This document provides an overview of the field of psychology. It discusses the goals of psychology, which are to describe, explain, predict, and influence behavior. The major approaches to psychology are also outlined, including psychoanalytic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, biological, and sociocultural approaches. The document also summarizes the history of psychology and describes different subfields within the profession, such as clinical, counseling, school, and industrial/organizational psychology.

1. Chapter 1 Introducing Psychology

2. Section 1 Why Study Psychology?

3. Psychologists Point of View They study complex behavior Physiological- having to do with an organism’s physical processes Cognitive- having to do with an organism’s thinking and understanding

4. What is Psychology? Is the scientific study of behavior that is tested through scientific research the study can involve both animal and human behaviors Some believe our thoughts, feelings, and fantasies are important, but not always observable the study of behavior must be systematic

5. Use of Systematic Method Usually asks and answers questions about why people think, act, and feel as they do reduces the chances of coming to false conclusions Blind man and elephant story

6. The Goals of Psychology Description Explanation Prediction Influence

7. Description Describe or gather information about the behavior being studied and present what is known

8. Explanation Are not content with the facts They seek to explain why people or animals behave Hypothesis- an assumption or prediction about behavior that is tested through scientific research Theory- a set of assumptions used to explain phenomena and offered for scientific study

9. Prediction Use knowledge and predict what organisms think and feel in various situations By studying past behaviors, psychologists can predict future behaviors

10. Influence Psychologists seek to influence behavior in helpful ways Basic Science- the pursuit of knowledge about natural phenomena for its own sake Applied Science- discovering ways to use scientific findings to accomplish practical goals

11. Scientific Method Question Hypothesis Experiment Results Conclusions Theory

12. Wilhelm Wundt Set up the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany Two types of element: sensations and feelings Believes an individual observes, analyzes, and reports his or her mental experiences

13. Section 2 A Brief History of Psychology

14. Marmaduke Sampson Studied “why crime occurs” Believed behavior was the result of the shape of the head Phrenology- the practice of examining bumps on a person’s skull to determine that person’s intellect and character traits Inspired scientists to consider the brain instead of the heart as responsible for human behavior

15. The Origins of Psychology 5 th and 6 th Centuries Greeks studied human behavior and decided people were rational and not dominated by gods Greeks set the stage for the development of sciences

16. The Origins of Psychology 1500 and 1600s Copernicus- published idea that the earth was not the center of the universe, the sun was. Galileo Galilei- used a telescope to confirm the predictions of Copernicus Descartes- proposed a link between the body and mind

17. Historical Approaches Structuralism Wilhelm Wundt- is acknowledged for establishing modern psychology as a separate field of study Structuralist- a psychologist who studied the basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences Introspection- a method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings

18. Functionalism William James- taught the first class in Psychology at Harvard University Wrote the first textbook “The Principles of Psychology” Functionalist- a psychologist who studied the function instead of the structure of consciousness

19. Inheritable Traits Sir Francis Galton Wanted to understand how heredity influences a person’s abilities, character, and behavior. His study focused on genius being a hereditary trait Did not consider that distinguished families may also have exceptional environments and socioeconomic advantages

20. Inheritable Traits Scientists recognized flaws in Galton’s research They came up with the theory that “a person’s heredity and environment interact to influence intelligence”

21. Gestalt Psychology German Psychologists Max Wertheimer Wolfgang Kohler Kurt Koffka Disagreed with the principles of structuralism and behaviorism Believed perception was more than a sum of its parts Studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences

22. Contemporary Approaches Psychoanalytic Behavioral Humanistic Cognitive Biological Sociocultural

23. Psychoanalytic Psychology Sigmund Freud Interested in the unconscious mind Used the technique of free association, which is still used today Believed that dreams are expressions of the most primitive unconscious urges His view on the unconscious is a powerful influence and controversy

24. Psychoanalytic Psychology Psychoanalyst- a psychologist who studies how unconscious motives and conflicts determine human behavior, feelings, and thoughts. Case study- is an analysis of the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, experiences, behaviors, or problems of an individual

25. Behavioral Psychology Ivan Pavlov- Russian Scientist Salivating dog experiment Pavlov rang a tuning fork each time he gave a dog some meat powder. The dog would normally salivate when the power reached his mouth He repeated the experiment, the dog would salivate when it heard the ring The dog was conditioned to associate sound with food

26. Behavioral Psychology Behaviorist- a psychologist who analyzes how organisms learn or modify their behavior based on their response to events in the environment John Watson Believed psychology should only concern itself with the observable facts of behavior B.F. Skinner Introduced the concept of reinforcement Is a response to a behavior that increases the likelihood for the behavior to be repeated

27. Humanistic Psychology Humanist- a psychologist who believes that each person has freedom in directing his or her future and achieving personal growth Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Rollo May are humanistic psychologists Believed human nature as evolving and self-directed

28. Cognitive Psychology Jean Piaget Noam Chomsky Leon Festinger Cognitivist- a psychologist who studies how we process, store, retrieve, and use information and how thought processes influence our behavior Believe that behavior is more than a simple response to a stimulus

29. Biological Psychology Known today as behavioral neuroscience Psychobiologist- a psychologist who studies how physical and chemical changes in our bodies influence our behavior Have found that genetic factors influence our behaviors Discovered a link between chemicals in the brain and human behavior

30. Sociocultural Psychology Sociocultural psychologists study: the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on behavior and social functioning The impact and integration of millions of immigrants entering the U.S. every year Attitudes, values, beliefts, and social norms and roles of the various racial and ethnic groups

31. Section 3 Psychology as a Profession

32. What is a Psychologist? Psychologists- is a scientist who studies the mind and behavior of humans and animals Psychiatry- is a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders These two professions are usually confused

33. Subfields of Psychology Clinical psychologist- is a psychologist who diagnoses and treats people with emotional disturbances Counseling psychologist- is a psychologist who usually helps people deal with problems of everyday life School psychologist

34. Subfields of Psychology Developmental psychologist- a psychologist who studies the emotional, cognitive, biological, personal, and social changes that occur as an individual matures Educational psychologist- a psychologist who is concerned with helping students learn

35. Subfields of Psychology Community psychologist- a psychologist who may work in a mental health or social welfare agency Industrial or organizational psychologist- a psychologist who uses psychological concepts to make the workplace a more satisfying environment for employees and managers

36. Subfields of Psychology Environmental psychologists- work in a business or with the government to study the effects of the environment on people Psychobiologists- study the effect of drugs or try to explain behavior in terms of biological factors

37. Subfields of Psychology Forensic psychologists- work in legal, court, and correctional systems Health psychologists- study the interaction between physical and psychological health factors Experimental psychologists- is a psychologist who studies sensation, perception, learning, motivation, and/or emotion in carefully controlled laboratory conditions

38. Source: Kasschau, Richard, A. Understanding Psychology . McGraw-Hill, Glencoe, New York, New York, 2008.