intro to psych

• Psychology influences our understanding of how the brain functions and how physiological and mental processes interact
• Psychology is considered a science because it uses the same scientific approach as other sciences, such as astronomy or chemistry, to help us understand human behavior
• Psychology is derived from two Greek words, ‘Psyche’ ‘Logos’
• Psyche means ‘soul’ (represented as a butterfly)
• Logos means ‘science’
• Psyche comes to represent the human soul’s triumph over the misfortunes of life in the pursuit of true happiness
• Predict Behavior "What would make this happen again?" after describing and explaining, predict how individuals or groups will behave in certain situations
• Change Behavior "What can you do next time to reach a more positive outcome?" an ability enhances our understanding of human behavior and helps in planning and decision-making
• Eros, also known as Cupid
• Psyche comes to represent the human soul's triumph over the misfortunes of life in the pursuit of true happiness
• Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle interpreted Psychology as the science of the soul
• Emmanuel Kant defined Psychology as the science of the mind
• William James defined psychology as the science of mental processes
• Modern psychologists defined psychology as the “Science of Consciousness”
• James Sully defined psychology as the “Science of the Inner World”
• Wilhelm Wundt defined psychology as the science that studies the “internal experiences” and viewed psychology as a scientific study of consciousness
• Wilhelm Wundt identified three levels of consciousness: conscious, subconscious, and unconscious
• Psychology was defined as the science of behavior in the 20th century, popularized by J.B. Watson
• Psychology is a relatively young science with its experimental roots in the 19th century
• Wilhelm Wundt and William James are credited as the founders of psychology as a science and academic discipline distinct from philosophy
• Rene Descartes introduced the idea of dualism in the 17th century, which states that mind and body are two entities that interact to form the human experience
• Early philosophers relied on methods such as observation and logic
• Today’s psychologists utilize scientific methodologies to study and draw conclusions about human thought and behavior
• Wilhelm Wundt is referred to as the Father Of Psychology and used introspection (internal perception) to study the human mind
• William James introduced Darwin’s theory of evolution and accepted it as an explanation of organism characteristics
• Sigmund Freud proposed the concept of the unconscious mind and its influence on behavior
• Freud's key idea in understanding hysteria was the concept of repression, where individuals push distressing thoughts, memories, or desires into the unconscious
• Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Köhler introduced psychologists in the United States to Gestalt principles, which focus on how sensory experiences relate to each other as a whole
• Ivan Pavlov studied classical conditioning, a form of learning behavior through conditioned reflexes
• John B. Watson popularized behaviorism and shifted the focus of psychology from the mind to behavior
• B. F. Skinner developed operant conditioning principles through positive and negative reinforcement and punishment
• The law of effect states that behaviors with satisfying outcomes are more likely to reoccur
• Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of human needs in motivating behavior
• Abnormal Psychology looks at psychopathology and abnormal behavior
• Behavioral Psychology is based on the theory that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning
• Biopsychology studies how the brain influences behavior
• Cognitive Psychology focuses on internal states such as motivation, problem-solving, decision-making, thinking, and attention
• Comparative Psychology studies animal behavior to understand human psychology better
• Cross-Cultural Psychology looks at how cultural factors influence human behavior
• Developmental Psychology seeks to understand how and why people change throughout life