Psychology- the science of behavior and mental processes.

• Cognition

• Cognitive process

How can we apply it?

• Better understand human behavior.

• Improve assistance w/ learning difficulties.

• Benefiting health and well-being.

Psychology is rooted in the fields of philosophy and physiology.

Dualism: the belief that the mind/body are two separate entities.

• Rene Descartes believed in dualism.

• The physical body follows the laws of physics.

• The mind/soul has no limits.

Determinism: behavior is caused by physical actions/surroundings.

Wilhelm Wundt is the father of psychology.

1879 is psychology’s “birthday”.

Psychoanalysis “taking cure”.

• Created by Sigmund Freud.

• Focused on 3 things, early childhood experiences, the unconscious mind, sexual urges/drive.

• Also called psychodynamic perspective.

Behaviorism Approach: focus on the relationships between environmental events and an organism's behavior.

• John B. Watson

• Emphasized the stimulus response relationship.

Mary Whiton Calkins: denied a doctorate degree because she was a woman.

Francis C. Sumner: first african american to earn a pHd in the 1920’s.

Theoretical Perspective: a view that involves certain assumptions about human behavior.

• Individuals personality, attitudes, prejudices, personal preferences and dislikes.

• Personal experiences.

• Individuals education level.

Perspectives in Psychology

Biological Perspective: Emphasizes the physical bases of an organisms behavior, genetics, nervous system, etc.

• Neuroscience

• Focus on the body as a source of mental/physical illnesses.

Cognitive Perspective: Focuses on mental process, memory, perception, language, problem solving, and thinking.

Behavioral Perspective: The study of how behavior is acquired and modified through experience and environment.

• Mental health professional may emphasize this perspective in treating disorders.

• Based on Watson, Pavlov, and Skinner.

Humanistic Perspective: Focuses on personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and self-concept.

• Based on work of Maslow and Rogers.

Cross-Cultural Perspective

• Ethnocentrism: Tenancy to use your own culture as a standard by which to evaluate/judge others.

• Individualistic cultures: Individual over the needs of a group as a whole.

• Collectivistic cultures: Goals of the group over each individual needs.

Evolutionary Perspective: Watching something grow mentally, emotionally, and physically over a period of time.

• Reflects renewed interest in Darwin’s work.

• Suggests that most adaptive characteristics are through natural selection.

• Analyzes behavior in terms of survival and reproduction.

The Biopsychosocial Model: The perspective that inserts biology, psychology, and social factors to determine an individuals health.

APA- American Psychological Association

Contemporary Psychology: More diverse, various perspectives, more specialized.

Psychologist vs. Psychiatrists

Fields of Specialization

Counseling psychology: Focuses on less severe problems like academic problems/schools.

Clinical psychology: Focuses on illness, ADHD, OCD, etc.

Cognitive psychology: Focuses on how organisms process information, study of thinking, language, etc.

Developmental psychology: Factors that include development from conception to death.

Social psychology: Studies the impact of the social environment on the individual.

Personality psychology: Studies how personality develops, influences behaviors, etc.

Experimental psychology: Studies research in any psychological area.

Biological psychology: Studies the relationship between behavior and physiological and neurological events/conditions.

Health psychology: Studies the interaction between behavioral factors and physical health.

Geropsychology: Studies issues that are unique to the aging population and their experiences.

School psychology: Focuses on the evaluation and resolution of learning and emotional problems.

What is the APA?

• Ethnics

• www.apa.org

• Apa writing format

American Psychiatric Association

• Published the DSM that lists all the mental illnesses.

How do we collect information in Psychology?

• Survey

• Naturalistic observation- observing organisms without the known of them being studied for more natural/realistic results. Observer effect.

• Case studies: includes highly detailed description of an individual, used to investigate rare, unusual conditions, useful for clinical/scientifical areas. May be limited in its generalizability.

Pseudoscience: a collection of beliefs/practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

Population: represented by a sample.

Sample

• Representative sample.

• Is it a large enough sample?

Andrew Wakefield and the Autism Study

• The Lancet published the paper in 1998.

• “Vaccines can cause autism”.

• Funded by a lawyer creating an anti-vaccine lawsuit.

Operational definitions- a precise description of how the variable in a study will be manipulated and measured.

• Self-report, behavioral, physiological measures.

• Allows others to understand how the data was collected and how the research was conducted.

Variable: A factor that can vary/change. The topic of interest.