L1 What Is Psychology PDF

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Chapter Outline
§ Psychology, Pseudo-science & Popular Opinion
§ Thinking Critically about Psychology
§ Psychology’s Past
§ Psychology’s Present
§ What Psychologists do
Roots of the Word

§ psyche
§ Greek word for the
“soul”
§ logos
§ Greek word for the
study of a subject
4:48 PM
Psychology,
Psychobabble
– Psychobabble
unsupported
popular opinion
– Psychology
Empirical approach
makes use of
research evidence
Definitions of Psychology
1.“the science of mental life”

(William James, 1890)
2. “the study of human or animal behavior”
(Webster’s Dictionary, 1988)
3. “the scientific study of mind and behavior”
(Schacter et al., 2014)
Phrenology
Discredited theory that

different brain areas
account for specific
personality traits
Can be “read” from bumps

on the skull
Psychological Science Is Born
§ Wilhelm Wundt established first independent

psychology lab at University of Leipzig 1879
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-

1920)
§ Defined psychology as
“science of mental life”
§ scientific nature of
psychology included
carefully measured
observations and
experiments
Schools of
psychology
Structuralism
Titchener(1867-1927)
§ Mentored by Wundt
§ task of psychology was
to analyze
consciousness into its
basic elements
§ Introspection: the
careful, systematic
observation of conscious
experience
§ Used these introspective
reports to build a view of
the mind’s structure
Introspection
Functionalism
William James
(1842-1910)
§ Studied human thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors and
asked:
§ What function might they
serve?
§ How might they have helped
our ancestors survive?
§ psychology should
investigate the function or
purpose of conscious
Behaviorism
§ Watson(1878-1958)
§ Skinner (1904 - 1990)
§ Psychology should
study observable
behavior
§ Defined psychology as
“scientific study of
observable behavior”
without reference to
mental processes
§ Became major force in
psychology into 1960s
Gestalt Psychology
§ arises in Germany during 1920’s
Wertheimer Koffka Köhler
• emphasis on organization
• whole is different than the sum of the parts
PHI PHENOMENON
Psychoanalytic
School
§ Freudian psychology
§ Emphasized ways unconscious
thought processes and emotional
responses to childhood
experiences affect later behavior
§ unconscious determinants of
behavior/personality/motivation
§ hypnosis
§ dream interpretation
§ free association
§ slip of the tongue (Freudian Slips)
§ Was second major force until
1960s
Humanistic
psychology
§ Carl Rogers (1905-
1987)
§ Abraham Maslow
(1908-1970)
§ emphasizes the
unique qualities of
humans, especially
their freedom and
potential for personal
growth
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Contemporary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology: Focus on how humans

are alike because of common biology and
evolutionary history
Behavior genetics: Focus on differences related to

differing genes and environments
Cross-cultural psychology: Focus on ways

culture shapes behavior, but same underlying
processes are universal
Gender psychology: Focus on differences; males

and females are overwhelmingly similar
Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

Psychological influences:
• learned fears and other learned
expectations
• emotional responses
• cognitive processing and perceptual
interpretations
Social-cultural influences:
Biological influences:
• presence of others
• genetic predispositions (genetically • cultural, societal, and family
influenced traits) expectations
• genetic mutations • peer and other group influences
• natural selection of adaptive traits and • compelling models (such as in the
behaviors passed down through media)
generations
• genes responding to the environment
Behavior
or mental
process
Psychology’s Subfields
§ Biological psychology
§ Developmental psychology
§ Clinical psychology
§ Counselling psychology
§ Educational psychology
§ Personality psychology
§ Social psychology
biological psychology
§ Approach that focuses on

how bodily events affect
behavior, feelings, and
thoughts
§ This perspective involves:

§ Hormones
§ Brain chemistry
Courtesy Martin Seligman
over time
psychology
Developmental
grow and change

– study how people
Clinical psychology
§ diagnose, treat, and

study mental and
emotional problems
Counselling
psychology
§ help with everyday
problems
School psychology
§ work with parents

and teachers to
enhance
performance
Educational
psychology
§ search for ways to
improve educational
systems
Industrial/Organizational
psychology
§ study behavior in the
workplace (decision-
making, employee
morale, work
motivation, etc.)
Social psychology
§ study of rules, roles,

groups, and
relationships
Cultural psychology
§ study of cultural
norms, values, and
expectations
Evolutionary
psychology
§ How past adaptive

behaviors are
reflected in present
behaviors
Psychiatrists
§ Medical doctors who

diagnose and treat
mental disorders
Psychology research
and specific interests
§ Sports
§ Psychology of women
§ Psychology of men
§ Ethnic minority issues
§ Organizational problems
§ Arts
§ Gay and lesbian issues
§ Environmental issues
§ Public policy
§ Opinion polls
§ Military training
§ Animal behavior
§ Legal issues
Psychology’s new perspectives

Perspective Focus Sample questions Examples of subfields using
this perspective
Neuroscience How the body and brain How do pain messages travel from the hand Biological; cognitive; clinical
enable emotions, memories, to the brain? How is blood chemistry linked
and sensory experiences with moods and motives?
Evolutionary How the natural selection of How does evolution influence behavior Biological; developmental;
traits has promoted the tendencies? social
survival of genes
Behavior genetics How our genes and our To what extent are psychological traits such Personality; developmental;
environment influence our as intelligence, personality, sexual legal/forensic
individual differences orientation, and vulnerability to depression
products of our genes? Of our environment?
Psychodynamic How behavior springs from How can someone’s personality traits and Clinical; counseling;
unconscious drives and disorders be explained by unfulfilled wishes personality
conflicts and childhood traumas?
Behavioral How we learn observable How do we learn to fear particular objects or Clinical; counseling; industrial-
responses situations? What is the most effective way to organizational
alter our behavior, say, to lose weight or
stop smoking?
Cognitive How we encode, process, How do we use information in Cognitive neuroscience;
store, and retrieve information remembering? Reasoning? Solving clinical; counseling; industrial-
problems? organizational
Socio-cultural How behavior and thinking How are we alike as members of one Developmental; social
vary across situations and human family? How do we differ as products psychology; clinical; counseling
cultures of our environment?
What Psychologists do
Teaching and doing research in colleges and universities
Providing health or mental-health services

(psychological practice)
Conducting applied research for non-academic settings

(business, sports, government, law, and military)
Where Psychologists Work
14%
Universities & Colleges
28% Medical Schools
12%
Schools
Human Services Agencies
Other
4%
12%
Government
8%
Self-Employed
11%
11%
Hospitals
4:48 PM
Psychologists' Areas of Specialization
Clinical Psychology
Counselling Psychology
Neuropsychology
Forensic Psychology
Health Psychology
I/O Psychology
Rehabilitation Psychology
School Psychology
Academic Psychology
4:48 PM
Specialties for Recent Ph.D.'s in Psychology
1%
4%
2% Clinical
7%
Neuroscience
Counselling
5%
I/O
6% School
47%
Developmental
6% Social/Personality
Other
4%
Educational
8% General
9%
Cognitive
4:48 PM
How to study Psychology textbook

SQ3R Study Method (McDaniel et al., 2009;

Robinson, 1970)
Survey Question Read Rehearse Review

• Scan/Skim • Ask • Look for • Recall • Recall
what you questions the answer what what
are about that the to your you’ve you’ve
to read, text might questions, read in read in
especially answer; reading a your own your own
chapter write manage- words. words.
outlines guesses. able Test Test
and amount at yourself yourself
section a time. with with
heads. quizzes. quizzes.
Four Additional Tips
§ Distribute study time

§ Learn to think critically
§ Process class information actively
Enjoy your psychology course

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Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images

§ Psychology, Pseudo-science & Popular Opinion

§ Thinking Critically about Psychology

Roots of the Word

1.“the science of mental life”

Discredited theory that

Can be “read” from bumps

Psychological Science Is Born

§ Wilhelm Wundt established first independent

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-

§ arises in Germany during 1920’s

Wertheimer Koffka Köhler

Evolutionary psychology: Focus on how humans

Behavior genetics: Focus on differences related to

Cross-cultural psychology: Focus on ways

Gender psychology: Focus on differences; males

Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

§ Approach that focuses on

§ This perspective involves:

Courtesy Martin Seligman

grow and change

§ diagnose, treat, and

§ work with parents

§ study of rules, roles,

§ How past adaptive

§ Medical doctors who

Psychology’s new perspectives

Teaching and doing research in colleges and universities

Providing health or mental-health services

Conducting applied research for non-academic settings

28% Medical Schools

Human Services Agencies

How to study Psychology textbook

SQ3R Study Method (McDaniel et al., 2009;

Survey Question Read Rehearse Review

Four Additional Tips

§ Distribute study time

Enjoy your psychology course

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