Psychology(1)

What is Psychology?

Definitions?

Definitions?

• Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behaviour

Psychological Concepts

• Memory and recall• Learning• Perception and representation• Thinking and cognition• Creativity• Attitudes and behaviour• Individual differences and personality• Intelligences

Schools of Thought…• Psychodynamics• Nativism (Rationalist/Biological)• Behaviourism (S-R)• Cognitive Psychology• Humanistic Psychology• Constructivist theories• Social Psychology

A Brief History of Psychology

• Sigmund Freud (1865-1939): ‘I set myself the task of bringing to light what human beings keep hidden within them… the task of making conscious the most hidden recesses of the mind is one which is quite possible to achieve’.


• Ivan Pavlov(1849-1936): Studied the conditioned and unconditioned responses of animals to stimuli. Concluded that learning occurred as an association (coupling) of one event with another. Stimulus-Response.

• Classical Conditioning

A Brief History of Psychology• B. F. Skinner (1904-1990): • Behaviourism• A behaviour followed by a

reinforcing stimulus results in an increased probability of that behaviour occurring in the future.

• Operant Conditioning• Extinction of behaviour

A Brief History of Psychology• Edward Tolman (1886-

1959): • Cognitive Shift Theory• Cognitive Map• Challenge to Behaviourism

A Brief History of Psychology• Leon Festinger (1919-1989): • Cognitive Dissonance

Theory• Describes conflicting

thoughts or beliefs (cognitions) that occur at the same time, or when engaged in behaviours that conflict with one's beliefs.

A Brief History of Psychology• Carl Rogers (1902-1987): • Humanistic approach to

learning• Unconditional positive

regard• Student centred learning

(Client centred approach)

A Brief History of Psychology• Abraham Maslow (1902-

1987): • Hierarchy of Human Needs• Self Actualisation• Psychology of Being• ‘Peak experiences’

A Brief History of Psychology• Lev Vygostsky (1896-

1934): • Zone of Proximal

Development (ZPD)• Social learning• Co-operative learning

A Brief History of Psychology• Jean Piaget (1896-1980): • The child as a solo scientist• Discovery learning• Assimilation and

Accommodation• Schema Theory


• Jerome Bruner (1915-): • Scaffolding• The ‘spiral curriculum’• ‘Cognition is involved in

everything a human being might possibly do…’

A Brief History of Psychology• Howard Gardner(1943-): • Theory of Multiple

Intelligences• ‘An important part of that

understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves’.

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Psychology(1)