ABPG1103

INTRODUCTION PSYCHOLOGY
(MAY 2022)
 MAY SEMESTER (222)
SESSION DATE TOPICS
eT 1 4 June TOPIC 1 & 2: INTRODUCTION, BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
eT2 11 June TOPIC 3 & 4: SENSATION & PERCEPTION, CONSIOUSNESS
eT3 18 June TOPIC 5 & 6: LEARNING, MEMORY
eT4 25 June TOPIC 7: THINKING, INTELLIGENCE & LANGUAGE
eT5 2 July TOPIC 8: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
eT6 9 July TOPIC 9 & 10: MOTIVATION, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
eT7 16 July TOPIC 11 & 12: PERSONALITY & PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
eT8 23 July REVISION
 TIPS TO BE AN “A” STUDENT

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• QUESTION
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ABPG1103

INTRODUCTION TO
PSYCHOLOGY
 WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
PSYCHOLOGY COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS SUCH AS
HOW PEOPLE CAN:
• PERCEIVE PAIN;
• THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DREAMS;
• HOW CHIMPANZEES CAN USE LANGUAGE TO
COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS.
 DEFINITION OF PSYCHOLOGY
• SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
(HUFFMAN, VERNOY & VERNOY, 1997).

• BEHAVIOUR ALSO INCLUDES ANYTHING A PERSON OR

ANIMAL THINKS AND FEELS.
 GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY
(1) DESCRIBE BEHAVIOUR: BY MAKING CAREFUL
SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS.
(2) EXPLAIN BEHAVIOUR: BY CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS
TO DETERMINE THEIR CAUSES.
(3) PREDICT BEHAVIOUR: DEDUCE WHEN IT WILL OCCUR
AGAIN IN THE FUTURE.
(4) CHANGE BEHAVIOUR: BY TRANSFORMING
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR.
 AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY:
THIS AREA CONCERNS TREATING PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH
PROBLEMS SUCH AS DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. STUDYING
HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND APPLY VARIOUS METHODS OF
THERAPY.
COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
LISTENING-AND-TALKING-BASED METHODS OF DEALING WITH
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOMATIC PROBLEMS AND
CHANGES; DEEP AND PROLONGED HUMAN SUFFERING;
SITUATIONAL DILEMMAS; CRISES AND DEVELOPMENTAL
NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS TOWARDS THE REALIZATION OF
HUMAN POTENTIAL.
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
DESCRIBES HOW PEOPLE LEARN AND WHAT TEACHING
TECHNIQUE WORKS BEST.
WORK TO IMPROVE CURRICULUM DESIGN, TEACHER
TRAINING AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE EDUCATIONAL
PROCESS.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
DEALS WITH HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IN GROUP SITUATIONS.
EXAMPLES OF POPULAR TOPICS: ATTITUDE FORMATION,
PREJUDICE AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS.
INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
CONCERNS WITH ISSUES AT THE WORKPLACE SUCH AS
SELECTING AND TRAINING STAFF, AND IMPROVING
PRODUCTIVITY AND WORKING CONDITIONS.

EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
CONCERNS WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES SUCH AS
LEARNING, MEMORY, SENSATION, PERCEPTION, COGNITION,
MOTIVATION AND EMOTION.
SOME EXAMPLES OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED ARE WHY SOME
PEOPLE ARE MORE MOTIVATED THAN OTHERS, AND HOW
PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS AND SOLVE PROBLEMS.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
CONCERNS THE COGNITIVE, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT OF A HUMAN BEING FROM
BIRTH TO OLD AGE.
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
CONCERNS THE VARIOUS MENTAL PROCESSES INVOLVED
IN PERCEPTION, LEARNING, MEMORY AND THINKING.
PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
EXPLORES THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR,
THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS.
SUBFIELDS - BIOPSYCHOLOGY AN NEUROPSYCHOLOGY,
WHICH DEAL WITH ISSUES SUCH AS THE EFFECT OF
CHANGES IN HORMONE LEVELS ON PERSONALITY, AND
HOW RECREATIONAL DRUGS AFFECT PEOPLE.
 6 MODERN PERSPECTIVE OF
PSYCHOLOGY
• PSYCHOANALYTIC: FOCUSES ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE
UNCONSCIOUS MIND AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES
TO EXPLAIN ONES BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS AND TREAT THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. THE FOUNDER OF THE
PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE IS SIGMUND FREUD.
• BEHAVIOURISTIC: FOCUSES ON HOW BEHAVIOURS ARE
LEARNED AND REINFORCED. IT IS ALSO CONCERNED WITH
CHANGING BEHAVIOUR THROUGH CONDITIONING. JOHN
WATSON AND B.F.SKINNER ARE TWO OF THE MAIN
PROPONENTS OF THIS APPROACH.
• HUMANISTIC: FOCUSES ON PEOPLE’S FEELINGS AND
REALISING HUMAN POTENTIAL. IT ALSO EMPHASISES THE
ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOUR.
PROMINENT NAMES KNOWN FROM THIS APPROACH ARE
CARL ROGERS AND ABRAHAM MASLOW.
• COGNITIVE: FOCUSES ON MENTAL PROCESSES SUCH AS
THINKING, FEELING, LEARNING, REMEMBERING, MAKING
DECISIONS AND SOLVING PROBLEMS. COGNITIVE
PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE INTERESTED IN HOW PEOPLE
PROCESS INFORMATION, THAT IS, HOW THEY PERCEIVE,
INTERPRET AND STORE IT. THIS PERSPECTIVE IS
INFLUENCED BY PSYCHOLOGISTS LIKE JEAN PIAGET AND
ALBERT BANDURA.
• BIOLOGICAL: THE EMPHASIS IS ON HOW THE CHEMICAL AND
BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES WITHIN THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS
SYSTEM AFFECT HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. ISSUES CONCERNING
THE EFFECT OF HORMONAL CHANGES, BRAIN DAMAGE AND
DRUGS ARE CENTRAL TO THIS PERSPECTIVE. BRAIN ACTIVITY
IS DIRECTLY OBSERVED BY USING TOOLS SUCH AS MRI SCANS
AND PET SCANS.
• EVOLUTIONARY: FOCUSES ON THE EVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS
OF BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS AND MENTAL PROCESSES, AND
EXAMINES THE ADAPTIVE VALUE THEY HAVE AND THE
FUNCTIONS THEY SERVE. ISSUES SUCH AS MATE SELECTION,
JEALOUSY AND ALTRUISM (HELPING BEHAVIOURS) ARE
EXPLORED TOGETHER WITH THEORIES OF HOW THESE
PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOURS EVOLVED.
 SUMMARY
• PSYCHOLOGY CAN BE DEFINED AS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF HUMAN
AND ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR.
• BEHAVIOUR NOT ONLY REFERS TO THE WAYS IN WHICH PEOPLE ACT
BUT ALSO INCLUDES ANYTHING A PERSON OR ANIMAL THINKS AND
FEELS.
• THE GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY ARE TO DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, PREDICT
AND CHANGE BEHAVIOUR.
• PSYCHOLOGY HAS DEVELOPED FROM PHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATIONS
ABOUT THE HUMAN MIND INTO A MODERN SCIENCE.
• LIKE ALL SCIENTISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS USE SCIENTIFIC METHODS TO
DESCRIBE, UNDERSTAND, PREDICT, AND EVENTUALLY, ACHIEVE SOME
MEASURE OF CONTROL OVER WHAT THEY STUDY. HENCE,
PSYCHOLOGY IS CONSIDERED A SCIENCE.
• THE FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY COVERS AN ENORMOUS ARRAY OF TOPICS.