Introduction to Psychology

• Psychology


  The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
• Behavior


  • Observable actions or responses in both humans and animals
  • Includes eating, speaking, laughing, running, etc.
• Types of behavior


  • Covert
  • Overt
• Covert behavior


  Behaviors that are not publicly observable
• Overt behavior


  Behaviors that can be observed by others
• Mental processes


  • Compared to behavior, this cannot be directly observed
  • Refers to the wide range of complex mental processes
  • Includes thinking, imagining, dreaming, etc.
• Fundamental characteristics in studying psychology

  • Human behavior follows an orderly pattern
  • Human behavior can be known
  • Knowledge of human behavior is tentative but superior to ignorance
  • Knowledge is derived from the acquisition of experiences

  
• Science


  • A systematized body of knowledge
  • From the Latin word "scientia", which is derived also form a Latin word "sciens" with the present participle of "scire" meaning "To Know"
• Psychology as a science

  • It strives to be objective in the sense that it decides questions on the basis of fact and not on the basis of wishes or desire
  • The facts are from observations rather than by simply theorizing
• Psychology as an art


  • It does not only advance knowledge, but it also includes a systematic application of behavior principles
• Goals of psychology


  • To describe
  • To explain
  • To predict
  • To control
• Socrates


  • "Know Thyself"
  • Believes psychology is a large part of knowing ourselves
• Plato


  • He believed that knowledge was inherited and a natural component of the human mind
  • He states that knowledge can be gained by reflecting on the contents of one's mind
• Nativism


  States that traits, attitudes, and knowledge are inherited
• Aristotle


  He believed that knowledge is derived or obtained from our sensory experiences and was not inherited from ancestors
• Empiricism


  • States that sensory information is the basis of all knowledge
  • The mind must actively ponder information provided by the senses to discover the knowledge contained within that information
• Rationalism


  Aristotle and Plato both believe that the mind is actively involved in the attainment of knowledge
• Structuralism


  • The study of the most basic elements that make up our conscious mental experiences
  • Most of these are primarily sensations and perceptions
  • The method of introspection is one of the greatest contributions of his theory of structuralism
• Introspection


  • A method of exploring conscious mental processes by asking subjects to look inward and report their sensations and perceptions
  • What's inside or what makes a thing a thing
• Functionalism


  • Is focused on the purpose of consciousness and behavior
  • Emphasized individual differences, which had a profound impact on education
  • Every person has a different purpose
• Gestalt


  • Proposed that perceptions are more than the sum of its parts
  • Studied how sensations are assembled into meaningful perceptual experiences
  • It's the first thing you see that will create perceptions
• Behaviorism


  • Proposes that through conditioning you will learn anything
  • Indicates that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning
  • Emphasizes the study of observable behavior and the role of the environment as determinant of behavior
• Conditioning


  Association of environmental stimuli and organisms' responses
• Approaches in psychology


  • Biological
  • Cognitive
  • Behavioral
  • Psychoanalytic
  • Humanistic
  • Sociocultural
  • Evolutionary
  • Biopsychosocial

  
• Biological approach


  • Focuses on how our genes, hormones, and nervous system interact with the environment to influence learning, personality, memory, motivation, emotion, coping techniques, and other traits and abilities
  • Neuroscience: study that examines the structure/function of all parts of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and networks of brain cells
• Cognitive approach


  • Focuses how we process, store and use information and how this information influences what we attend to, perceive, learn, remember, believe and feel
  • Beliefs can influence our brain
  • Cognitive Neuroscience: Involves taking pictures and identifying the structures and functions of the living brain during the performance of a variety of mental or cognitive processes, such as thinking, planning, naming and recognizing objects

  
• Behavioral approach


  • Studies how humans learn new behaviors or modify existing ones, depending whether events in their environments reward or punish these behaviors
  • In understanding the behavior of the individual, we need to also check the personality of the person
  • Things like rewards and punishments can modify, alter, or control behavior
  • Experts have developed a number of techniques for changing behaviors that can be applied to both animals and humans, however there is a large debate whether these are ethical or not
• Psychoanalytic approach


  • Is based on the belief that childhood experiences greatly influence the development of later personality traits and psychological problems
  • It also stresses the influence of unconscious fears, desires and motivations on thoughts and behaviors
  • In this approach, it is believed that the first 6 years of life is the most important stages to develop personality, and influence the development of traits and behaviors
  • Psychoanalytic approach would search for hidden or unconscious forces that cause these behaviors
• Humanistic approach


  • Emphasizes that each individual has great freedom in directing his or her future, the capacity of personal growth, a considerable amount of intrinsic worth, and enormous potential for self-fulfillment
  • Positive Psychology: The scientific study of optimal human functioning, focusing on the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive
• Sociocultural approach


  • Focuses on how behaviors are formed through social and cultural factors
  • Society does not adapt to you, it's you who adapts onto it
• Evolutionary approach


  • It studies how evolutionary ideas such as adaptation and natural selection, explain human behaviors and mental processes
• Biopsychosocial approach


  • A holistic way of understanding a person
  • A combination of biological, psychological, and social factors influence human development
• Fields of psychology


  • Counseling psychology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Environmental psychology
  • Humanistic psychology
  • Industrial psychology
  • Organizational psychology
  • School psychology
  • Educational psychology
  • Social psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Human factor psychology
  • Consumer psychology
  • Health psychology
  • Sports psychology
  • Experimental psychology
  • Forensics psychology
  • Armchair psychology
  • Psychometrics
• Counseling psychology


  A branch of psych in understanding and helping people solve more or less ordinary but nonetheless important questions they face
• Clinical psychology


  Attempts to understand persons who have emotional or other difficulties such as grief, anxiety, and stress

  
• Environmental psychology


  • Emphasizes psychological aspects of ecology
  • Ecology is the science of the relationship between humans and the environment
  • Humans are affected by the environment
• Humanistic psychology


  Emphasizes the whole person, his motivations, goals, creativity and the like
• Industrial psychology

  Examines the relationships of people and their work environment
• Organizational psychology


  Studies behavior of people in organizations such as business
• School psychology


  • Primarily concerned with understanding the school systems
  • Deals with teacher-administration relationships as well as teacher-pupil relationship