CH. 1 What Is Psychology

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CH. 1 What Is Psychology?

• 1- Why study Psychology?
• 2- What do psychologists do?
• 3- History of Psychology
• 4- Contemporary perspectives

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1-1 Why Study Psychology?

• PSYCHOLOGY- scientific study of behavior and
  mental processes.
• BEHAVIOR- Any action that other people can
  observe or measure.
• COGNITIVE ACTIVITY- Mental processes like
  thoughts, feelings, or dreams.
• Psychological Constructs- talking about mental
  processes.

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QuestionWhat are the goals of psychology?
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Psychology as a Science

• Social Science/ Natural Science
• Research- experiment Survey
• Psychological Theories- statements that attempt
  to explain why things the way they are or happen
  the way they do
• Principles- laws that govern theories

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PSUEDOPSYCHOLOGIES

• Astrology
• Palmistry
• Psychokinesis
• Follicology

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1-2 What Psychologists Do

• CLINICAL- help people deal with psychological
  problems
• COUNSELING- treat adjustment problems

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What psychologists do

• SCHOOL- identify and help students who have
  problems that interfere with learning
• EDUCATIONAL- help students learn focus on the
  bigger picture
• DEVELOPMENTAL- study the changes that occur
  throughout a persons lifetime

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What psychologists do

• PERSONAILITY- identify characteristics and
  traits.
• SOCIAL- study peoples behavior in social
  situations
• EXPERIMENTAL- research basic processes

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Other Specialties

• Industrial and Organizational- focus on people
  and work
• Environmental- focus on ways in which people
  influence and are influenced by their physical
  environment
• Consumer- attempt to explain and predict the
  behavior of shoppers
• Forensic- work within the criminal justice system
• Health- examine the ways in which behavior and
  mental processes affect a persons physical health

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1-3 History of Psychology

• Ancient Greece- Gods
• Socrates- Know Thyself
• Plato- Introspection
• Aristotle- Associationism

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History of Psychology

• Middle Ages- Demonic possession
• Birth of Modern Science- Scientific Revolution
  and Enlightenment
• 1879- Psychology as modern laboratory science.

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History of Psychology

• Sructuralism (Wundt)- basic elements of
  consciousness

• Functionalism (James)- how mental processes help
  organisms adapt to their environment

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History of Psychology

• Behaviorism (Watson)- scientific study of
  behavior
• Reinforcement (Skinner)- behavior more likely to
  occur if reinforced

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History of Psychology

• Gestalt Psychology- perceptions are more than the
  sums of their parts

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History of Psychology

• Psychoanalysis (Freud)- behavior is impacted by
  unconscious motives and internal conflicts

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1-4 Contemporary Perspectives

• Biological- behavior and mental processes are
  influenced by biology
• Evolutionary- inherited tendencies influence
  peoples behavior

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Contemporary Perspectives

• Cognitive- Behavior is influenced by values,
  thoughts and perceptions.
• Humanistic- people make free and conscious
  choices based on their experiences.
• Psychoanalytic- behavior is influenced by
  unconscious motives.

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Contemporary Perspectives

• Learning- development is based on experience and
  reinforcement.
• Sociocultural- cultural, biological and
  psychological factors create differences in
  behavior.