Prologue

1
Prologue

• Define Psychology
• The study of behavior and mental processes
• As a science, psychology evaluates competing
  claims with systematic observation and rigorous
  analysis
• Behavior is anything an organism does
• Mental processes are the internal, subjective
  experiences we infer from behavior, ex.
  Perceptions, thoughts, and feelings.

2
Psychologys Roots

• 1st Psychological experiment in history
• In the 7th c. B.C. Psamtick I, King of Egypt
  wanted to prove the long-held belief that the
  Egyptians were the most ancient race on earth.
• He thought that if children had no opportunity to
  learn a language from the people around them,
  they would spontaneously speak the primal, inborn
  language of humankind
• Kidnapped 2 infants
• At 2 years old yelled out becos!

3
The Schools of Psychology

• Structuralism
• Functionalism
• Also
• Gestalt Psychology gestalts perception
• Psychoanalysis freud therapy
• Behaviorism watson, skinner

4
Contemporary Psychology

• Big Debates
• Nature Nurture
• Rationality vs. irrationality
• Sability vs. change

5
0 disagree strongly1 disagree somewhat2
disagree slightly3 agree slightly4 agree
somewhat5 agree strongly

• 1. Most people have an accurate understanding of
  the reasons for their own behavior.
• 2. Most people are consistent from situation to
  situation in the way they react to things.
• 3. Heredity plays the major role in determining
  IQ.
• 4. Great accomplishments in life, like those of
  great authors and painters, are usually motivated
  by unconscious forces.
• 5. A person who was shy as a child will also tend
  to be shy as an adult.
• 6. Differences in male and female behavior are
  more the result of socialization than biology.
• 7. People typically have a good sense of their
  own strengths and weaknesses.
• 8. Peoples values and attitudes remain pretty
  much the same throughout their lives.
• 9. Psychological disorders are primarily the
  result of biological factors, such as brain
  abnormality or genetic predisposition.

6
0 disagree strongly1 disagree somewhat2
disagree slightly3 agree slightly4 agree
somewhat5 agree strongly

• 10. Most people have an inaccurate self-concept,
  tending to see themselves either too favorably or
  too unfavorably.
• 11. Knowing that a person behaved honestly in one
  situation tells you little about whether he or
  she will behave honestly in a different
  situation.
• 12. Aggression is part of human nature and thus
  will always be a part of social life.
• 13. Most people make major life decisions
  logically and rationally.
• 14. A troubled adolescent is likely to be a
  troubled adult.
• 15. The basic causes of peoples behavior can be
  traced to past experiences.

7
Rationality-irrationality

• Item Numbers 1, 4, 7, 10 and 13.
• Reverse number scores for 4 and 10. (0 is a 5
  and 5 is a zero.)
• Add up the scores from those 5 answers.
• Scores range 0-25
• Higher scores suggest a stronger belief in
  irrationality

8
Stability vs. instability

• Item Numbers 2, 5,8,11 and 14
• Reverse the number placed before 11(10)
• Add all scores
• 0-25
• Higher scores result in a belief of stability of
  behavior over time and situation

9
Nature-nurture issue

• Item numbers 3, 6, 9 12 and 15
• Reverse numbers placed before 6 (5) and 15 (14)
• Add these 5 scores
• Scores 0-25
• Higher scores reflect stronger belief in the role
  of nature.

10
Three Levels of Analysis

• Bio
• Psycho
• Social
• Chart pg. 10
• Refers to different perspectives on each issue.

11
Andrea Yates
12
NY Times Science Times

• 25 most provocative question facing science.
  November 10, 2003
• Psychologist Donald McBurney noted 9 of the 25,
  the field of psychology has something to say
  about them
• Is war our biological destiny?
• How does the brain work?
• What should we eat?
• Are men necessary? Women?
• Can robots become conscious?
• Why do we sleep?
• How smart are animals?
• Can drugs make us smart?
• Does the paranormal exist?

13
Psychologys applied research

• Psychologymatters.org
• Studies affecting everyday life

14
Your Study of Psychology

• Study habits
• How you will succeed
• Use what you learn to be successful
• Use past experiences to be successful