Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The goal of psychology is to observe and describe behavior to better predict and control it. Psychology is a social science that also draws from natural sciences like biology. Psychologists conduct research through surveys and experiments to develop and test theories about cognitive processes and behavior.

1. Unit 1
What is Psychology?

2. • Psychology: the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes
– Behavior: any action that others can observe
or measure.
• This includes almost everything that a person
could do. (walk, talk, sleep, eat, blink, etc.)
• Some things can‟t be seen. [Brain activity is
measured with an electroencephalograph (EEG)]
– Cognitive activities: private mental processes
known only to the individual. (Ex:
dreams, thoughts, memories)
– Psychological Constructs: What researchers
use to talk about cognitive activities. (how
they affect your behavior)

3. • Goal of Psychology:
– Psychologist seek to observe and describe
behavior which enables them to better predict
and control one‟s behavior.
• Very evident in the field of sports psychology
– They may use positive visualization. (picturing exactly
how it is supposed to look when the action is done
correctly)

4. • Psychology is a social science with some
foundations in the natural sciences.
– There are other social sciences: History,
Anthropology, Economics, Political Science,
Sociology
– All these other social sciences deal with individuals
and their behavior, which is the basis of Psychology.
• Psychology also has some base in the natural
sciences
– The Natural sciences include: Biology, Chemistry,
Physics.
– Psychologist study the functions of the brain which is
closely linked to Biology and Anatomy

5. • Psychologist will test their ideas through
research. There are two main research
methods: Survey and Experimentation.
– Some psychologist use animal experimentation to
explain human behavior. Other research can only be
conducted on humans.
• Psychologist organize their thoughts or ideas
into theories.
– Theory: a statement that attempts to explain why
things are the way they are or happen the way they
do.
– Principle: a basic truth or law that most Psychologist
will agree on.
• These theories are constantly updated or discarded. Ex: Is
the world flat?

6. Different types of Psychologist:
• Clinical Psychologist
– Makes up 48% of all Psychologist
– Help people with psychological problems like
anxiety, depression or more severe problems like
schizophrenia
– Do a large amount of research
– Found in hospitals, prisons, universities
– Not to be confused with a Psychiatrist, who is a
medical doctor that specializes in psychological
problems and can prescribe medication for their
patients

7. • Counseling Psychologist
– They use interviews and test to identify their clients
problems
– Mainly deal with people who have adjustment
problems rather then serious disorders
– This is the group that most employer and family
counselors fall into
• School Psychologist
– Work in schools to help students with any problems
that may interfere with learning (family problems, peer
problems, learning disorders)
– They administer IQ and other achievement test
– They may be in charge of student placement into
special programs

8. • Educational Psychologist
– Similar to school psychologist but they are concerned with
course planning and instructional methods for an entire district
– Their research includes the way learning is affected by
psychological factors, cultural factors, economic factors, and
instructional factors
– They write most standardized test (ACT,SAT) then test the
results
• Developmental Psychologist
– They study the changes that occur throughout a life span. These
are:
• physical, (height, weight, maturity)
• emotional, (self concept, self esteem),
• cognitive, (changes in the thought processes from infant to adult)
and
• social (the formations of bonds between people and peer pressure)
– They deal with the nature vs. nurture debate

9. • Personality Psychologist
– They identify characteristics or traits. (Things like
friendliness or shyness)
– They deal with aggression, anxiety, and gender roles
• Social Psychologist
– They are concerned with an individual‟s behavior in
social situations
– They study:
• the way people react in given situations,
• the factors that attract on individual to another,
• the reasons why people tend to conform to a group,
• how your behavior changes around different people,
• the effect of prejudice and discrimination,
• what makes people act aggressive in a situation or helpful

10. • Experimental Psychologist
– They usually conduct research in the basic processes
such as functions of the nervous system.
– They are closely linked to the natural sciences
– They perform Basic research: research that is done
for no immediate application but rather for its own
sake
• Others:
• Industrial and organizational psychologist
• Environmental psychologist
• Consumer psychologist (why we buy what we buy)
• Forensic psychologist (Profile serial killers)
• Health Psychologist
• Rehabilitation Psychologist

11. History of Psychology
• Stone Age – to release the evil spirits they
would remove parts of your skull
• Egyptians – believed that a little man
named Ka lived in your head and
controlled what you do

12. • Ancient Greece
– Plato (428-348 BC) his motto is „Know
Thyself‟. Today Psychologist call this method
introspection which means „looking within‟
– Aristotle writes the first book on Psychology
called Peri Psyches (about the mind)
• He is known for associationism (how an
experience reminds us of previous experiences)
– Hippocrates is the first to suggest that mental
problems come from abnormalities in the
brain.
• Middle Ages
– Most people of the day thought that mental
problems came from demon possession.
Practiced trial by ordeal.

13. • 16th, 17th, 18th centuries
– the start of the science of Phrenology- the
reading of the bumps on your head
• 1879 William Wundt
– Starts the field (or school) of psychology
called Structuralism
– It‟s basis is that your conscious is broken into
two basic elements
• Objective sensations
• Subjective feelings
– The mind functions by combining the these
two basic elements

14. • William James
– Founded the school of Functionalism
– Disagreed with Wundt and thought that an
experience is a “stream of consciousness”
– He wrote The Principles of Psychology in
1890 (considered to be the first text book on
psychology)
– Functionalist are concerned with how mental
processes help organisms adapt to their
environment
– Successful behaviors are repeated and
unsuccessful ones are dropped

15. • The difference between Functionalism and
Structuralism:
– Structuralism asks: what are the elements (or
structures) of the psychological process?
– Functionalism ask: What are the purposes (or
functions) of these behaviors and mental
processes?
– In other words “one asks what are the parts?
The other asks what do the parts do?”

16. • Sigmond Freud
– The father of Psychoanalysis
– Emphasized the importance of unconscious
motives and internal conflicts in determining
human behavior
– Big into interpretation of slips and dreams
– He did his research through consultation with
patients (not in a lab)
– He felt you are driven by your subconscious
mind
– His theories are sometimes called
psychodynamic thinking

17. • John B Watson
– Founder of Behaviorism
– Feels that it is unscientific to study
conscious, because it is impossible to tell
what others are thinking, especially animals
– He felt it more important to watch
observable, measurable events
– He defined Psychology as the scientific study
of observable behavior

18. • B.F. Skinner
– Known for his work in the field of
reinforcement.
– He showed that when animals are reinforced
or rewarded for performing an action they are
likely to repeat it.
• Gestalt Psychology (Werthheimer, Koffka, Köhler)
– School of thought concerned with how people
receive information influences how they
interpret it
– They focus on the big picture rather then the
parts of the picture

19. • Contemporary Perspectives
– The old schools and theorist have been
modified to form more modern perspectives
• Biological Perspective:
– emphasizes the influence of biology on
behavior
– They look at how the different parts of your
brain control your behavior
• Evolutionary Perspective:
– They feel that behaviors, like other
evolutionary characteristics are passed down
to offspring

20. • Cognitive Perspective:
– Emphasizes the role played by thoughts in
determining behavior
– They study how the mind develops over time
and how it processes information
• Humanistic Perspective:
– Stresses the human capacity for self-
fulfillment.
– They believe you are in charge of your own
behavior

21. • Psychoanalytic Perspective:
– Stresses the influences of unconscious forces
on human behavior
– You live out pent-up frustrations in other ways
• Learning Perspective:
– This emphasizes the effects of experience on
behavior.
– They feel that you do things because of past
learned experiences
• The social learning theory suggest that you can
learn almost anything from watching others
experience it.

22. • Socio-cultural Prospective:
– Addresses issues such as
ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic
status on behavior
– Are some groups smarter than others?
– Are women smarter than men?