INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology – a field defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Psychology is
concerned with who each of us is and how we came to be the way we are. The field seeks to understand
each person as an individual, but it also examines how we act in groups, including how we treat each
other and feel about each other. Psychology is concerned with what all humans have in common, but it
also looks at how each of us differs from the others in our species – in our beliefs, our personalities, and
our capabilities. And psychologists don’t merely seek to understand these various topics; they are also
interested in change: how to help people become happier or better adjusted, how to help children learn
more effectively, or how to help them get along better with their peers.
Learning Objective:
1. Define psychology
2. Describe the historical roots of psychology.
3. Explain the major theoretical perspectives in the field.
4. Differentiate between basic and applied research.
5. Differentiate between the goals of descriptive, correlational, and experimental research designs,
and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Introduction and History of Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind (mental processes) and behavior. The word “psychology”
comes from Greek words psyche meaning “life and spirit,” “mind,” or “soul,” and logos, meaning “study
or explanation.” Therefore, psychology is the study of mind.
Psychology is a broad field, with many specialties, but fundamentally, psychology is the science of
behavior and mental processes.
Psychology is not
- mere speculation about human nature
- a body of folk wisdom about people that “everybody knows” to be true
Psychology is a broad field with many specialties, grouped in three major categories: experimental
psychology, teaching of psychology, and applied psychology.
Modern psychology developed from several conflicting traditions, including structuralism. Functionalism,
Gestalt psychology, behaviorism, and psychoanalysis.
Schools of Psychology
1. Structuralism – devoted to uncovering basic structures that make up mind and thought.

Founded by Wilhelm Wundt – Father of Psychology; In 1879 in Leipzig, Germany, First

Psychological Laboratory

Known for ideas of Introspection – the process of looking within; Report sensations, images, and
feelings of objects.
 2. Functionalism – believed mental processes could be best understood in terms of their adaptive
purpose and function.

Founded by William James in 1890’s in Harvard; Big fan of Darwin (who, by the way, helped to
kick off psychology); Disagreed with Wundt – said that sensations are only a part of the picture.

What about emotions that are triggered? Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are adaptive and
that there is a specific function of these things.

3. Gestalt Psychology – interested in how we construct “perceptual wholes.”

Prominent Gestalt Psychologists Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler; Wertheimer was
interested in visual illusions and ambiguous figures.

Kohler was interested in “a-ha” moments known as “insight learning,” which is when we see
something for being more than what it is or suddenly “get it.”

Relied on introspection – report sensations and what you see and feel; however, the idea is that
the “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

4. Behaviorism – argued psychology should deal solely with observable events.

Led by John B. Watson in the 1920’s;

They were the ones that liked to cause controversy – they disagreed with everyone else;

They were the only interested in observable behaviors because that was the only thing that could
be considered “reliable evidence.”

5. Psychoanalysis – asserted mental disorders arise from conflicts in the unconscious mind.

Father of Psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud – 1930’s;

Said that all problems arise or are related to unconscious – it is the infantile source of behavior
(id, ego, superego)

Where do our hidden fears or desires come from; how is our past related to our fears and desires
and obsessions?
FIELDS AND RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY
Major Branches of Psychology
Abnormal Psychology – branch of psychology that looks at psychopathology and abnormal behavior.

Behavioral Psychology – also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all
behaviors are acquired through conditioning.

Biopsychology – branch of psychology that is focused on the study of how the brain influences behavior.
Cognitive Psychology – branch of psychology that focuses on internal states such as motivation,
problem-solving, decision-making, thinking and attention.

Comparative Psychology – branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior.

Developmental Psychology – looks at development throughout the lifespan, from prenatal period until
death.

Educational Psychology – branch of psychology concerned with schools, teaching psychology,

educational issues and student concerns.

Experimental Psychology – branch of psychology that uses scientific methods to research the brain and
behavior.

Personality Psychology – branch of psychology focused on the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and
behavior that make a person unique.

Social Psychology – seeks to explain and understand social behavior and looks at diverse topics including
group behavior, social interactions, leadership, nonverbal communication, and social influences on
decision-making.

Research in Psychology
o Basic Research: conducted to advance scientific knowledge
o Applied Research: designed to solve practical problems
Four Key Research Methods:
o Experimental
o Descriptive
o Correlational
o Biological

1. Experimental Research: carefully controlled scientific procedure that manipulates variables to

determine cause and effect.
o Key features of an experiment:
- Independent variable (factor that is manipulated) versus dependent variable
(factor that is measured)
- Experimental group (receives treatment) versus control group (receives no
treatment)
2. Descriptive Research: observes and records behavior without producing casual explanations.
o Three types of descriptive research:
- Naturalistic Observation (observation and recording of behavior in natural state
or habitat)
- Survey (assessment of a sample or population)
- Case Study (in-depth study of a single participant)
3. Correlational Research – observes or measured (without directly manipulating) two or more
variables to find relationship between them.
o Positive Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the same direction – either up or
down.
o Negative Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the opposite direction – either up
or down.
 o Zero Correlation: no relationship between two variables (when one variable increases,
the other can increase, decrease, or stay the same.

4. Biological Research: scientific studies of the brain and other parts of the nervous system

Comparing the Four Major Research Methods

Method Purpose Advantages Disadvantages

Experimental Identify cause and Allows researchers Ethical concerns,
(manipulation and effect (meet precise control over practical limitations,
control of variables) psychology’s goal of variables and to artificiality of lab
explanation) identify cause and conditions,
effect. uncontrolled variables
may confound results,
researcher and
participant biases.
Descriptive Observe, collect, and Minimizes artificiality, Little or no control over
(naturalistic record data (meets easier to collect data, variables, researcher
observation, surveys, psychology’s goal of allows description of and participant biases,
case studies) description) behavior and mental cannot explain cause
processes as they occur. and effect
Correlational Identify relationships Helps clarify Researchers cannot
(statistical analyses of and assess how well relationships between identify cause and
relationships between one variable predicts variables that cannot be effect.
variables another (meets examined by other
psychology’s goal of methods and allows
 prediction) prediction.
Biological (study of the Identify contributing Shares many or all of Shares many or all of
brain and other parts of biological factors the advantages of the disadvantages of
the nervous system, (meets one or more of experimental, experimental,
psychology’s goals). descriptive, and descriptive, and
correlational research. correlational research.