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AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE
Psychology
This course is all about why?
Why do individuals do things?Why do individuals like things?Why do individuals say things?Why?Why?Why?
Why is Psychology?
Psychology – Study of the individual. More specifically the study of the mind and behavior
Psychology literally translated means “study of the soul”
Questions that arose since the beginning
What topics and issues should psychology be concerned with?
What research methods should be used to study psychology?
Is psychology really a science?Should psychology focus on observable
behaviors or on internal, mental processes?Should psychologists use research to
influence public policy, education, and other aspects of human behavior?
Psychology is not…
Mind reading, manipulation, self-analyzingSelf-help, recovery, 12-step programsWeird stuff: past lives, psycho killers, ESPToday on Maury
Psychology is
The study of human issues that begin before birth and continue until death
The science of how we: See and hear (perception) Move (motor control) Think and speak (cognition and language) Learn and grow (development) Feel (emotion) Relate to one another (social psychology) Differ from one another (personality)
Perception
Motor Control
Cognition and Language
Development
Emotion
Social Psychology
Personality
7 Themes of Psychology
Psychology is EmpiricalPsychology is Theoretically DiversePsychology Evolves in a Sociohistorical
ContextBehavior is Determined by Multiple CausesOur behavior is Shaped by our Cultural
HeritageHeredity and Environment Jointly Influence
BehaviorOur Experience of the World is Highly
Subjective
Approaches to psychology
EvolutionaryBiologicalBehavioralCognitiveHumanisticPsychodynamicSociocultural
Psychodynamic
Emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human behavior
Cognitive
Focuses on mental processes such as memory, thinking, problem solving, language, and decision making
Compare the human mind to a computer
Behavioral
Focuses solely on observable behaviorsLearned behaviors
Humanistic
Emphasizes the role of motivation on thought and behavior
Focuses on the way that humans are driven to grow, change, and develop their personal potential
Biological
How genetics influence different behaviorHow damage to specific areas of the brain
influence behavior and personality
Sociocultural
Focus on human behavior across different cultures
Evolutionary
The study of how evolution explains the physiological processes
This approach suggests that these mental processes exist because they serve an evolutionary process
They aid in survival and reproduction
Application
How do you explain the causes of depression?How do you examine the personality of an
assassin?