INTRODUCTIO

N TO
PSYCHOLOGY
 Hello!
I’m Vu Thu Trang, PhD

Visiting lecturer

Find me at:
trangvuthu90@gmail.com
0964525858

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Psychology helps us to....

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What do you want to gain
in this module?

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This course is about….
Understand psychological
1 phenomena in daily life,
esp. business.

Ask why these phenomena

2 happen and how to answer
the why question.

Critical thinking of pop-

3 culture explanations of
psychological phenomena.
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 HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS?

1 Understand psychological
phenomena in daily life. Introduce
, key
esp. business. groups of
psychological
phenomena
Ask why these phenomena
2 happen and how to answer
the why question.
Learn how to
Critical thinking of pop- test

3 culture explanations of
psychological phenomena.
psychology
scientifically

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 Learning

Language

Sensation repeat
& Thinking Behavior Personality
Perception
Emotion

Memory Motivation

Individual in
private setting

Social
Individual in
KEY
situations
social setting
TOPICS 7
Materials

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COURSE ASSESSMENT
• 10 pt: missing < 3
ATTENDANCE sessions
• 0 pt: missing > 3
(10%) sessions

MIDTERM • 3 short quizzes (week

1-5)
(30%)

FINAL • MCQ & short answers

(week 6-10)
(60%)

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 Class rules
1. Be on time: 5 mins late is ok.
2. Use your devices wisely
3. Participation matters: talk, encourage your
friends, questions, emojis, etc.
4. Check Teams regularly for announcements,
materials and assignments
5. Email me if you have questions or want to
take leave

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PROBLEM OF THE
DAY
MYTH BUSTER
...is this true?

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 TRUE or FALSE?
◎ Most people use only 10% of their brain power
◎ Some people are left-brain, others are right-brain
◎ Adolescence is inevitably a time of psychological turmoil
◎ Opposites attract: We are most romatically attracted to people who
differ from us
◎ If you are unsure of your answer when taking a test, it’s best to stick
with your initial hunch
◎ Men and women communicate in completely different ways
◎ A person’s intelligence is determined by brain size
◎ All psychologists do is therapy
MYTH BUSTER

We are easily seduced

by psychology myths
because it jibes with our
common sense.
MYTH BUSTER

But psychology is not

common sense! “Facts”
from popular psychology
are actually fictions.
 CONCEPT REVIEW

The birth of What does Psychology &

Psychology as psychology
a science study? Business

Draw a mindmap summarizing these concepts

 PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

◎ Scientific methods makes

psychology
o more precise
○ more democratic

◎ Psychological science is useful

o To present brief “formula” of human
beings
o To create interventions that help
people live better lives
 PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

◎ This module will introduce you to psychological

science
○ What topics are “psychological scientists” interested in?
○ How they use scientific methods to study those topics?
○ What conclusions have they reached about human
behaviors and mental processes?
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

Ancient ideas:

Psychology
studies the
mind/soul
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

Modern
perspective:

Psychology is the
science of
behaviors and
mental processes
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

Modern
perspective:

Psychology is the
science of
behaviors and
mental processes
 TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Learning

Sensation & repeated

Perception Thinking Behavior Personality

Emotion
Memory

Motivation

Individual
Social
situations Environment
THE HISTORY OF
PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
 FOUNDATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY:
PHILOSOPHY

◎ Early interest in the mind and mental processes

(mostly by philosophers)

Socrates (469-399 BC) and his

Aristotle (384-322 BC) student Plato The Buddha
Confucius (551-479
Mind is connected to body Mind is separated from the body Sensation and
BC)
and continue to exist after death perception form ideas
The power of ideas and
an educated mind
 FOUNDATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY:
PHILOSOPHY

◎ However, psychological conclusions

remained untested due to lack of
scientific methods.

◎ As such, laymen relied on religion and

supertitious beliefs to solve
psychological problems
 FOUNDATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY

◎ Thanks to scientific advances since the

Enlightment (17th – 18th century)
o Empirical methods were used in studying psychology
o Physiology (brain, nervous system, senses) are linked
to psychology

Prenology by Franz Gall

 THE BIRTH OF PSYCHOLOGY
AS A SCIENCE
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
established the 1st psych lab at the
University of Leipzig, Germany

Inside Wundt’s lab:

• Wundt wanted to study the structure
of the mind: thoughts, mental
images, feelings
• Method: Introspection – saying out
loud one’s thought and experiences
• Eg. Sensation of a fruit: Can you
describe its shape, color, texture?
What do you feel when
touching/smelling it?

In 1879, Psychological science was born!

 THE BIRTH OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

Before 1800:
The soul is
influenced by
spirits, evils

1870-1900: Since ancient time:

Psychology Desire to explain
comes from the supernatural phenomena
brain

1879:
Psychology as a science
(testable,
observable events)

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 KEY FIGURES IN PSYCHOLOGY
AFTER WUNDT
◎ Mental processes are hard to observe, introspection is
questionable

◎ John Watson founded Behaviorism

o Study only behaviors
o Behaviors are observable can be taught
 KEY FIGURES IN PSYCHOLOGY
AFTER WUNDT

◎ B.F.Skinner tested Watson’s ideas on animals

o Teach a pigeon play a tune on piano
o Teach pigeons play ping-pong
o Teach a racoon play basketball
o Teach rat press a button for food

B. Skinner
(1904-1990)
 KEY FIGURES IN PSYCHOLOGY
AFTER WUNDT
◎ Behaviorism claims that anyone can be taught anything if put
in a suitable environment, but in fact personal perspective
matters.

◎ Rogers and Maslow founded humanistic

psychology
o Human beings aren’t controlled by environment, we have
free will.
o Behavior is influenced by self-concept and motivations.
C. Rogers
 We are healthy when we are self-aware and lives true to (1902-1987)
ourselves

A. Maslow
(1908-1970)
 KEY FIGURES IN PSYCHOLOGY
AFTER WUNDT
◎ Behaviorism claims that anyone can be taught anything if put
in a suitable environment, but in fact personal perspective
matters.
◎ Cognitive psychology focuses on thinking
o Behavior is the result of mental processes: thinking, learning, memory,
language use, problem solving
 KEY FIGURES IN PSYCHOLOGY
AFTER WUNDT

◎ Most psychologists focuses on conscious

experiences

◎ Sigmund Freud founded Psychoanalytic S. Freud

psychology (1856-1939)

o Study the unconscious: primitive drives and instincts

that we are unaware of
o Rely on dreams, childhood experiences, slip of tounge,
mental disorders to study the unconscious
 WHY NEEDS SO MANY PERSPECTIVES
IN PSYCHOLOGY?

◎ Perspectives complement each other in

explaining human beings.
WHAT DOES PSYCHOLOGY STUDY?

Behaviors
In private setting Mechanisms underlying
behaviors
In social setting (thinking, emotion, attitude, motivation,
personality, etc.)
THE
INDIVIDUA
L
Nature Conscious
Nurture Unconscious

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PSYCHOLOGY & YOUR
MAJOR
 CONCEPT REVIEW

The birth of What does Psychology

Psychology as psychology and business?
a science study? • Psychological
knowledge guides
• Testable • The individual human-related
• Observable business practices
Feedback for me :)

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