What is What is Psychology?Psychology?

Defining PsychologyDefining Psychology

► Is the science of behavior and mental Is the science of behavior and mental processes.processes.

► Psychology is committed to: objectivity, Psychology is committed to: objectivity, accuracy and maintaining a healty accuracy and maintaining a healty skepticism.skepticism.

► Today, psychology study both mental Today, psychology study both mental processes and behavior to see how processes and behavior to see how organisms are affected by, and in turn organisms are affected by, and in turn affect, the social, physical, and biological affect, the social, physical, and biological world.world.

Aims and Scope of Aims and Scope of PsychologyPsychology

►The goals of psychology are describe The goals of psychology are describe the basic components of behavior, to the basic components of behavior, to explain them, to predict them, and, explain them, to predict them, and, potentially, to manage them.potentially, to manage them.

►Psychologists develop theories. A Psychologists develop theories. A theorytheory is a collection of interrelated is a collection of interrelated ideas and facts put forward to explain ideas and facts put forward to explain and predict behavior and mental and predict behavior and mental processes.processes.

A history os psychology: Schools of A history os psychology: Schools of Psychological thought, past and presentPsychological thought, past and present

SCHOOLSCHOOL FOCUSFOCUS EARLY EARLY LEADERLEADER

STRUCTURALISMSTRUCTURALISM Consideres conscious experience the Consideres conscious experience the proper subject matter of psychology. Used proper subject matter of psychology. Used a technique called a technique called introspectionintrospection (the (the description and analysis by a person of description and analysis by a person of what he or she is thinking and feeling.what he or she is thinking and feeling.

WUNDTWUNDT

FUNCTIONALISMFUNCTIONALISM Grew out structuralism and was concerned Grew out structuralism and was concerned with how and mhy the conscious mind, with how and mhy the conscious mind, works; a principal aim was to know how works; a principal aim was to know how those contents of consciousness worked those contents of consciousness worked together.together.

JAMESJAMES

GESTALTGESTALT Suggested that conscious experience is Suggested that conscious experience is more than simply the sum of its parts. more than simply the sum of its parts. Focused on the unity of perception and Focused on the unity of perception and thinking.thinking.

WERTHEIMERWERTHEIMER

SCHOOLSCHOOL FOCUSFOCUS EARLY EARLY LEADERLEADER

PSYCHOANALYSISPSYCHOANALYSIS He focused on the causes and treatment of He focused on the causes and treatment of emotional disturbances. Freud worked emotional disturbances. Freud worked from the premise the unconscious from the premise the unconscious processes direct daily behavior. He processes direct daily behavior. He emphasized the idea that childhood emphasized the idea that childhood experiences influence future adult behavior experiences influence future adult behavior and the sexual energy fuels day – to – day and the sexual energy fuels day – to – day behavior.behavior.

FREUDFREUD

COGNITIVECOGNITIVE Focuses on thought processes and Focuses on thought processes and mental activities involved in mental activities involved in perception, memory, learning, and perception, memory, learning, and thinking. Cognitive psychology thinking. Cognitive psychology focuses on the mental processes focuses on the mental processes involved in behavior, such as how involved in behavior, such as how people solve problems and appriaise people solve problems and appriaise situations as threatening.situations as threatening.

VARIOUSVARIOUS

BEHAVIORISMBEHAVIORISM The behaviorists’ prespective focuses The behaviorists’ prespective focuses on how observable responses are on how observable responses are learned, modified, and forgotten. A learned, modified, and forgotten. A fundamental assumption is that fundamental assumption is that disordered behavior can be reshaped disordered behavior can be reshaped and that appropriate, worthwhile and that appropriate, worthwhile behavior can be substituted throught behavior can be substituted throught the traditional learning techniques.the traditional learning techniques.

WATSONWATSON

HUMANISTICHUMANISTIC Emphasized the uniqueness of the human Emphasized the uniqueness of the human experience and the idea that human beings experience and the idea that human beings have frr will to determine their destiny.have frr will to determine their destiny.

MASLOWMASLOW

BIOLOGICALBIOLOGICAL Focuses on how physical mechanisms affect Focuses on how physical mechanisms affect emotions, feelings, thoughts, desires, and emotions, feelings, thoughts, desires, and sensory experiences.sensory experiences.

VARIOUSVARIOUS

ECLECTICISM: THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

An eclectis orientation allows a researcher or practitioner to view a problem from several orientations. Consider Depression:

• From a biological perspective alone, people become depressed becouse of changes in brain chemistry.

•From a behavioral poin of view alone, people learn to be depressed and sad because of faulty reward systems in ther enviroment.

•The cognitive perspective suggests that depression is made worse by the interpretations (thoughts) an individual might adopt about a situations.

Is Psychology a Unified Science?Is Psychology a Unified Science?

►Psychology is a science that answers Psychology is a science that answers important questions. To do so, it uses a important questions. To do so, it uses a variety of methods, is flexible in variety of methods, is flexible in explaining behavior; accounts for the explaining behavior; accounts for the complexity of the brain, the environment, complexity of the brain, the environment, and behavior relations; and and behavior relations; and accommodates competing theories. accommodates competing theories. There are many specialities and interests, There are many specialities and interests, but only one science of psychology.but only one science of psychology.

PSYCHOLOGISTPSYCHOLOGIST

Person who studies behavior and Person who studies behavior and uses behavioral principles in uses behavioral principles in scientific research or in applied scientific research or in applied settings for the treatment of settings for the treatment of emotional problems emotional problems

PSYCHIATRISTPSYCHIATRIST

Medical Medical doctor who has completed a doctor who has completed a residency specializing in the study of residency specializing in the study of behavior and the treatment of behavior and the treatment of patients with emotional and physical patients with emotional and physical disorders disorders

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTSCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS

generally have extensive training in generally have extensive training in assessment, research, and assessment, research, and psychological treatment of emotional psychological treatment of emotional problems.problems.

PSYCHOANALYSTPSYCHOANALYST

has estudied the technique of has estudied the technique of psychoanalysis and uses it in treating psychoanalysis and uses it in treating people with emotional problemspeople with emotional problems

A psychologist Ph. D. will have a A psychologist Ph. D. will have a wide variety of job opportunities wide variety of job opportunities available in both the private and the available in both the private and the public sectors.public sectors.

Master´s degrees can function in a Master´s degrees can function in a wide variety of settings, even those wide variety of settings, even those with bachelor´s degrees can take an with bachelor´s degrees can take an important role in the delivery of important role in the delivery of psychological services.psychological services.

What psychologists doWhat psychologists do

►Human service fields Human service fields

They teach people to cope more They teach people to cope more effectively by applying behavioral effectively by applying behavioral principles. Ther aim is to help people principles. Ther aim is to help people solve problems and the promote solve problems and the promote well-being. Within the human service well-being. Within the human service area are the subfields of clinical, area are the subfields of clinical, counseling, community and school counseling, community and school psychology.psychology.

Clinical psychologistsClinical psychologists

Specialize in helping clients with Specialize in helping clients with behavior problems such as behavior problems such as anger,shyness, deression or marital anger,shyness, deression or marital discord. discord.

They work either in private practice They work either in private practice or at a hospital, mental institution or or at a hospital, mental institution or social service agency. social service agency.

Counseling psychologyCounseling psychology

Work with people who have emotional problems Work with people who have emotional problems also help people with career and family planning, also help people with career and family planning, marriage problems.marriage problems.

Community psychology Community psychology

Work for mental health agencies, state Work for mental health agencies, state governments and private organizations.governments and private organizations.

they strengthen existing social support they strengthen existing social support networks and stimulate the formation of nwe networks and stimulate the formation of nwe networks to meet a variety of challengesnetworks to meet a variety of challenges

School psychology School psychology

With the aim of implementing With the aim of implementing comprehensive services. A lot of comprehensive services. A lot of them see their primary jobs has them see their primary jobs has helping students, teachers, parents helping students, teachers, parents and others understand each other. and others understand each other.

Applied psychologyApplied psychology

Research and use that research to Research and use that research to solve every day practical problems.solve every day practical problems.

Psychologists who treat people with Psychologists who treat people with emotional problems function as one.emotional problems function as one.

Engineering psychologists Engineering psychologists

Focus on how to use machines most efficiently Focus on how to use machines most efficiently

Educational Psychologist Educational Psychologist

Focus on how learning proceeds in the classroom, Focus on how learning proceeds in the classroom, how intelligence affects performance and the how intelligence affects performance and the relationship between personality and learningrelationship between personality and learning

Forensic psychologists Forensic psychologists

Focus on legal issues, the court, and Focus on legal issues, the court, and correctional systems.correctional systems.

Health Health psychologistspsychologists

Focus on the way life-style changes Focus on the way life-style changes con facilitate health improvement.con facilitate health improvement.

Sports Sports psychologistspsychologists

Is an emerging field that focuses on Is an emerging field that focuses on brain behavior interactions, the rol of brain behavior interactions, the rol of sports in healthful life-styles, ans the sports in healthful life-styles, ans the motivation and preparation of athletes motivation and preparation of athletes in sports-related activities.in sports-related activities.

Industrial/organizational psychologistsIndustrial/organizational psychologists

Are concerned with the way employers Are concerned with the way employers evaluate employees, they focus on evaluate employees, they focus on personal selection employee personal selection employee motivation, work behavior and work motivation, work behavior and work appraisals.appraisals.

EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGYEXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Focuses on identifying and Focuses on identifying and understanding the basics process understanding the basics process involved in behavior and thought. involved in behavior and thought.

The researcher uses a set of The researcher uses a set of techniques, its does not define the techniques, its does not define the topics that a psychologist examines.topics that a psychologist examines.

The field of developmental The field of developmental psychology focuses on the emotional, psychology focuses on the emotional, physical and intellectual changes physical and intellectual changes that take place over the life span that take place over the life span organism.organism.

Social psychology studies how other Social psychology studies how other people affect individual behavior and people affect individual behavior and thoughts and specially how people thoughts and specially how people interact with one another.interact with one another.

Cognitive psychology focuses on Cognitive psychology focuses on thought processes, especially the thought processes, especially the relationship of learning, memory and relationship of learning, memory and perception.perception.

Psychological psychologyPsychological psychology

Tries to understand the relationship Tries to understand the relationship of the brain on its mechanism to of the brain on its mechanism to behavior.behavior.

Techniques used to Techniques used to study behavior study behavior

The psychologists The psychologists study behavior in study behavior in both animals and both animals and

human beingshuman beings

Psychologists often work with Psychologists often work with a human participants called a human participants called

SubjetsSubjets

The typical research The typical research process is usually process is usually

systematic and begins systematic and begins whit a specific whit a specific

question. question. But sometimes But sometimes

unexpectedly find an unexpectedly find an answer to another answer to another

problem.problem.

A hypothesis is a A hypothesis is a tentative idea that tentative idea that express a causal express a causal

relationship of two relationship of two events o variable.events o variable.

Systematic Systematic explorationsexplorations

The researchers follow up The researchers follow up systematically, that is they try systematically, that is they try to consider all the aspects of to consider all the aspects of a situation that might cause a situation that might cause an organism to behave as it an organism to behave as it

does.does.

Only controlled laboratory Only controlled laboratory experiments permit experiments permit

researches to make cause-an researches to make cause-an effect-statementseffect-statements

Correllated events and Correllated events and causally related eventscausally related events

►Two events are correlated when de Two events are correlated when de presence of a hi value of one variable presence of a hi value of one variable o situation is regulary asociated whit a o situation is regulary asociated whit a hi, or low value of another.hi, or low value of another.

► In contrast:In contrast:

►Events are causally related when one Events are causally related when one event makes another event occur.event makes another event occur.

Significant Significant differences: is the differences: is the

statistically statistically determined likelihood determined likelihood that a behavior not that a behavior not occurred because of occurred because of

chance alonechance alone

The technique they The technique they use more than any use more than any other to explore a other to explore a

cause-effect cause-effect relationship is a relationship is a

controlled controlled experiment.experiment.

Components of experimentComponents of experiment

►VariablesVariables groups experimental and groups experimental and controlledcontrolled

►operational definitionsoperational definitions sample sample sizessizes

Experiment

questionnaires questionnaires

interviewsinterviews

naturalistic naturalistic case studycase study

observationobservation

Another techniquesTo collect information

Strengths and weaknessesStrengths and weaknesses

of 5 approaches to researchof 5 approaches to research Aproach Strengths Weaknesses

Experiment Manipulated the variable to control the extraneus influences,

best method for identifying ausal realtionships

Artificially or laboratory envirotment, limited or generalizability of findings, manipulation of some variables is unethical or impractical

Correlational study Measurement of degree of asociation among variables; good basis for predictions

Limited opportunity to controlled third factors; unable to draw conclusions about causal relationships.

Questionarie Effective means of measuring actions, attitudes, opinions, preferences, and intentions of large number of people.

Lack of explanatory power; validity of findings may be limitted by samples realibity dificult to determine; self report

may be inaccurate or biased

Naturalistic observation Observation of behavior in its natural context

Little opportunity to conrol variables; time-consuming

Case study Study or rare events; extensive evidence gathered on a single person

Lack of generalizability of findings time-consuming