In the beginning

1
In the beginning a few of the first psychologists

• Wilhelm Wundt (Europe)
• William James (US)
• Sigmund Freud (Europe)
• All working around 1875-1900

2
Wundt

• Trained Introspection thinking aloud for
  researchers
• What might this help us understand?
• What would be the problem with this strategy?

3
William James

• A local hero of New England (brother of novelist
  Henry James buried in Cambridge, MA in 1910
  godson of Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• James said Trying to study the mind through
  introspection is like seizing a spinning top to
  catch its motion, or trying to turn up the gas
  quickly enough to see how the darkness looks
  or like trying to open the fridge fast enough to
  see what its like before the light is on?
• Instead, James studied the function of behavior
  why do people do what they do? Along with Darwin,
  James wanted to know, how is it adaptive?
• Group of psychologists known as Functionalists

4
Freud

• Freud Vienna, Austria lived until 1939 and
  spent time in the US
• A neurologist. Freud listened to his patients
  symptoms and decided they didnt have physical
  causes. He argued they were caused by unconscious
  conflicts.
• Developed his work into theory of personality
  development (ever heard of someone being anal
  retentive?) and a method of psychotherapy
  psychoanalysis

5
Speaking of Conflict

• These three people were all working about the
  same time.
• Science still works this way. Its a dialogue
  among scientists that happens in scholarly
  journals.
• Well get a chance to see this in our 6 Step
  project.

6
What do psychologists do nowadays?
7
Kinds of Psychologists

• Basic Researchers How does memory work?
• Applied Researchers How do pilots process visual
  information under stressful conditions (like
  war)?
• Consulting Psychologists athletes/coaches,
  business, schools
• And.

8
Practicing Psychologists or Psychotherapists

• All provide counseling
• Ph.D. or Psy.D. are psychologists
• Psychiatrists are MDs (medical doctors)
• MSW, LICSW, Ed.D., and others may also practice
  psychotherapy but are not trained in psychology

9
Why would science or scientific training or
training in psychology be important in the
treatment of mental health issues?
10
Empirical Studies use observation and measurement
(the scientific method) to ask and answer
questions

• Descriptive studies help us describe the world (x
  often happens when y happens)
• Experiments help us figure out cause and effect
  (does x cause y?)
• Do children become more active when they eat
  sugar?
• Does anxiety lower SAT scores?

11
Some types of descriptive studies

• Observational We observe behavior
• Naturalistic in the real world
• Laboratory in controlled conditions
• Case study Very close observation and
  description of a single person or setting
• Tests and surveys Can you think of any?

12
What makes an experiment an experiment?

• An independent and a dependent variable a
  question about whether x causes y
• A control group (that doesnt get any x!) and
  an experimental group (that gets x)
• Random assignment to the groups.
• What would happen if you let participants choose
  their groups?

13
Challenge Question

• We can have naturalistic and laboratory
  observational studies.
• Can we have naturalistic experiments?

14
Trained Introspection Exercise

• Directions Find a partner. Take turns being
  Wundt and his subject.The subject should
  think out loud while trying to answer the
  following question. Wundt should try to figure
  out how problem solving works.
• The problem A band needs to get through a
  tunnel. Drummer can make it in 1 minute, Bass in
  2 minutes, Guitarist in 4 and Lead Singer in 5
  minutes.
• The tunnel is narrow and no more than two persons
  moving at the speed of the slower one can go
  through at once.
• Can they all make it if they have a lighter that
  will last only 12 minutes and they are afraid of
  the dark?