Psych 101

• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
• Behavior in psychology can be either overt, which can be directly observed, or covert, which cannot be directly observed.
• The scientific study of dreaming was made possible by use of the EEG, a device that records the tiny electrical signals generated by the brain as a person sleeps.
• The EEG converts these electrical signals into a written record of brain activity.
• Certain shifts in brain activity, coupled with the presence of rapid eye movements, are strongly related to dreaming.
• The goals of psychology include description, understanding, prediction, control, and positive use (controlling unwanted behaviors) or negative use (controlling people’s behaviors without their knowledge).
• Psychology is not common sense, the mysterious, or a parascience.
• Pseudopsychologies are unfounded systems that resemble psychology but are not based on scientific testing, such as palmistry, phrenology, graphology, astrology, and Feng Sui.
• Wilhelm Wundt is considered the "Father" of psychology and set up the first lab to study conscious experience in 1879.
• Introspection, or looking inward, is a method used in psychology.
• Psychology started with man’s early speculations in the Traditional Era, with beliefs in animism and the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle postulating that the "Soul" is the source of life.
• Galen primarily focused on his concept of the four humours that controlled the human condition: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile.
• In the Modern Era, René Descartes argued that the mind gives people the capacities for thought and consciousness, and John Locke proposed the concept of "Tabula Rasa", Latin for "blank sheet or blank tablet".
• Structuralism, as defined by Wilhelm Wundt, dealt with the structure of mental life and established the first laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.
• Functionalism, as defined by William James, focused on how the mind functions to help us adapt and survive.
• Forensic Psychology is a specialty area that deals with issues related to psychology and the law, applying psychological principles to legal issues.
• Clinicians often work in private practices, but many also work in community centers or at universities and colleges.
• Biological Psychology/Neuro Psychology focuses on how biological influences, specifically the brain and nervous system, influence the human mind and behavior, often studying how brain injury and illness impact normal psychological functioning and using imaging tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at the brain to determine which areas are activated when particular tasks are performed.
• Educational Psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with schools, teaching psychology, educational issues, and student concerns, often studying how different variables influence individual student outcomes and topics such as learning disabilities, giftedness, the instructional process, and individual differences.
• Counseling Psychology is one of the largest individual subfields in psychology, centered on treating clients experiencing mental distress and a wide variety of psychological symptoms.
• Developmental Psychology focuses on how people change and grow throughout the entire lifespan, studying how different variables influence individual student outcomes and topics such as learning disabilities, giftedness, the instructional process, and individual differences.
• Industrial-Organizational Psychology is a branch that applies psychological principles to research on workplace issues such as productivity and behavior, often referred to as I/O psychology, working to improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace while also maximizing the well-being of employees.
• Sports Psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise, and physical activity, with some sports psychologists working with professional athletes and coaches to improve performance and increase motivation, and other professionals utilizing exercise and sports to enhance people’s lives and well-being throughout the entire lifespan.
• Behaviorism, as defined by John B. Watson and Burrhus F. Skinner, posits that psychology must study observable behavior objectively.
• Cognition (thinking) and conditioning are combined to explain behavior.
• Branches of psychology are constantly growing and evolving, with many specialty areas requiring additional graduate study in that particular field.
• Each person has innate goodness and is able to make free choices, according to Humanism.
• Self-image is your perception of your own body, personality, and capabilities.
• Self-evaluation refers to positive and negative feelings you have about yourself.
• Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic perspective posits that our behavior is largely influenced by our unconscious wishes, thoughts, and desires, especially sex and aggression.
• Albert Bandura posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling.
• Freud performed dream analysis and was an interactionist, meaning that our biology and environment make us who we are.
• Albert Ellis was one of the most influential Psychotherapists in the establishment of cognitive behavioral therapy because he founded Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
• Rogers and Maslow are key figures in Humanism.
• Frame of reference is a mental perspective used for interpreting events.
• Self-actualization, as defined by Maslow, is the process of fully developing one’s potential and becoming the best person possible.
• Watson studied Little Albert with Rosalie Raynor and Skinner studied animals almost exclusively.
• Clinical psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric disorders.
• Repression is when threatening thoughts are unconsciously held out of awareness.
• Psychoanalysis involves the process of free association, where one says whatever comes to mind, regardless of how embarrassing or unimportant it may seem.