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V BF

MODULE 1

PSYO1
INTRODUCTION TO
PSYCHOLOGY

to your first module!

This module is a combination of

synchronous& asynchronous learning
and will last for two weeks.

MA. VERONICA C. IRINGAN

Instructor

August 30 2021
Date Initiated
September 08, 2021
Date of Completion

San Mateo Municipal College

Gen. Luna St. Guitnang Bayan I, San Mateo, Rizal
Tel. No. (02) 997-9070
www.smmc.edu.ph

No part of this module may be

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Psychology reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in
any form or by any means without the
prior permission of the instructor.
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

INTRODUCTION TO
PSYCHOLOGY
“It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to, has power over you—if you allow it.”

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

INPUT INFORMATION:

WEEK 1: INTRODUCING PSYCHOLOGY

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
Psychology is now formally defined as the science of behavior and mental processes.
However, the definition of psychology has changed radically over the past century. The history of psychology is the
history of a field struggling itself as a separate and unique scientific discipline.

WHY IS THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY IMPORTANT?

THE EARLY HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

The beginning of psychology can be traced back several centuries to the writings of the Greek philosophers.

 Three centuries before the birth of Christ, the Greek Philosopher

Aristotle wrote extensively about topics like sleep, senses, dreams, and
memory.

 Hundreds of years later, French

Philosopher Rene Descartes,
proposed that mind and brain are
separate entities—an issue that is still discussed in psychology today.

In later centuries, philosophers asked whether human character and

knowledge are innate, or the results of environmental influences—an issue
today that is called the Nature vs. Nurture debate.

The eventual emergence of psychology as a science hinges on advances in other sciences particularly, physiology.
PHYSIOLOGY- is a branch of biology that studies the functions and parts of living organisms, including
humans.
 In the 1600’s, physiologist were becoming interested in the human brain and its relation to behavior.
 By the early 1700’s, it was discovered that damage to the one side of the brain produced a loss function
in the opposite side of the body.
 By the early 1800s, the idea that different brain areas were related differently to behavioral functions
was being vigorously debated.

WUNDT, TITCHENER, AND STRUCTURALISM

By the late 1800s, the stage was set for the emergence of psychology as a separate scientific
discipline. The leading proponent of this was a German physiologist named Wilhem Wundt.
Wundt applied experimental methods to the study of fundamental psychological processes,
such as mental reaction times in response to visual or auditory stimuli.
Example:
Wundt tried to measure precisely how long it took to consciously detect the sight and sound
of a bell being struck.

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

In 1874, Wundt published the first bona fide psychology textbook, Principles of Physiological Psychology in which
he outlined the connections between physiology and psychology.

It was Wundt’s most devoted student, Edward Titchener,who established Structuralism, the first major approach or
“school” in psychology.
STRUCTURALISM held that even our most complex conscious experiences can be broken down into elemental
structures or component parts of sensation and feelings.
INTROSPECTION- to identify these structures of conscious thought, Wundt and Titchener conducted an experiment
wherein subjects would view a simple stimulus, such an apple, then try to reconstruct their sensation and feelings
immediately after viewing it. They might first report on the colors they saw, then the smells, and so on, to create a total
description of their experience.

JAMES AND FUNCTIONALISM

Psychology may officially begin in Germany in 1879, but it is already on its way being
established in the United States through the efforts of Harvard Professor, William
James.

James’s idea became the basis for FUNCTIONALISM an approach to psychology

that differed from structuralism.
FUNCTIONALISM stressed the importance of how behavior functions to allow
people and animals to adapt to their environment.
The functionalist did not limit their methods to introspection. They expanded the scope
of psychology research to include direct observation of living creatures in natural
settings.

Like the Structuralists, the functionalists thought that psychology should focus on conscious experiences. But rather
than trying to identify the “fundamental” structures of consciousness. William James saw consciousness as an
ongoing “stream” of mental activity.

Thus, both the functionalist and structuralist saw the study of consciousness as the fundamental goal of the
new science of psychology. However, they had very different ideas about how and why consciousness should be
studied.

WILLIAM JAMES AND HIS STUDENTS. Two of James most notable students were G. Stanley Hall and Mary Whiton
Calkins.
 In 1878, G. Stanley Hall received the first Ph. D in psychology to be awarded in America. In the mid
1880’s, Hall founded the first psychology research laboratory in the United States.
He also began publishing the American Journal of Psychology, the first U.S journal devoted to psychology.
 In 1890, Mary Whiton Calkins, under the directions of William James, she completed all the requirements for
a Ph.D in psychology. Calkins had a distinguished professional career, establishing a psychology laboratory
at Wellesley College and becoming the first woman president at the American Psychological Association.

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

TWENTIETH CENTURY LEADERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Beginning in the early 1900’s new approaches emerged that challenged the principles of structuralism and
functionalism.

WATSON AND BEHAVIORISM

The course of psychology changed dramatically in the early 1900s when an approach
called behaviorism emerged as dominating force. Behaviorism rejected the
emphasis on consciousness promoted by the structuralist and functionalists.
Instead, behaviorism contended that psychology should focus its scientific
investigations on observable behavior that could be objectively measured and
verified.

It grew out of the pioneering work of a Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov.
Pavlov demonstrated that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus such as the
sound of the bell, with an automatic behavior such as salivating to food. Once the association was formed, the sound
of the bell alone would make the dog salivate.
Pavlov optimistically believed that he had discovered the mechanism by which all behaviors were learned.

In the United States, Pavlov enthusiasm was shared by a young, dynamic psychologist named John Watson. Watson
championed Behaviorism as a new school, or approach to psychology. Behaviorism both rejected introspection
as a method and the idea that consciousness or mental processes should be studied by psychology.
Instead of mental processes, the early behaviorists focused exclusively on overt behavior. Their goal was to
discover the fundamental principles of learning, how behavior is acquired and modified in response to environmental
influences.
For most part, the behaviorists studied animal behavior under carefully controlled laboratory conditions.

FREUD AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

While Watson and other studied directly observable behavior, across the Atlantic Ocean,
an Austrian physician named Sigmund Freud focused on uncovering causes of
behavior that were unconscious---that is hidden from the person’s conscious awareness.
Freud’s school of psychological thought was called PSYCHOANALYSIS. It emphasized
the role of unconscious conflicts in determining behavior and personality.

Freud’s theories about personality and behavior were based largely on his work with his
patients and on insights derived from self-analysis. Freud believed that human behavior
was motivated by unconscious conflicts that were almost always sexual or
aggressive in nature. Past experiences, especially childhood experiences, were
thought to be critical in the formation of adult personality and behavior.
According to Freud, glimpses of these unconscious impulses are revealed in everyday
life in dreams, memory blocks, slips of the tongue, and spontaneous humor. Freud
believed that when unconscious conflicts become extreme, psychological
disorders can be the result.

Many of the basic ideas of psychoanalysis continue to influence psychologists and other professionals in the mental
health field. It also provided a landmark theory of personality.

WERTHEIMER AND GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

Another influence on American Psychology was the school of Gestalt psychology.
Founded by Max Wertheimer in the early 1900s, Gestalt Psychology emphasized the
perception of whole figures rather than individual elements of conscious
experiences stressed by the structuralist.

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

ROGERS, MASLOW, AND HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY

In combination, behaviorism and psychoanalysis dominated research and practice in American
psychology for several decades. However, in the 1950s, a new school of thought emerged,
called HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY. Because humanistic psychology was distinctly different
from both psychoanalysis and behaviorism, it was sometimes referred to as the “third force”
in American psychology.

Humanistic Psychology was largely founded by American Psychologist, Carl Rogers. Like
Freud, Rogers was heavily influenced by his experiences with his psychotherapy clients.
However, rather than emphasizing unconscious conflicts and causes of behavior, Rogers
emphasized the conscious experiences of his patients, including each person’s unique potential
for psychological growth and self-direction.
In contrast to the behaviorist, who saw human behavior as being determined solely by
environmental influences, Rogers emphasized self-determination, free will, and the
importance of choice in human behavior.

Abraham Maslow, another humanistic psychologist developed a theory of motivation that emphasized psychological
growth. Like psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology included both influential theories of personality and a form of
psychotherapy.

FOUR MAJOR PERSPECTIVE IN PSYCHOLOGY

1. BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE- a psychologist might base behavior during stages of development through the
influence of genetics or physical bases.
2. BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE- a psychologist might focus on the environmental influences on behavior.
3. COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE- a psychologist might focus on the mental processes.
4. SOCIO-CULTURAL- a psychologist might focus on the influence of culture on behavior.

METHODS OF RESEARCH

THE CATEGORIES OF RESEARCH

1. DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH- a research that is used to observe and describe behavior. It do not involve
deliberate manipulation of variables rather; they are research strategies for observing and describing behavior.
Using descriptive method, researchers can answer important questions, such as when certain behaviors take
place, how often they occur, and whether they are related to other factor like person’s age, race, and
educational level. It can provide a wealth of information about behavior, especially behaviors that would be
difficult or impossible to study experimentally.
NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION- when psychologists systematically observe and record behaviors as they
occur in their natural settings, they are using the descriptive method called the naturalistic observation. It can
be used to study many different kinds of behavior and subjects, whether they are people or animals. The basic
goal of naturalistic observation is to detect the behavior patterns that exist naturally—patterns that might not
be apparent in laboratory or if the subjects knew they were being watched.
CASE STUDIES- It is an intensive, in-depth investigation of an individual. Case studies are most often used
to investigate rare, unusual, or extreme conditions. Nevertheless, it can provide psychologists with information
that can be used to help understand normal behavior.
It also involves compiling a great deal of information, often from a variety of different sources, to construct a
detailed picture of a single subject.

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

Example: the subject may be intensively interviewed, and his or her friends, family, and co-workers may be
interviewed as well. Psychological records, medical records, and even school records may be examined. Other
sources of information can include extensive psychological testing and observations of the person’s behavior.
SURVEY- A direct way to find out about the behavior or attitudes, and opinions of people is simply to ask them.
Survey and questionnaires typically involve paper and pencil format in which the subjects respond to a
structured set of questions about their experiences, beliefs, behavior, or attitudes.
One key advantage offered by survey research is that researchers are able to gather information from a much
larger group of people than could be obtained by other research methods. In survey, the researcher usually
select a sample-a segment of the larger group or population. Selecting a sample that is representative of the
larger group is the key to getting accurate survey results.
How do researchers select the participants for the sample so that they end up with a sample that is
representative of the larger group? The most common strategy is to randomly select the sample
participants. Random Selection means that every member of the larger group has an equal chance of
being selected for inclusion in the sample.

2. CORRELATIONAL STUDIES- shows how strongly two factors are related to one another. The statistical
procedure we can use to calculate correlational studies is correlation coefficient. A correlation coefficient
is a numerical indicator of how strongly related to factors seem to be. A correlation coefficient always fall in a
range from -1.00 to + 1.00. There are two parts to any correlation coefficient—the number and the sign. The
number tells us about the strength of the relationship and the sign indicates the direction of the
relationship between the two variables.
More specifically, the closer a correlation coefficient is to 1.00, whether it is positive or negative, the stronger
the correlation or association between two factors. Hence, a correlation of +80 or -.80 would represent a strong
association, while a correlation of +.20 or -.20 would represent a weak correlation.
POSITIVE CORRELATION- two variables increases or decreases together.
NEGATIVE CORRELATION- two variables move in opposite direction.
EVEN IF THE TWO FACTORS ARE VERY STRONGLY CORRELATED, CORRELATION DOESN’T
INDICATE CAUSATION. All a correlation tells you is that two factors may be strongly co-vary in a
systematic way. Although two factors are strongly correlated, different evidence is required to
demonstrate a true cause and effect relationship.

3. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
 Dependent Variable- the factor that is observed and measured for change in an experiment; though to be
influenced by the dependent variable
 Random Assignment- Assigning subjects to experimental conditions in such a way that all subjects have
an equal chance of being assigned to any of the conditions or groups in the study. It is an important
element of good experimental design.
Randomly assigning subject ensures that differences among the subjects are spread out across all
experimental conditions, random assignment helps ensure that the assignment of subjects is done in an
unbiased manner.
 Control Group- the group of subjects who are exposed to all experimental conditions, including the
independent variable.
 Placebo control group- An experimental control group in which subjects are exposed to fake independent
variable.
 Expectancy effect- Change in subject’s behavior produced by the subject’s belief that change should happen .

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
© San Mateo Municipal College All Rights Reserved

BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY
• EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY – focuses on research basic topics like sensory processes, principles of
learning, emotion and motivation. However, note that experiments are used by psychologists in every area of
psychology.
• DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY- studies the physical, social and psychological changes that occur at
different ages and stages over the lifespan, from conception to old age.
• SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY- explores how people are affected by their natural environments, including how
people think and influence others. Topics varied as conformity, obedience, persuasion, interpersonal
attraction, helping behavior prejudice, and aggression are studied by social psychologists.
• PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY- examines individual differences and the characteristics that makes each
person unique, including how those characteristics originated and developed.
• HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY- focuses on the role of psychological factors in the development, prevention, and
treatment of illness. Health psychology include areas like stress and coping, the relationship between
psychological factors and health, patient/doctor relationships and ways of promoting health-enhancing
behaviors.
• EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY- studies how people of all ages learn. Educational psychologists help
develop the instructional methods and materials used to train people in both educational and work settings. A
related field, school psychology focuses on designing programs that promote the intellectual, social, and
emotional development of children, including those with special needs.
• INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY- is concerned with the relationship between people and
work. This specialty includes such topics as workers productivity and job satisfaction, personnel selection and
training, consumer reactions to a company’s products or services, and the interaction between people and
equipment.
• CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY- studies the causes, treatment, and prevention of different types of psychological
disorders, such as debilitating anxiety or depression, eating disorders, and chronic substance abuse. A related
specialty area is counseling psychology, which aims to improve everyday functioning by helping people solve
problems in daily living and cope more effectively with challenging situations.

San Mateo Municipal College Introduction to Psychology

Bachelor of Science in Psychology