PSY 120 1st Edition Lecture 1Outline of Current LectureI. What is Psychology?a. How Psychologists view psychologyII. Areas of specialty in PsychologyIII. Perspectives on biologya. Historicalb. Biologicalc. Behaviorald. Psychodynamice. Humanisticf. Cognitiveg. Evolutionaryh. SocioculturalCurrent LectureI. What is psychology?Psychology is a scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It is based onempirical evidence and scientific methods. Study of ALL human behavior, be it good or badexperiencesAttitudes needed for the scientific approach:Critical thinking- evaluating evidence, understanding the processCuriosity- the need to know why; needs evidence to support a theorySkepticism- studies are counter-intuitive and disprove the hypothesisObjectivity- they must report reality not what they want reality to bePsychologists view behavior from several perspectives- Evolutionary- For instance, survival of the fittest and natural selection- Behavioral- Studying what one learns from their actions- Neuroscience- Studying the processes inside the body, such as the nervoussystem, hormones, and drugs that effect the body- Cognitive- Studying how a person thinks and uses reason- Social-cultural- study of how the culture and relationships effect a personII. Areas of specialty in Psychology- Clinical- diagnosis of treatment of psych disorders and research on causes ofdisordersPSY 120 1stEdition- Counseling- consultation with clients on issues of personal adjustment;vocational and career planning; interest and aptitude testing- Developmental- study of physical, mental, emotional, and social developmentacross the entire life span- Educational- Study of Psychological aspects of the educational process;curriculum and instructional research; teacher trainingThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Experimental- Research (typically lab experiments) on basic processes likelearning and perception and motivation- Cognitive- study of mental processes such as memory problem solving, planning,consciousness, and language- Personality- studying individual differences in personality and how they influencea person’s decision- Quantitative- measurement issues and data analysis; development ofmathematical models of behavior (such as a set of code to predict humanbehavior)- Industrial- Behavior in work setting; study of factors related to morale andperformance- Social- the presence of other people, influences of an individual’s behavior andthoughts and feelingsIII. Perspectives of PsychologyHistorical PerspectiveWestern philosophy, biology, and physiology all played major roles in thedevelopment of psychology though out history.Wilhelm Wundt:Was a major influence in structuralism which is the study of eachindividual part to understand how they make up the whole.He was a German philosopher and physicianHe had the first psychology reseach labHe worked to identify elements or structures of mental processesHe also worked a lot with introspection (the study of one’s own mentalprocess) to discover more about how the brain works and what influences itsprocessesWilliam James:He worked with functionalism, which is the study of the processes ofthe philosophy of the mind and how they work togetherHe was an American psychologist and philosopherHis goal was to identify purposes or functions of the mindHe asked the question “Why is human thought adaptive?”Also he studied the natural flow of thought or stream of consciousnessCharles Darwin:He is one of the most important influences on natural selectionHe was a British naturalist which means he believe that actions were areaction to natural evens such as reproduction and evolution.Natural selection is adaptive and functional and favors traits thatpromote reproduction and survival meaning that more successfulcharacteristics become more dominantBiological PerspectiveThis perspective focuses on the brain and nervous system. It works to provethat our genetics and brain are dictating everything.If this were true theneverything would be predetermined because we have no control over ouractions.Behavioral PerspectiveThere is an emphasis on observable behavior in this perspective. It works toprove that anyone can be conditioned or trained to do anything. John B.Watson (1878) and BF Skinner were major influences in this field.Psychodynamic PerspectiveThis perspective is well known because of Sigmund Freud. It emphasizes theunconscious impulses that are believed to occur. For instance, the childhoodexperiences and family life that one had would affect the actions of a person.It believes that there is a conflict between biological drives and society.Humanistic PerspectiveThis perspective is the more positive one. It attempts to prove that positivehuman qualities have a great influence on actions and a person has capacityfor positive growth and freedom to choose destiny. This perspective is anelastic one. Two major influences in this field are Carl Rogers and AbrahamMaslow.Cognitive PerspectiveThis perspective puts emphasis on mental processes involved in knowing.Meaning that logic and reason play the biggest part in a person’s actions.Evolutionary PerspectiveA person’s actions are purely based on adaptation, reproduction, and naturalselection in an attempt to survive and further their genetic code.SocioculturalA person’s actions and personality are besed off of the culture they live in.The people around you and your environment are the greatest factors in yourdecision
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