What is Psychology

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What is Psychology?

• Psychology
• individual human behavior, (b) the human mind
  (i.e., thoughts) (c) human emotions
  (i.e., feelings)
• d)study of crazy people

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AWs Definition of Psychology

• Psychology is the scientific study of individual
  human behavior.

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Thinking and Acting

• Psychology has two major components
• Behavior
• Voluntary and Involuntary
• Cognitive Processes
• thoughts, dreams, perceptions, emotions and
  memories. Also subconscious thoughts and
  motivations
• Emotion-central aspect
• of human psychology.

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Overview of Psychology

• Why did (I) you do that?
• Can I predict what
• you will do?
• What is normal behavior?
• What causes abnormal behavior?
• Can it be fixed?

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What are the Goals of Psychology?

• Describe
• How do people think, feel, and act in various
  situations?
• Predict
• Based on previous psychological knowledge, how
  will people act and behave? What will they do?
• Understand or Explain
• Why did this behavior occur? Which factors
  influenced this outcome?
• Change, Modify, or Influence
• What can we do to change or modify this behavior?

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Is Psychology a Science?

• Modern psychologists try to base findings
• and conclusions on scientific method,
• but cannot predict human behavior with
• scientific precision.
• We confirm or disconfirm hypothesis.
• Psychology-social sciences.
• Scientific Methods

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Historical Background

• Nativist (nature) vs Empiricist (nuture)
• Are a persons characteristics mostly inborn or
  learned?

Nature v. Nurture
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Trephination
Are you troubled by the pressures and demandsof
our complex society? Did you know that ancient
man had the answers to these problems?Peace and
happiness can be yours. "Perfect Peace" TREPAN

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Ka - spiritual double born with every man
- lived on after death as long as it had place to
live. (mummy). Egyptian euphemism for death was
"going to one's ka". Kings claimed to have
multiple kas. Rameses II announced he had over
20. (Multiple Personality Disorder?)
Ba (earthly soul/personality)
Ka (life force)
Ka -individual human traits -character,
nature,temperament or disposition.
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Historical Background

• Plato (427-347)
• interested in moral philosophy
• despised natural philosophy (science).
• born with mind that has complete knowledge
  within soul.
• Learning process of inner reflection to
  discover knowledge within us. (Introspection

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Phrenology
Franz Joseph Gall Baden, Germany March 9, 1758.
Studied localization of mental functions in
brain.
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Structuralism (1880s) Wilhelm Wundt

• First Scientific Method Experiment in Psychology
• Earliest approach to field of psychology was
  called structuralism.
• human mind is comprised of conscious experiences
  that can be known through introspection.
• What are parts of human mind?
• What is structure of brain?
• METHODS use of highly trained introspectionists.

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Functionalism (1880s)

• William James (1842 - 1910)
• Rebelled against Structuralists.
• Influenced by Darwin.
• Argue importance of human mind is how it aids
  human survival.
• Emphasis on function of thought.
• Thinking improves our ability to find food and
  protection.
• School of Functionalism
• Psychology should be helping us to understand how
  mind helps humans adapt to environment. WHY?
• Method introspection and occasional use of
  behavioral observation.

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• Gestalt Psychology 1920s
• Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler.
• Emphasizes perceptual organization
• How and why do we focus on certain things?
• How does mind make sense of world?
• Method Observation
• We both see a snake. Why are some
• frightened others awed? Perception!
• Gave curiosity a lot more emphasis.

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Subfields of Psychology

• Developmental/Lifespan
• Physiological/Biological
• Learning and Memory
• 4. Perception
• 5. Motivation and Emotions
• 6. Language and Problem-Solving
• 7. Industrial - Organizational
• 8. Cognitive
• 9. Tests and Measurement.
• 10.Personality
• 11.Abnormal
• 12.Social
• 13.Health
• 14.Therapy.
• 15.Educational

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Psychology Degrees By Area
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Psychology Careers

• Laboratory/Experimental
• Clinics
• Schools
• Industry
• Community
• Medical
• Law Enforcement
• Sports
• Animals

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Perspectives
"Big 6"

• Biological (Neuropsychology) Chemicals,Structure
• The Brain Made Me Do It!
• Psychoanalytic (Psychodynamic Freudian)
  emphasizes unconscious mind
• Behaviorism focuses on objective measurable
  behaviors Doesnt ask WHY?
• Humanism emphasizes inner-self importance of
  subjective feelings. Everyone is born good!
• Cognitivism focuses on mental function, thinking,
  reasoning You have the choice to decide!
• Social-Psychology Why did you jump off that
  bridge?! Because your friends did!