PSY C102: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCH

• In Greek origin, Psyche means “life’s substances such as blood or breath” or “Soul or Mind”
• Mental Processes refer to actions or procedures of the mind
• Modern Psychology is considered a young science compared to other natural sciences
• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
• Behavior refers to any form of action or anything observable directly
• Logos means “Study”
• Goals of Psychology:

  • Describe behavior by providing concrete or observable details
  • Explain or understand how and why behavior occurred
  • Control behavior by learning new behaviors
• Historical Origin of Psychology:

  • In India, Buddha described ideas as gradual combinations of sensations and perceptions
  • In China, Confucius believed thoughts and decisions are controlled by the person
  • In Greece, the study of the soul and mind flourished with Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
• Greek Philosophers:

  • Socrates believed thoughts and knowledge come from within
  • Plato introduced the importance of rational thinking
  • Aristotle stressed the importance of inductive reasoning
• Rene Descartes:

  • French Philosopher and Mathematician
  • Believed in the NATIVIST view, emphasizing genetics and heredity influencing behavior
• John Locke:

  • British Philosopher
  • Believed in the empiricist view, where knowledge comes from experience and learning
• Nature (Nativism) vs. Nurture (Empiricism) are two views in Psychology explaining how the mind works and how we become who we are
• Hippocrates:

  • Greatest Physician of ancient times
  • Mental illness results from imbalances in body fluids known as "humors"
• Franz Joseph Gall:

  • Developed Phrenology, studying skull size and indentation in relation to intelligence and personality
• Hermann von Helmholtz:

  • First to measure the speed of neural impulse
  • Studied vision, audition, and reaction times
• Ernst Weber:

  • Introduced the concept of threshold, including two-point threshold and just noticeable differences
• Gustav Theodor Fechner:

  • Introduced experimental study of mental processes through physical stimulation
  • Described Psychophysics as the study of sensory perceptions through physical stimulation
• Wilhelm Wundt:

  • Established the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany
  • Known as the father of modern Psychology
  • Focused on conscious experiences and used introspection in his experiments
• Inductive reasoning is a form of making generalizations from observations made. This form of thinking came to be the central part of investigation
• Socrates (469-399 BCE) – he believed that thoughts and knowledge comes from within us and that understanding the self allows one to live a virtuous life
• • Plato (427- 347 BCE) – introduced the importance of rational thinking
• Aristotle (384-322 BCE) – stressed on the importance of inductive reasoning
• Nature view holds the belief that genetic predispositions determine behavior
• Nurture view argues that environmental influences determine our behavior
• • “humors”:
  • Blood
  • Phlegm (calm, patient, composed)
  • Black Bile
  • Yellow Bile
  • This later became known as temperaments
• Benevolence is at the center of the upper forehead
• Verbal Memory is at the cortex behind the eyes