Chp.1 Introductin to Psychology

the the science of science of psychologpsychologyy

the the science of science of psychologpsychologyy

Copyright © 2015, 2013, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

.Copyright © 2015, 2013, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights ReservedCopyright © 2015, 2013, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Links to Learning Objectives

1.1 Define psychology as a field of study, and identify psychology’s four primary goals.

1.2 Identify some of the early pioneers in psychology, and differentiate between structuralism and functionalism.

1.3 Describe the basic ideas and important people behind the early approaches known as Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism.

1.4 Summarize the seven modern perspectives, and identify the important contributions of Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers.

1.5 Differentiate between a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and describe the other types of professionals who work in the various areas of psychology.

1.6 Explain why psychology is considered a science, and identify the steps of the scientific method.

1.7 Describe some methods used to describe behavior and summarize the main advantages and drawbacks of each.

1.8 Explain the correlational technique and describe its usefulness to researchers.

1.9 Identify the steps involved in designing an experiment.

1.10 Identify two common sources of problems in an experiment, and list some ways to control for these effects.

1.11 Identify ethical concerns that can occur when conducting research with people and animals.

1.12 Summarize the basic principles of critical thinking, and explain how it is useful in everyday life.

Back to Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2015, 2013, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights ReservedCopyright © 2015, 2013, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

What Is Psychology?


What Is Psychology?What Is Psychology?

1.1 Define psychology as a field of study, and identify psychology’s four primary goals.

• Write down one idea that comes to mind when you hear the word “psychology.”

• Psychology is the scientific study of:

• Behavior

• Mental processes


What Are the Goals of Psychology?What Are the Goals of Psychology?

Description Explanation

ControlPrediction


Psychology Then: The History of Psychology


How Are Mind and Body Related?

Early perceptionstudies formed a basis for experimentationin psychology

Early perceptionstudies formed a basis for experimentationin psychology

Groundbreakingexperiments invisual and auditoryperception

Groundbreakingexperiments invisual and auditoryperception

Connection between soul and body

Plato, AristotlePlato, Aristotle

And DescartesAnd DescartesPlato, AristotlePlato, Aristotle

And DescartesAnd Descartes Gustav Gustav

FechnerFechnerGustav Gustav

FechnerFechner HermannHermann

von Helmholtzvon Helmholtz

HermannHermann

von Helmholtzvon Helmholtz


What Is Structuralism?

1.2 Identify some of the early pioneers in psychology, and differentiate between structuralism and functionalism.

• First psychology lab (Germany, 1879)

• Analyze the content of one’s mind through objective introspection

Wilhelm WundtWilhelm Wundt


Titchener and Structuralism in America

• Structures of the mind

• Break experience into emotions and sensations

• “Tell me about things that are yellow.”

Edward TitchenerEdward Titchener


Titchener and Structuralism in America

Margaret Washburn • Student of Titchener

• First woman to receive a Ph.D. in psychology (1894)

• Author of The Animal Mind


• “Stream of thought” vs. elements of mind

• Focus on adaptation, living, working, playing – functioning in the real world

William JamesWilliam James

What Is Functionalism?


• Dr. Francis Cecil Sumner

• Dr. Charles Henry Thompson

• Dr. Albert Sidney Beckham• Dr. Robert Prentiss Daniel• Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser• Dr. Howard Hale Long• Dr. Ruth Howard

Psychology’s African American Roots

• Many of psychology’s early pioneers were minorities.

• African Americans made important contributions to the field.


Dr. Francis Cecil Sumner

Francis C. Virginia (Pine Bluff, Arkansas, December 7, 1895 - January 12, 1954) was an influential psychologist who is commonly referred to as the "Father of Black Psychology". In 1920, Sumner became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. degree in psychology.

Sumner’s area of focus was in investigating how to refute racism and bias in the theories used to conclude the inferiority of African Americans.


A psychiatric social worker helps people who struggle with mental health issues cope with their problems and obtain important social services. He or she provides counseling to patients and family members, and helps them obtain both financial resources and medical services. The social worker might also investigate housing and job placement options for recovering patients. Mental health social workers are employed in many different settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient mental health centers, prisons, and governmental social service offices.

A Psychiatric Social Worker


• “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

• Gestalt: “An organized whole”

• Gestalt psychologists: People naturally seek out patterns (“wholes”) in available sensory information.

Gestalt Psychology

1.3 Describe the basic ideas and important people behind the early approaches known as Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism.


What Is Psychoanalysis?

Psychoanalysis: • Insight therapy

treating fear and anxiety

• Emphasis on unconscious and early childhood

Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud


Pavlov, Watson, and the Dawn of BehaviorismPavlov, Watson, and the Dawn of Behaviorism

“Watson wanted to bring psychology back to a focus on scientific inquiry, and he felt that the only way to do that was to ignore the whole consciousness issue and focus only on observable behavior...He had read of Pavlov’s work and thought that conditioning could form the basis of his new perspective of behaviorism.”

– Learning Objective 1.3 (Ciccarelli & White)

Lecture activity


Watson believed fears are learned via experience.

Fear is learned when a neutral stimulus is paired with an aversive stimulus like a loud noise.

Of Babies and RatsOf Babies and Rats


Click here to watch classic footage of Watson and “Little Albert” on myps

ychlab.com.


Psychology Now: Modern Perspectives


Modern Psychological Perspectives

Seven Perspectives: Seven Perspectives:

No single perspective is used alone to explain all

human behavior and mental processes.

1.4 Summarize the seven modern perspectives, and identify the important contributions of Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers.


Psychodynamic Perspective

Focus:

– Unconscious, early development

• Less emphasis on sex

• More emphasis on the self


Behavioral Perspective

• B.F. Skinner– Operant

conditioning

– Reinforcement


People have the freedom to choose their own destinies.

Humanistic Perspective


Cognitive Perspective

Emphasis:• Memory• Intelligence• Perception• Problem solving• Learning• Cognitive neuroscience

• Physical workings of brain


Sociocultural Perspective

• Combines social and cultural psychology

• Cross-cultural research


Biopsychological Perspective

Attributes human and animal behavior to biological events


Evolutionary Perspective

Charles Darwin

Biological bases of mental traits shared by all humans.


Psychological Professionals and Areas of

Specialization


Types of Psychological Professionals

• Psychiatrist• Psychologist• Psychiatric social worker

1.5 Differentiate between a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and describe the other types of professionals who work in the various areas of psychology.


Work Settings and Subfields of Psychology

Source: (a) Tsapogas et al., 2006, (b) Hoffer et al., 2007)

Work Settings Areas of Specialization


The Scientific Method


Report, revise, replicate

The Scientific Method1.6 Explain why psychology is considered a science, and identify the steps of the scientific method.

Perceive a Question

Form Hypothesis

Draw conclusions

Test Hypothesis

1

2

3

5

4


Descriptive Methods

Naturalistic Observation Laboratory Observation

• Involves watching animals or people in their natural environments

• Advantage–Realistic behavior

• Disadvantage–Lack of control

• Involves watching animals or people in an artificial but controlled situation, such as a laboratory

• Advantage–Complete control

• Disadvantage–Artificial behavior

1.7 Describe some methods used to describe behavior and summarize the main advantages and drawbacks of each.


Descriptive Methods

Case Studies Surveys

• Detailed investigations of one subject

• Information gained cannot be applied to other cases

• Advantage–Good detail–Can study rare condition

s

• Disadvantage–Can’t really apply results

to other similar people

• Researchers ask a series of questions about topic

• Conducted as in-person interviews, on the telephone, Internet, or with questionnaire

• Advantage–Access to large groups and

large amounts of data

• Disadvantage–Information may not be acc

urate, “courtesy bias”


Representative

Sample

From Population to Sample

Population

Representative Sample: Representative Sample: Randomly selected sample of subjects from a larger population of subjects


Finding Relationships: Correlation

1.8 Explain the correlational technique and describe its usefulness to researchers.

Variable 1 Variable 2Income EducationSmoking Health

Correlation: A measure of the relationship between two variables



Positive correlation: Variables related in same direction

+.70

$ $ $

$

AA AA AA

AAShow graph


Negative correlation: Variables related in opposite direction

-.70

Show graph



Perfect Correlations and Non-Correlations


Experiments

1.9 Identify the steps involved in designing an experiment.

Independent and Dependent Variables

(e.g., type of dog and level of fear)

Experimental and control groups


Experiments

• Placebo effect

• Single-blind

• Experimenter effects & “double blinding”

• Quasi-experimental designs

1.10 Identify two common sources of problems in an experiment, and list some ways to control for these effects.


Ethics of Psychological Research


11

22

33

44

55

66

77

88

Ethics in Psychological Research

Protection of rights and well-being of participants

Informed consent

Justification when deception is used

Right of participants to withdraw at any time

Confidentiality

Protection of participants from harm

Debriefing participants at the end of the study

Correcting any undesirable consequences that may result

1.11 Identify ethical concerns that can occur when conducting research with people and animals.


Ethics in Animal Research

Animal Research:

•Answers questions we could never answer with human research

•Focus is on avoiding unnecessary pain/suffering

•Animals used in approximately 7% of psychological studies


Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking: Making reasoned judgments about claims.

1. “Truths”

2. Evidence

3. Authorities

4. Open minds

1.12 Summarize the basic principles of critical thinking, and explain how it is useful in everyday life.


Lecture Activities

Mind and BodyMind and BodyHow close are the mind and body? Let’s find out. Check your pulse rate right now and write it down. We’ll check again after going through the activity on the next slide.

Did your pulse rate go up or down?By how much?

What are the everyday implications for this

mind-body connection?

What do you think about John B. Watson’s famous quote?

“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors. I am going beyond my facts and I admit it, but so have the advocates of the contrary and they have been doing it for many thousands of years.”

Correlational Research

1. Find a partner and develop a list of two numeric variables that you think would be associated (i.e., amount of sleep and GPA) and survey/observe at least 10 people in class.

2. Graph your findings in a scatterplot.

3. Discuss the findings with your partner and write your conclusions.

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Chp.1 Introductin to Psychology