Transcript The History and Scope of Psychology


Are you a student with:
Excellent test taking skills?
Strong writing skills?
Excellent listening skills?
Good reading skills?
A serious interest in learning?
Excellent attendance?
Good behavior?
An ability to discuss abstract theories?
An open mind towards new, sometimes
even controversial, issues regarding
human behavior?
 Excellent
You
test taking skills?
will need to study extensively
to pass the course exams this year.
There are 14 unit exams, 2
cumulative exams, and a variety of
announced and unannounced
quizzes that figure into each
student’s grade. Tests are typically
multiple-choice format.
Strong
writing skills?
Students
will be writing
responses to multiple
prompts throughout the year,
in addition to writing several
short papers dealing with
psychological and cultural
issues.

Good reading skills?
Students will be issued a textbook at the
beginning of the school year. You should
read each chapter as we progress
through the units. Pop quizzes will be
frequent, and test questions will come
from the textbook even though they may
not be directly referenced in lecture.
Students will occasionally be given
research studies and journal readings to
analyze and respond to.
A
serious interest in learning?
Students
taking this
course should be collegebound and ready to begin
assuming the
responsibilities of a college
student.
 Excellent
Students
attendance?
are expected to be in
class, on time, and on a regular
basis. We will be covering
approximately one unit every
week, so the pace is quick and
the notes are plentiful. The
responsibility is solely yours to
maintain excellent attendance
and to complete all of the
required work on time.
Good
behavior?
Leave
your cell phones,
music and any other
would-be distractions at
the door. Focus on the
task at hand and class
with run smoothly.
 An
ability to discuss abstract
theories?
Class
discussion is an important
key to learning the course
content. Be prepared to ask a
lot of questions, to analyze
theories, and to discuss a wide
variety of challenging topics.
 An
open mind towards new,
sometimes even controversial,
issues regarding human behavior?
There
is almost a limitless list of
possibilities when it comes to explaining
human behavior. Many of the topics
that we will discuss are steadfast and
proven facts, and some are still in the
research stage. Be prepared to discuss
topics you may be unfamiliar with and to
accept differing points of view regarding
the causes of behaviors.
Why did Timmy
hit Sally?
The Early History
and Scope
of Psychology
Psychology
The scientific study
of behavior and
mental processes
What does that mean?
Psychology is a SCIENCE –
we rely on academic,
structured methods in order
to answer questions about
human behaviors…
What does that mean?
BEHAVIORS are physical actions,
generally things that we can
observe, though they may be
internal as well – things like
standing up, laughing, dancing,
yelling, fighting, digestion or
neural activity
What does that mean?
MENTAL PROCESSES are the
internal workings of our minds,
like our thoughts, feelings, and
dreams
 Socrates,
and his student Plato
(Greek Philosophers)
 Human behavior and knowledge is
pre-disposed and genetically built-in
(Nature).
 IE. If you are intelligent, you were
born with a smart brain. If you are
athletic, you were born with strong
muscles and balance. If you are
violent, depressed, or forgetful, you
were born with a brain disorder.
 Aristotle
(Greek Philosopher)
 Human behavior and
knowledge is not preexisting; it
grows from the experiences
stored in our memories
(Nurture).
 IE. You are violent because
you watched it on television.
You are smart because you
studied. You are kind because
you were loved.
The Modern Perspectives
Evolutionary Psychology
 Attempts
to explain
psychological traits—such
as memory, perception, or
language—as
adaptations, that is, as the
functional products of
natural selection
 IE.
Certain food aversions
(toward bitter tastes, or certain
colored foods) may help a
species survive. The universality
of facial expressions allows
foreign cultures to communicate
basic emotions (smile, peaceful
meeting…scowl, war)
Humanistic Perspective
 Humanists
believe that we choose
most of our behaviors and these
choices are guided by physiological,
emotional, or spiritual needs.
Humanists stress free will and
individual choices that lead us to
fulfilling our greatest potential.
Abraham
Maslow and Carl Rogers
 Some
We
examples of needs are:
buy food because we’re
hungry.
We buy guns to feel safe.
We read the singles ads for
love and friendship.
We fight to earn respect.
We earn degrees to be
educated.
Psychoanalytic Perspective
 Psychoanalysts
believe
that the unconscious mind
(including unresolved
conflicts, childhood
trauma, repressed
memories) controls much
or our thought and action.
Sigmund
Freud
IE. Adam chews on his pencils because
his mother didn’t breast feed him long
enough or show him enough love as a
child. The chewing on the pencil top
unconsciously represents the bonding
between child and mother.
 Diane’s boyfriends always seem to look
a lot like her father, who abandoned her
when she was a child. The boyfriends
unconsciously represent her need to
find her father.

Biopsychology (Neuroscience)
 Biopsychologists
explain human
behavior in terms of
biological processes,
including the
functions of the brain,
hormones, genetics,
and the physical
functions of the body.
 IE.
Chuck is always hungry due
to a problem with his
hypothalamus. Kathy can’t sit still
or pay attention due to an excess
or loss of acetylcholine. James
can’t remember events for more
than 10 seconds at a time due to
a damaged hippocampus. Susan
is an alcoholic because her
mother and grandmother were.
Behavioral Perspective
 Behavioral
psychologists
explain human thought and
behavior by looking strictly at
observable behaviors and
what reaction organisms get
in response to specific
stimulus.
Ivan
Pavlov, John Watson, B.F.
Skinner
 Why
does Regina get such good
grades?
For
For
every A, Regina gets $100
every A, Regina doesn’t have
to wash the dishes for a month
For every grade less than an A,
Regina loses phone privileges for a
month
Regina knows that an A average
will get her into a better college,
and that going to a better college is
associated with a higher salary
Cognitive Perspective
 Cognitive
psychologists
explain human behavior in
terms of how we mentally
process and interpret our
environment. Cognitive
psychologists study internal,
brain-based activities, such
as memory processes,
problem solving, perception,
and language.
 IE.
Why can’t Jennifer remember anything
prior to her sixth birthday?
 Why can Steve speak fluently at the age
of four, yet George cannot?
 If I put Carl and Howard in a maze, why
is it that Carl can find his way out and
Howard cannot?
 Given that they are of the same age and
go to the same school, why is it that Kim
feels safe and secure walking through the
halls, and Missy feels scared and
insecure?

 IE.
For Christmas, Steve gets a
“Reviewing for the AP Psychology
Exam” book. He goes into a deep
depression for a week. Why?
interprets his parent’s motives for
giving him the book as saying he isn’t
smart enough to pass the test on his
own. He’s dumb and can’t pass the test
on his own. His parents don’t like him
and are secretly mocking his efforts.
He’s a failure who will never amount to
anything.
Steve
Social-Cultural Perspective
Sociocultural
psychologists emphasize
the influence of groups,
culture, and the
environment on the way
that we think and act.
 IE.
At school, Gary dresses in a
preppy manner, speaks
intelligently, and shows respect
for his peers and teachers. Later
that night, at a concert with
friends, Gary is wearing eyeliner
and ripped jeans, cursing,
smoking, drinking, and spitting at
passer-bys.
 IE.
Stephanie went on a killing
spree based on the violent
movies she watched and the
books she read, and was able
to be so accurate because of
the hours she had spent
playing first-person shooter
games on her gaming system.
VS.
Fields in Psychology
What can I do with a
degree in Psychology?
Fields in Psychology
Applied v. Basic Psychology
Applied
refers to practical
and interactive psychology.
Basic refers mainly to the
research fields of
psychology.
Clinical/Therapy
 Asses
and treat mental, physical,
behavioral or emotional disorders.
Also may include rehabilitative
services.
Counseling
 Help
people
cope with life
challenges,
including career,
marriage, and
stress
counseling.
School
Assisting
school-aged
children, adolescence
issues, counseling, etc.
Experimental
Conduct
research on
learning,
memory,
sensation,
perception,
cognition,
motivation, etc.
Developmental
 Study
mental and physical
growth from prenatal through
childhood, adolescence,
adulthood, and into old age.
Social
 Study
how people
influence each
others attitudes,
prejudices, norms,
interpersonal
attractions, etc.
Industrial/Organizational
 Practical
issues of
selecting and training
a workforce.
 Productivity, job
stress, motivation,
automation.
Forensic Psychology
Provide advice to legislators, judges,
correctional officers, lawyers and the
police
 Is called upon, for example, to serve as an
expert witness, diagnose and treat
incarcerated and probationed offenders;
and screen and evaluate personnel in the
law enforcement and judicial systems

Sports Psychology

Issues and techniques of sport-specific
psychological assessment and mental
skills training for performance
enhancement. Involved with goal-setting,
visualization and performance planning,
self-confidence, overtraining and burnout
counseling, team building, and
sportsmanship.
What is the difference
between a psychologist
and a psychiatrist?
Psychology v. Psychiatry
 Psychiatry
is the focused study
and treatment of mental disorders.
 Psychiatrists are medical doctors
and can prescribe medications to
treat the physical and mental
causes of psychological disorders.