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UIUC PSYC 100 - Week 1.0 Psyc 100

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Week 1: Introduction to Psychology [Psych 100] Definition of Psychology: Study of (human) behavior and experience. The nature of behavior: 1. It is directly observable. No inferences need to be drawn. 2. It is non-diagnostic. Does not offer information on likes/dislikes of individual etc. The nature of experience: 1. It is usually associated with internal experiences. 2. Involves a learning process – we learn from past experiences. Includes concepts of memory (e.g. when can we tell that someone is telling the truth etc.) 3. Affective – feelings, emotional state, moods. Varies widely on a day to day basis. 4. Conscious and Unconscious experiences. - Altered states of conscious 1. Sleep: Senses get dull; internal thought processes however can change. Dream states can reflect some of our unconscious thoughts. 2. Alcohol-induced or drug-induced state: Express themselves in ways that they would normally not. 3. The runner’s high – Endorphins released when you are doing a very hard physical activity – makes one feel ‘powerful/happy’ , thus changing our emotional state (e.g. when we perform a task/physical activity such as running or even when we push ourselves to the limit..and over!). Subjects of a psychological study: - Animals - .e.g primates with the goal of better understanding ourselves; Snails – v. simple nervous system, but also engage in the learning process. Perhaps we could discover the biological basis of learning in this snail, and then explore whether it exists in the human being too. Animal species chosen are also ones that are similar to human beings in specific ways (e.g. if you are interested in vision – you usually study cats!) - Humans Interesting questions: Q. Are we the only species that use language? A. Perhaps primates do, since their social construct/environment is very similar to oursResearch Methodologies: - NATURALISTIC METHODOLOGY: Simple observations; qualitative inferences. e.g. Triplet – he developed social psychology by observing kids and how the inter-personal relationship develop between girls and boys; how groups work together – if the group shares harmonious relationships with each other, then an outsider who challenges one person in that group, will be challenging everyone in that group. - ARTIFICIAL ENVIRONMENTS/CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTATION: Controlled measurements - MIXED (b/w/ naturalistic and artificial) : Surveys/questionnaires/clinical interviews Units of Analyses: Myers, 2013: A question you may raise: What precisely is this theory attempting to explain? The answer is not always clear. The unit of analyses is usually something that is less than one real life human being. Examples of units of analyses: e.g. 1) an organ, such as the brain. Neuroscience – study of the brain (architecture, chemistry etc). e.g. 2) systems, such as the hormonal system – help determine when we get hungry, responsible for temperature regulation, sleep-wake cycle/circadian rhythm, sexual arousal. Psychologists study the interaction between different hormones, how the imbalance in the hormonal system affect our mental state. e.g. 3) a process, such as learning. Experiments may be centered around rewards etc. e.g. 4) one person/dyads/triads – we are interested in the dynamics between people or inter-personal relationships. Sub-divisions within psychology: A. Clinical: 1) Counseling; 2) Community (50% of psychologists are clinical psychologists). Some of their roles: - Psychotherapy, either in a clinical setting, mental health center, or in private practice. Issues for which therapy is typically provided: depression, behavioral issues, anxiety, family therapy, drugs/alcoholism, abuse etc. - Academic roles – in research B. BiologicalClinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists: Clinical Psychologists Psychiatrists Attend graduate program – doctoral dissertation with a specialty, followed by dissertation. PhDs Attend medical school. M.D.s Psychological/therapeutic orientation Medical orientation/ offer drug therapy Cannot prescribe medication (except in 2 states) Can prescribe


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