Psychology

CHAPTER 1-INTRODUCTION

Gender test-Girls or Guys-who is smarter

• http://viscog.beckman.illinois.edu/flashmovie/15.php

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

• ANSWER: The Scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

What is Real Psychology and What is Pseudo-psychology?

• Pseudo-psychology is the phony or unscientific psychology which pretends to be the real thing.

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SUBJECTS OF STUDY?

• Both humans and animals are studied by psychologists.

Why study psychology?

• 1. Insight

• 2. Practical info.

GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY

• 1. Description

• 2. Explanation

• 3. Prediction

• 4. Control

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

• Greeks: 5th-6th centuries B.C.

• -Behavior is not dominated by the Gods, but by their own minds.

MODERN PSYCHOLOGY• Structuralism.• Wilhelm Wundt established

the first psychology lab in Germany in 1879.

• He developed a method of self-observation called introspection.

• He tried to map out the thought process.

Darwin’s influence on Psych

• Human/Animal Continuity

• Individual Differences

• Adaptability

• Importance of Environment

• Emphasis on Change

FUNCTIONALISM• William James, the first

American psychologist, felt that structuralism was too limited.

• He focused on survival.

• He studied how mental processes, emotions, and self-concept worked to influence behavior.

Psychoanalysis

• Sigmund Freud asserted that behavior and mental processes reflect unconscious conflicts within each person.

• He developed a theory of personality and analyzed people’s dreams.

• Childhood experiences are the “root” of all problems.

• Interpretation of Dreams

FREUD SAID DREAMS ARE:

• 1.Displacement-symbols

• 2. Thoughts in pictures.

3. Ego Alien

4. Hallucinatory

5. DRAMA

6. DIFFERENT MORAL STANDARDS

7. ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS

8. WISH FULFILLMENT

9. EMOTIONAL PROBLEM RESOLUTION

Common Dream ThemesCommon Dream Themes

Freud/McLaughlin Dream Interpretation

Freud and defense mechanisms

DENIAL

• TRUE=FALSE

DISPLACEMENT

INTELLECTUALIZATION

PROJECTION

RATIONALIZATION

Dude, I didn’t want to go to the prom tonight

anyway!

REACTION FORMATION

REGRESSION

REPRESSION

SUBLIMATION

Compensation

Stop

CARL JUNG

-Follower of Freud

-Collective Unconscious

-ArchetypesExamples?

Behaviorism

• Watson refuted introspection and focused on only observable behavior that could be measured.

• Behaviorists argue that all behavior is learned.

• John Watson believed that we are conditioned to respond a certain way to stimuli. The responses we get “shape” our behavior.

• -Little Albert

Behaviorist Ctd.

• Ivan Pavlov used conditioning of dogs to show that behavior is learned.

• The dogs were conditioned to salivate when a tone was sounded.

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

• Sir Francis Galton

• Study of Genius

• Nature v. Nurture

• Early Personality and Intelligence Tests-Extremes of retardation and giftedness

• Eugenics

Humanism• This perspective emphasizes the unique

qualities of humans. • Free will, self-concept, and self-fulfillment are

emphasized.• People are naturally positive and growth

seeking.-Anti-Freudian• Ex. - desire for love, self-esteem, acceptance,

etc.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Biological Perspective

• Our behavior is a result of our physiological processes and biological development.

• Study psychological effects of genes, hormones, activity of the nervous system and the brain.

Modern Technology

The Cognitive Perspective

• Cognitive theorists focus on the processes of thinking, remembering, decision-making.

• How people take in, retrieve, store, and process information.

Cognitive example• Shoe• Sandwich• Fruit• Blouse• Pants• Potato• Soup• Skirt

Cognitive Example

• Count backward from 100 by threes.• Write down the list of words from before.• Shoe Sandwich• Blouse Fruit• Pants Potato• Skirt Soup• Did you categorized them? • This is a basic finding of cognitive psychologists.

MODERN PSYCHOLOGICALPERSPECTIVES-eclectic

• Biological

• Behavioral

• Cognitive

• Humanistic

• Psychodynamic

• Sociocultural

• Evolutionary/Sociobiolical

• Trait