Chapter 1: Psychology: Yesterday and Today. Lecture Outline What is psychology? Psychology’s roots in philosophy The early days of psychology Twentieth-century

Chapter 1: Psychology: Yesterday and Today

Lecture Outline

What is psychology? Psychology’s roots in philosophy The early days of psychology Twentieth-century approaches Psychology today

© John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

What Is Psychology?

Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour.


The Four Goals of Psychology

Description

Explanation

Prediction

Control


Levels of Analysis

When studying why a certain behaviour or mental process occurs, one can study the influences of: The brain

Neural activity The person

Emotions, ideas, thoughts The group

Friends, family, culture


Levels of Analysis

Level What Is Analyzed Example: Using Social Media

The brain How brain structure and brain cell activity differ from person to person and situation to situation

What are the patterns of brain activation as people interact with “friends” online?

The person How the content of the individual’s mental processes form and influence behaviour

Are there personality factors that influence how much people use different types of social media? Can online social support or crisis resources improve people’s decision making and quality of life?

The group How behaviour is shaped by the social and cultural environments

What features of social networking sites, such as relative anonymity, ease of access, and lack of face-to-face contact, increase or decrease users’ feelings of belonging and connectedness? © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

Psychology’s Roots in Philosophy

Many myths and ceremonies developed as a way to describe, explain, predict, and control our reality.


Psychology’s Roots in Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of knowledge and reality.

Philosophers posed questions and then discussed proposed solutions This lead to modern day scientific theory.

Hippocrates used direct observation to test his theory of medicine; this lead to the development of the scientific method. He developed one of the first psychological theories: Physical and psychological health are

influenced by the four humors. © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

The Early Days of Psychology

• Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920)• Father of psychology• Established first

psychology lab in 1879

• Started a branch of psychology called voluntarism• Studied

consciousness


Structuralism

What was it? An attempt to try to identify all of the

elements of consciousness Looking within yourself to identify conscious

elements; a process called introspection The goal was to describe observable mental

processes rather than to explain, predict, or control

Who founded it? Edward Titchener (1867–1927)

He was a student of Wundt and he formed the school of structuralism in the United States© John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

Functionalism

What was it? The belief that mental processes were fluid (“stream of

consciousness”) instead of fixed elements (as structuralists thought)

Emphasizes the functions of the mind in adapting to a changing environment. Included animals and those with mental disorders in research.

Who founded it? William James (1842-1910)

He set up the first psychology lab in the US at Harvard. He wrote the first psychology textbook, Principles of

Psychology, which was published in 1890.


Gestalt Psychology

What was it? Said consciousness

CANNOT be broken down into small elements

We perceive things as whole perceptual units

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Problem solving involves insight


Psychoanalysis

What is it? The belief that people’s

behaviours are based on their unconscious desires and conflicts

Who founded it? Sigmund Freud (1856–

1939) He developed a form

of therapy that aimed to resolve unconscious conflicts


Behaviourism

What is it? The belief that the scientific investigation of

psychology should be focused only on behaviour you can observe

Who founded it? Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936)

Found that dogs could learn to associate a bell with an automatic behaviour, such as salivating for food.

John B. Watson (1878–1958) He conducted the “Little Albert” experiment and

solidified classical conditioning


Behaviourism continued

Who founded it? B.F. Skinner (1904–1990)

He developed operant conditioning, which uses reinforcement and punishment to shape behaviours.

Albert Bandura (1925–) Demonstrated that children also learn by social

observation or modelling


Humanistic Psychology

What is it? Stresses a person’s capacity for personal growth,

freedom to choose his or her destiny, and positive qualities

Humanists say that our subjective perceptions of the world are unique and are more important than behaviour itself

Who founded it? Carl Rogers (1902–1987)

Developed “client-centred therapy,” which said that people are innately good

Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) He developed a theory of motivation that consists of a

hierarchy of needs


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs


Cognitive Psychology

What is it? It focused on the important role of mental

processes in how people process information, develop language, solve problems, and think

Cognitive psychologists compared the human mind to a computer

Cognitive scientists developed rigorous experimental standards

Who founded it? Ulric Neisser coined the term cognitive psychology

as the study of information processing


Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology

Cultural psychology The study of how

cognitive processes vary across different populations

Cross-cultural psychology The study of the

cognitive processes that are universal regardless of culture


Neuroscience

What is it? The study of brain structure and activity as they are

related to individual behaviours and group dynamics

Who founded it? Karl Lashley (1890–1958)

He used surgical techniques to attempt to locate all areas of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and other functions.

Roger Sperry (1913–1994) He conducted split-brain research on animals.


Subfields Influenced by Neuroscience

Behavioural genetics: examines the influence of genes on human behaviour

Evolutionary psychology: evolution and genetic inheritance are important in shaping our thoughts and behaviours Sociobiology proposes that our social

behaviour is the result of biological and cultural influences


Clinical and counselling psychology Work as therapists

Academic Work as professors, both teaching and doing

researchApplied

Work in schools, marketing firms, research institutions, etc. applying psychological skills to real-life situations.

Psychology Today: Three Main Branches of Psychology


Branches of Psychology


Where Do New Psychologists Work?


Shared Values of ALL Psychologists

Psychology is… Theory-driven: uses theories to explain

behaviour Empirical: based on research Multi-level: explained by the brain, the

individual, and social influences Contextual: based on cultural context


Current Trends in Psychology

Growing Diversity More women and members of minority groups

Advances in Technology The development of computers, brain imaging

techniques, and pharmacological treatments

New Schools of Thought Positive psychology and positive psychotherapy

focus on happiness and other positive emotions


Copyright

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted by Access Copyright (The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency) is unlawful. Requests for further information should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. The purchaser may make back-up copies for his or her own use only and not for distribution or resale. The author and the publisher assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or damages caused by the use of these programs or from the use of the information contained herein.

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Chapter 1: Psychology: Yesterday and Today. Lecture Outline What is psychology? Psychology’s roots in philosophy The early days of psychology Twentieth-century