Defining Psychology

1. S
Defining Psychology

2. Today’s Objectives
Content Objective
 I can define
psychology.
 I can identify the
Three Level of
Analysis of
Psychology.
Language Objective
I can define
psychology.

3. Warm Up: What is Psychology
Placemat
 With your table group…
1. Brainstorm concepts related to psychology in your own
section. (Image, Flow Chart, Word Map)
2. Share and explain your portion of the placemat to your
group.
3. As a whole group, decide what themes, ideas, or
concepts are most important to the study of psychology
and put them in the middle section of your placemat.
4. Write a one sentence group definition of psychology.

4. IB Definition of Psychology
Psychology is the scientific
study of behavior and mental
processes and how these are
affected by internal factors
and the environment.

5. A Scientific Study
 Psychology uses the scientific method to investigate the
behaviors and mental processes of humans and animals.
 Reliance on substantial and grounded evidence to make
conclusions.
 Peer reviewed work.
 Not Based on Theory and Conjecture…Based on Evidence.

6. Behavior: Observable actions
that organisms take.

7. Mental Processes
 What occurs internally that allow us to interpret,
communicate, and function in our world.
 Memory
 Learning
 Language
 Perception
 Attention
 Decision Making

8. Internal Factors and the
Environment
Nature and Nurture
Internal Factors/Nature
 Our biological makeup
determine how we behave.
 Genetics
 Diseases/Abnormalities
 Biological Processes
Environment/Nurture
 The world around us impact the
way we behave.
 Parents
 Friends
 Religion
 Education
 Country
 Socio-Economic Status
 Stressors

9. Key Question
S In what ways is your group’s definition of
psychology similar or different to the IB
definition of psychology?

10. Three Levels
of Analysis
• To fully understand human
behavior, it must be
examined in different ways.

11. Biological LoA
 Behavior can be explained by the physiological and
genetic make up of a person or animal.
 Biological Functions guide our behavior
 Genetic Influences
 Connections to Animal

12. Cognitive LoA
 How we process and interpret information impacts our
behavior.
 The mind can be studied scientifically.
 Our Culture impacts the way we process information.

13. Sociocultural LoA
 The society, culture, and people we share space with
impact our behaviors.
 Humans are social animals.
 Culture impacts human behavior.
 Humans have a “social-self” that is based on group
membership.

14. What do Psychologists do?

15. Wrap-Up
 What do psychologists study?
 What are the three Levels of Analysis?
 Describe one main idea from each LoA.
 How has your definition/understanding of psychology
changed?