INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

(PSY01)

ALONDRA ARA A. MENA,RPm

Instructor
 PRELIMINARIES
Essential Reading:
Griggs R., (2014). Introduction to
Psychology, Seventh Edition .
Wadsworth: U.S.A.
THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY

“ What do you think psychologist do ?”

THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY

“ What are the misconceptions about

Psychology?”
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS IN
PSYCHOLOGY
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS IN
PSYCHOLOGY
THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is the SCIENCE of BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL
PROCESSES.
Psychologist attempt to understand human behavior
(observable and internal)
TEACHING, RESEARCHING, CONSULTING,COUNSELING
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
ARISTOTLE
A Greek philosopher wrote extensively about topics
like sleep, dreams, the senses and the memory (Theory
of sleep and dreams)
RENE DESCARTES
A French Philosopher who proposed that mind and
brain were separate entities.
In later centuries, Philosophers asked whether human
character or knowledge is inborn or the results of
environmental influences.
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
EMERGENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
Philosophy is a branch of biology that studies the functions
and parts of living organisms.
1600s- Physiologist were becoming interested in the human
brain and its relation to human behavior
1700s- It was discovered that it was discovered that the
damage to one side of the brain can produce a loss function
in the opposite human body.
1800s- The idea that the different areas of the brain were
related to different behavioral function
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
WUNDT, TITCHENER AND STRUCTURALISM
BY THE LATE 1800s, psychology as a separate scientific
discipline emerged. The leading proponent of this idea is
WILHELM WUNDT.
WILHELM WUNDT
A German physiologist who is generally accredited as
being the founder of new science of psychology. He
established the first psychology laboratory at Leipzig,
Germany in March 1879
EDWARD TITCHENER
He was Wundt’s most devoted student who ESTABLISHED INTROSPECTION
STRUCTURALISM. EXAMINATION OR
STRUCTURALISM is an early school of psychology that OBSERVATION OF ONE’S
emphasized studying the most basic components or MENTAL AND
structures, of conscious experiences.
EMOTIONAL
To identify these structures of conscious thought, Wundt PROCESSES.
and Titchener trained their subjects into a procedure
called INTROSPECTION
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
FUNCTIONALISM
- Suggested that psychologist
should focus on the process of
the thought rather than on its
contents.
- The key to understanding the
human mind and behavior was to
study the processes of how and William James (1842-1910)
why the mind works as it does, Harvard professor William
rather than to study structural James was instrumental in
establishing psychology in
contents and elements of the United States.
mind.
- FUNCTIONALISM led to
PRAGMATISM
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
20TH CENTURY LEADERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
WATSON AND BEHAVIORISM
- Behaviorism rejected the emphasis on consciousness
promoted by the structuralism and functionalism.
Instead, it focus on the scientific investigations on
observable behavior that could be objectively
measured and verified.
- Behaviorism grew out of the pioneering of a Russian
physiologist Ivan Pavlov.
- John B. Watson championed Behaviorism as a new
school
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
20TH CENTURY LEADERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
FREUD AND PSYCHOANALYSIS
SIGMUND FREUD is an Austrian Physician that focused
on uncovering causes of behavior and it emphasized
the role of unconscious.
- According to Freud, glimpses of these unconscious
impulses are revealed in everyday life in dreams,
memory blocks, slip of the tongue, and spontaneous
humor.
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
20TH CENTURY LEADERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
WERTHEIMER AND GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
It was founded by a German psychologist Max
Wertheimer in the early 1900s.
GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY emphasized the perception as a
whole figures rather than individual elements. Unlike
Behaviorism, Gestalt psychology assigned in an
important role to mental activities in organizing
sensations into meaningful perception.
THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY
20TH CENTURY LEADERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
ROGERS, MASLOW, AND HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY.
In the 1950s, the new school of thought emerged
called Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic Psychology is commonly referred as “third
force” in psychology. It was largely founded by
American Psychologist, Carl Rogers. He recognized
the conscious experiences of his patient, including
each person unique potential for psychological
growth and self-direction.
FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE

1. BIOLOGICAL
2. COGNITIVE
3. BEHAVIORAL
4. SOCIOCULTURAL
 FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH
PERSPECTIVE IN PSYCHOLOGY
1. BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE:
 Physiological hardware is viewed as the major
determiner of behavior and mental processes.(brain
and nervous system)
 Genetic and Evolutionary Based
 Physiology, Genetics, Human Evolution
FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
IN PSYCHOLOGY

PERSPECTIVE EMPHASIZING INTERNAL FACTORS:

 BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
 COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
 FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH
PERSPECTIVE IN PSYCHOLOGY
2. COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE:
 Investigate mental processes.
 Major explanatory focus is on how our mental
processes such as perception, memory and problem
solving work and impact our behavior

*Brief Exercise*
FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
IN PSYCHOLOGY

PERSPECTIVE EMPHASIZING EXTERNAL FACTORS:

 BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE
 SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
 FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH
PERSPECTIVE IN PSYCHOLOGY
3. BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVE:
 Conditioning of behavior by environmental events
and there is more emphasis on explaining
OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR than unobservable mental
processes.
 Rewards and Punishment

If you bit your fingernails when you were nervous, a behaviorist would
not focus on calming you down, but rather focus on how to stop you
from biting your nails.
 FOUR MAJOR RESEARCH
PERSPECTIVE IN PSYCHOLOGY
3. SOCIO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE:
 Specifically focus on the impact of other people and
our culture as the major determiners of our behavior
and mental processing
 We are social animals
 Kitty Genovese Murder in 1964 (Genovese
Syndrome)
 METHODS OF RESEARCH

3 CATEGORIES OF RESEARCH:

1. Descriptive
2. Correlational
3. Experimental
 METHODS OF RESEARCH

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
• Observational technique
OBJECTIVE and
• Case studies DETAILED
• Survey Research DESCRIPTION OF
BEHAVIOR AND
MENTAL PROCESSES
Observational techniques- done in the laboratory. (Covert
and Overt observation)
Case Studies- detailed observation, individual in-depth. It is
commonly used in clinical setting with patient suffering
from specific deficits or problems.
Survey Research- the researcher uses questionnaires and
interviews to collect information about the behavior,
beliefs and attitudes of particular groups of people.
 METHODS OF RESEARCH

CORRELATIONAL STUDIES
• It measures two variables to determine whether
they are related.
• Positive correlation and Negative correlation
• A CORRELATIONAL COEFFICIENT is a numerical
indicator of how strongly related two factors seem to
be. It always falls in a range from -1.00 to +1.00
 METHODS OF RESEARCH

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
• The researcher controls the experimental setting. It
demonstrate cause and effect relationship.
EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS:
1. ) Random Assignment- randomly assigning the
participants to groups in an experiment in order to
equalize.
**Random Sampling- a sampling technique in which
samples of participants that is representative of the
population is obtained.
 METHODS OF RESEARCH

2. CONTROL GROUP
The group of subjects who are exposed to all
experimental conditions, except the independent
variable.
**EXPERIMENTAL GROUP
The group of subjects who are exposed to all
experimental conditions, including the independent
variable.
3. SYSTEMATIC MANIPULATION OF THE INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE
4. OBJECTIVE MANIPULATION OF DEPENDENT
VARIABLE
 METHODS OF RESEARCH
VARIATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
1. PLACEBO CONTROL GROUP
It is used to assess the effectiveness of a treatment using
a particular drug.
WHY PLACEBO CONTROL GROUP IS IMPORTANT IN
DESIGNING EXPERIMENTS?
- It helps check for EXPECTANCY EFFECTS.
2. DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY – neither the participants nor the
researcher who interacts with them is aware of the
experimental condition each person has been assigned
to.
3. SINGLE-BLIND STUDY- One in which the researcher , but
not the subject is aware of critical information.
 THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

FOUR BASIC GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY:

1.) Describe 2.) Explain 3.) Predict, and 4.) Control or
Influence behavior or mental processes.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
- Refers to set of assumptions, attitudes and
procedures that guide researchers in creating a
question to investigate, generating evidence and
drawing conclusion.
- Psychologists are OPEN-MINDED but is tempered by
healthy sense of SCIENTIFIC SKEPTICISM.
 BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

• EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY – focuses on research basic

topics like sensory processes, principles of learning, emotion
and motivation.
• SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY- explores how people are affected by
their natural environments, including how people think and
influence others.
• PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY- examines individual differences
and the characteristics that makes each person unique
• HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY – focuses on the role of psychological
factors in the development, prevention and treatment of
illness. (areas like stress and coping)
• EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY- studies of how people of all
ages learn.
 BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

• INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY – concerned

with the relationship of people and work.
• CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY- studies causes, treatments and
prevention of different types of psychological disorder.
**FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY – application of clinical specialties as
well as research studies in other areas of psychology to LEGAL
INSTITUTIONS and people who come into contact with the
law.