This document outlines the key topics in the field of psychology. It begins by defining psychology as the scientific study of the human mind and behavior. It then discusses the major historical movements in the field from structuralism to behaviorism. The document also outlines various branches and applications of psychology like clinical, developmental, social, and industrial psychology. It concludes by discussing modern approaches like cognitive psychology and issues of ethics and accountability in psychological research.

1. The NATURE OF PSYCHOLOGY
Chapter 1

2. Topic outline
 A. Definition and Importance of
Psychology
 • Psychology
 • Science
 • Behavior
 • The human being of other animals
 Psychology and Other Sciences
 The Importance of Psychology
 B. The Historical Background of

3.  • Psychology in America
 • Psychology in France
 • Psychology in England
 • Psychology in Germany
 C. Schools and Movements in Psychology
 • Structuralism
 • Functionalism
 • Behaviorism
 • Gestalt
 •Psychoanalysis
 •Purposivism (Hormic Pscyhology)

4.  1. General Psychology
 2. Comparative Psychology
 3. Genetic or Developmental Psychology
 4. Dynamic Psychology
 5. Physiological Psychology
 6. Abnormal Psychology
 7. Educational Psychology
 8. Industrial or Personnel Psychology
 9. Social Psychology
 10. Therapy and Counseling

5.  E. Methods of Psychology
 1. Introspection
 2. Observation
 • Naturalistic Observation
 • Directed Observation
 3. Questionnaires, Opinionnaires, Inventories
 4. Testing technique or the Statistical Method
 5. Clinical method or the Case-history Method
 6. Statistical Method
 7. Survey Method


6.  Fields Of Psychology
 A. Clinical and Counseling Psychology
 B. Developmental, Social, and Personality Psychology
 C. Experimental and Physiological Psychology
 D. School and Educational Psychology
 E. Industrial and Engineering Psychology
 F. Emerging Specialities
 What Research Findings Reveal
 New Approaches in Psychology
 1. The Information-Processing Approach


7.  4.Cognitive Psychology
 Accountability in Psychology-Ethical
Issues
 1. Shift in Terminogies
 2. Qualitative Approach
 3. Respect for the participant
 4. Three criteria in studying ethical issues
 Alternative Methods in Psychology

8. Psychology:
 Greek: psyche---”soul”
 logos---”mind study”
 Modern: psycho---”mind”
 -logy---”science”
 “the science of the mind”

9. Science
 A science is a branch of knowledge or study
dealing with a body of facts or truths
systematically arranged and showing the
operation
Behavior- is anything that a person or animal
does, feels, thinks or experiences.
Classifications of Behavior:


10.  Conscious Behavior – any behavior that the
person is aware
 Unconscious Mind – it acts may be within the
level of ones awareness or deeply embedded in
one’s subconscious
 The human being and of other animals
 It involves the study of man as well as of animals.
Issues are divisive in this point . It directed
towards a study of mans behavior in the context
of natural science

11. Psychology and other sciences
 Psychology, sociology, and anthropology are
contemporary sciences of man involved
principally with man’s behavior and hence, they
belong to the family known as behavioral
science.
 Economics, history and political science- all
social sciences that undertake a study of man’s
behavior are likewise classifiable as behavioral
sciences.

12. The importance of psychology
 Since Psychology is a study that concerns
human nature, its greatest contribution is the
adding of a vertical dimension to our lives by
deepening our knowledge of ourselves and
those around us.
 The study can teach us the unknown and
undiscovered things about ourselves, what
Frank Kermode calls “the paradigms” of human
nature and what Agustine many centuries
called “the dark corners in the heart of others”.

13. The historical background of psychology
 Traditionally – psychology is said to have
began with man’s earliest speculations
regarding human nature. The earliest attempts
were essentially animistic wherein the gods of
or the spirits were attributed the power to direct
or cause such event and activities of men.

14. Historical Background
 The Greek
Influence– started
with a branch of
philsophy with
Democritus,
Aristotle, Plato,
Socrates, Galen
etc. as the great
precursors.
 The Medieval
Period
 St.Agustine (354-
430)
Combined Platonic
psychology with
Christian thinking. He
introduced & used the
method of introspection
(the description of one’s
own conscious
processes).

15. Pre-modern period
 17th Century
 Rene Descartes
(1596-1650)
 Formulated a theory
of mind-body
interaction
 - father of modern
psychology,
-“reflex action”
 George Berkeley
(1685-1753)
 In his theory of
knowledge
Said that ideas (which
in their own sum
constitute mind)
become the only reality.
David Hume (1711-

16. Scientific psychology
 Scientific psychology
cannot be said to
have begun until the
second half of
nineteenth century
 Psychology in
America
 Many American
pioneers like G.
Stanley Hall and
James McKeen Cattell
studied with Wundt in
Leipzig.
 William James, an
eminent philosopher,

17. Psychology in france
 Phillipe Pinel and others began as early in the
19th century the enlightened psychological
interpretation or insanity.
 Anton Mesmer in 1779 developed hypnosis or
“animal magnetism”
 Seguin(1848) made use of testing in the
teaching of mentally-retarded children
 Alfred Binet (1875-1911). The Father of
Intelligence Test,

18. Psychology in england
 Charles Darwin “Theory of
Evolution”, “Survival of the Fittest”
 Publish Origin of the Species in 1859
 Francis Galton studied differences and
evolved his ingenious tech
 Karl Pearson (1857-1936) and
Spearman ( 1863-1945)
 Giving England a leadership in the
development of Statistical Methods

19. Psychology in germany
 Was established by Max Wertheimer,
Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka and
believes on the whole patterns of behavior as
the perception of organized configuration. Kurt
Lewin introduced his field theory which laid
emphasis on motivation and social psychology.

20. Schools and movements in psychology
 Amidst the fragmentary and sporadic opinions
that have arisen during the early American
history of the new discipline, Psychology at that
time was slowly emerging from an integration
of physiology, physics, astronomy,
mathematics, biology and other allied
disciplines.

21. STRUCTURALISM
 Established by Wilhem Wundt and Edward
Bradford Titchener with emphasis on the
conscious experience as the building block of
behavior.

22. Functionalism
 Was founded by William James , James
Rolland Angell, Harvey A. Carr and John
Dewey and focuses on how the mind works in
order to serve certain functions in an
individual’s environment.

23. Behaviorism
 Was led by John B. Watson and Edward L.
Thorndike and insists that learned behavior
through conditioning is the foundation of one’s
behavior.

24. Gestalt
 Was established by Max Wertheimer,
Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka and
believes on the whole patterns of behavior as
the perception of organized configuration.

25. Psychoanalysis
 As propounded by Sigmund Freud stresses
on human motives and desires that are
contained in the individual’s unconscious
experiences which are normally driven out of
awareness.

26. Hormic Psychology
 Was introduced by William McDougall and
concerns with the functions of the ductless
glands that serve purpose in life, also termed
as purposivism.

27. Branches of psychology and its related
fields
Sub-Areas Fields of Study
General Psychology This field presents the basic and
fundamental principles of human behavior.
Comparative Psychology Deals with the behavior and mental
processes of different species
Developmental Psychology How people grow throughout the course of
their lives across the life span
Social Psychology How people’s thoughts, feelings and actions
are affected by others

28. Sub-Areas Fields of Study
Clinical Psychology Study, diagnosis and treatment of abnormal
behavior in clinical setting
Dynamic Psychology
(Psychology of Personality)
Mental phenomena are studied in terms of internal
drives and motives as causes of behavior
Physiological Psychology Study relating bodily processes to behavior. It
studies the function of the nervous system and
other behavior of organisms
Educational Psychology Applies psychological principles to the field of
education

29. Sub-Areas Fields of Study
Abnormal Psychology Deals with the behavioral disorders like physical
handicaps, nervous disorders, speech
impairments, mental aberrations and others
Industrial or Personnel
Psychology
Issues at the workplace like productivity, job
satisfaction and decision making
Therapy and Counseling The study includes the use of psychological
principles to the task of alleviating and
preventing mental illness

30. Sub- Areas Fields of Study
Human Engineering This fields adapt the machines and processes to the
capabilities and limitations of human being – the reverse
of fitting men to work conditions
Psychometric Psychology Branch of psychology concerned with the application of
mathematical procedures to the problem of psychology
like testing, the use of norms, central tendencies and the
like
Legal Psychology Deals with the application of psychological knowledge in
the field of law relating to the study of human behavior

31. Methods of psychology
 The study of different methods reveal the
various approaches in the study of human
behavior. Just as a surgeon must be
acquainted with the tools of surgery so that in
the event of an operation, he will know exactly
which instrument to handle, so too a
psychologist must familiarize himself with the
diversified methods of psychology

32. Introspection
 Is a method which consist of reporting
subjective experiences when stimulated by
appropriate objects or events.
OBSERVATION
Is a visual method of examining, discriminating
and interpreting the actions of individuals and
groups in laboratories, classes and out of school
situations

33. Naturalistic observation
 Is free, unlimited and undirected, It is
characterized by observation without interface.
The investigator only observes and does not
interfere with the ongoing behavior. It is
sometimes defined as observation in its natural
setting

34. Directed observation
 Is specific and through. Specific tools like
questionnaires, checklist or outlines, series or
guides control the scope of the subject matter.
It experimental observations, this method
allows maximum control over values and
experiment

35. Questionnaires, opinionnaires, inventories
 The questionnaire consists of a list questions
to be answered either by an observe or the
individual himself. Both questionnaires and
inventories are used to gather facts
 To gather opinion as in the familiar public
opinion polls to discover opinions of a cross-
section of the population regarding certain vital
questions, like martial law, for instance.

36. Testing techniques or the statistical method
 This method(testing techniques) necessitates a
standard stimulus(the test) to be presented to
the individual. It is most frequently employed in
situations where quick assessments are
necessary.
 The testing method includes the familiar
subjects test (multiple choice, filling in the
blanks, true-false or essay format).

37. Clinical method or the case history method (
scientific biography)
 This is a combination of both naturalistic
observation and testing. Information is
obtained through interrogation, through written
record or diaries, accounts from other persons
or thru personal observations.

38. Statistical method
 This reduce data to descriptive terms to permit
ready comprehension with a minimum of effort.
This includes computation of central
tendencies, ( mean, median, mode). Measures
the variability ( range, quartile deviation,
standard deviation). Measures of relationship
(various correlation coefficients and the
contingency coeficient).

39. Survey method
 Is similar to any other scientific investigation
which is highly controlled.
 A. Observation-collection of a large numbers of
facts
 B. Classification of grouping of facts through
designed sampling methods
 C. Verification by duplication of the conditions
of the investigation
 D. Generalization this method is effective in

40. The experimental method
 Is the basis of all scientific work. It consists of
three steps.
 A. the formulation of hypothesis
 B. the experiment to test the hypothesis
 C. the acceptance, rejection or modification of
the hypothesis

41. interviews
 Are person to person meetings or
conversations for the purpose of
communicating thoughts and ideas.
 In psychotherapy, it may take the form of non-
directive therapy where the interviewer merely
listen and guides the conversation

42. Fields of psychology
 Clinical Psychologist – work in private
clinics often in association with other
professionals, often with doctors
 Counseling Psychologist – are the most
numerous deal with schools in the elementary,
high school and university levels

43. Developmental, social, & personality
psychology
 Developmental psychologist - focus on
developmental changes from birth to old age.
 Social psychologist - work in market research or
in attitude surveys and public opinion
 Personality psychologist – focus on
differences among people for the purpose of
classifying and for a study of certain unique
qualities.

44. School and education psychology
 School psychologist - are usually trained in
child development and in clinical and
education psychology
 Educational psychologist – specialize in
teaching and learning

45. Industrial and engineering psychology
 Industrial psychologist – work with one
company or act as consultant for a number of
companies
 Engineering psychologist – design
machines to minimize human errors

46. Emerging specialties
 1. Forensic psychologist – work concerns the
legal and judicial field
 2. Psychologist in Computer Science help in the
planning and analyzing of experimental data
 3. Evaluation and research is one field
psychologist may venture into

47. What research findings reveal
 1. The patients were able to sense the
seriousness of their illnesses by means of
changes they detect in the behavior and
attitude of people around them
 2. Shock and disbelief when they were
informed of their condition
 3. Denial: refusal to accept the verdict either
for a few seconds to months: vocal disbelief of
unconscious denial


48.  5. Bargaining: bargaining for an extension of
life thru a promise of retribution or a religious
commitment.
 6. Depression: the final acceptance that
nothing can be done.
 7. The final acceptance
 8. Findings show that all patients retained hope
until the end no matter the stage of illness or
coping mechanisms used.

49. New approaches in psychology
 1. The Information-Processing Approach
 With the advent of computers in the 1950s and
thru papers published by Nobel-prize winner
Herbert Simon and colleagues, thus method
stimulates psychological phenomena with the
aid of computers.
 Psychological issues can now be properly
programmed and recast in the form of
information-processing systems.

50. Psycholinguistics
 Pioneered by Noam Chomsky in his book
SYNTACTIC STRUCTURES (1957)
psychology can now be applied to the mental
structures needed to understand and speak a
language.
 Analyses of a language are now being made
thru the collaboration of linguists and
psychologists and thru the aid of computers

51. Neuropsychology
 Studies of the brain and the nervous system
has established the relationship of
neurobiological events and mental processes.
 Hence, psychology is now linked to
neuropsychology

52. Cognitive psychology
 It was primarily concerned with scientifically
studying mental processes and mental
structures. With the advent of computers and
information-processing models, the concerned
has diversified to all other areas including
psychopathology, social psychology and the
study of perception and motivation.

53. Accountability in psychology-
ethical issues
 1. Shift in Terminologies – Whereas
before, psychology dealt with SUBJECTS, the
shift is in the use rather of the term
PARTICIPANTS.
 Participants are not passive but are actively
involved if they are to be used and actively
cooperate with the researcher.
 2. The value of studying the participant’s own
experiences and of collecting them is now
recognized. This is the Qualitative

54. 3. Respect for the participant
 The issue of deception – some researchers do
not ell the participants the true purpose of the
research for fear that his may contaminate the
findings. Participants have the right to know
what’s going on.

55. 4. Three criteria in studying
ethical issues
 A. Utilitarian cost ( the benefit criteria)
 Does one learn from the method used in the
research than if done differently?
 B. Effects on participants
 C. Individual integrity
 To what extent is there personal dishonesty
and manipulation and how is this offset by
humanitarian considerations

56. Alternative methods in psychology
 Psychology does not prescribe one single
method for any particular case. Methods to be
used should be relative to the area of
psychology being investigated.
 The change is from Quantitative to Qualitative
methods assuring that sound meaning is
derived from ordinary interviews.
 In Psychological or Cognitive Psychology, the
experimental method in certain cases may still
be valid.

57. Thank you for watching!
Good evening 
 Prepared by:
 Joshua L. Dumagonot &