bugeja Dr. Olivia Galea Seychell Dott. Mireille Vila Dr. Miriam Geraldi Gauci Cohort: 2020-2021 What is Psychology? Module 1 Cohort 2020-2022 1  Pack:A2 Additional recommended reading: Chapter: 1 Book: Simply Psychology Author: Michael W. Eysenck What is Psychology? Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience: from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. ‘In every conceivable setting from scientific research centers to mental health care services, "the understanding of behaviour" is the enterprise of psychologists’. (APA) Cohort 2020-2022 2  Pack:A2 What is Psychology? Cont…/1 The science of behaviour and mental processes… vBehaviour - observable actions of a person or animal; vMind - thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, memories, dreams, motives and other subjective experiences; vScience - an objective way to answer questions based on observable facts/data and well-described methods. The study of psychology is closely related to philosophy and human physiology. Psychology separated from philosophy in 19th century, when it became a separate field of study. However, the influences of philosophy and physiology are still evident nowadays. What is Psychology? Cont…/2 Psychology is not a single, unified set of ideas. There are different and sometimes competing frameworks (paradigms) of knowledge. It is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behaviour. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. Cohort 2020-2022 3  Pack:A2 Influential Philosophers Important question: How are mind and body related? René Descartes (1596–1650) suggested an interactive dualism. He viewed the mind and the body as interactive machines. Proposed the idea of both voluntary and involuntary behaviour. Ruled out areas other than the brain for mental functioning. Influential Philosophers/cont 1… John Locke: 1632-1704 Knowledge should be acquired by careful observation. No innate ideas: all knowledge comes from experience or reflection. Mind is a blank slate written on by experience (tabula rasa). Cohort 2020-2022 4  Pack:A2 Important Debates in Psychology NATURE VS NURTURE FREE WILL VS DETERMINISM Nature versus Nurture ‘The dispute over the relative contributions of hereditary and constitutional factors (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) to the development of an individual. Nativists emphasize the role of heredity, whereas environmentalists emphasize sociocultural and ecological factors, including family attitudes, child-rearing practices, and economic status’. https://dictionary.apa.org/nature-nurture Cohort 2020-2022 5  Pack:A2 Nature vs Nurture Questions Are our abilities determined by our genes or our experiences? What are the interactions between genetics and environment? What effect does it have on behaviour? Plato: Ideas such as “the good” and “beauty” are inborn. Aristotle: All knowledge comes through the senses. Descartes: Some ideas are innate. v Nature s Nurture John Locke: Charles Darwin: Some traits, The mind is a blank slate (blank behaviors, and instincts are part of chalkboard or screen) “written the nature of the species. on” by experience. Cohort 2020-2022 6  Pack:A2 Nature Nurture We share a common We have origin that + differences gives us an that are inborn shaped by human our nature in environment common. Biology Plus Environment are part of psychology’s three “biopsychosocial” levels of analysis. The deep level, The outer level, Biology: Environment: social genes, brain, neuro- Influences, culture, transmitters, education, survival, reflexes, relationships sensation In the middle, Psychology: thoughts, emotions, moods, choices, behaviors, traits, motivations, knowledge, perceptions Cohort 2020-2022 7  Pack:A2 Another important debate: Free will vs Determinism Determinism The determinist approach proposes that all behaviour has a cause and is thus predictable. Free will is an illusion, and our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control. Cohort 2020-2022 8  Pack:A2 Free will Free will is the idea that we are able to have some choice in how we act and assumes that we are free to choose our behaviour, in other words, we are self determined. For example, people can make a free choice as to whether to commit a crime or not (unless they are a child or they are insane). This does not mean that behavior is random, but we are free from the causal influences of past events. According to this position, people are responsible for their own actions. The free will vs determinism debate revolves around the extent to which our behavior is the result of forces over which we have no control or whether people are able to decide for themselves whether to act or behave in a certain way. Cohort 2020-2022 9