PSYC100 Cengage Notes by Gordon McIntire Main ideas are in bold key terms are in red Chapter 1 What Is Psychology 1 Beginning of the field Established by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879 department and 1881 journal Should be a hard science like physics or chemistry Structuralism the school of breaking consciousness into elements Introspection Self observation of experience and thoughts Functionalism the school of seeking the purpose of conscious processes Stream of consciousness More practical approach Attracted the first women to the field 2 Freud and the unconscious Psychoanalysis attempted research of the unconscious Unconscious thoughts ideas not consciously perceptible Come out through errors and in dreams Sexual urges are a major force 3 Behaviorism Behaviorism the idea that only observable behavior can be scientifically studied Emphasizes verifiability Nurture over nature Exerted control over subjects 4 Extremes of behaviorism and backlash B F Skinner Creatures repeat behaviors that are rewarded and cease ones that are punished Free will is an illusion Humanism ideas about how humans are unique Optimistic view of human nature Animal research is not reliable Self concept 5 Psychology as a profession Clinical psychology research towards treating mental illness Begun around WW2 Other specialties school industrial organizational counseling 6 Cognition and physiology Both begun 1950s 60s Cognition thought processes Emphasizes searching for internal mental processes Cognition affects behavior Mind body and behavior are related Right left brain 7 Cultural variability Other cultures minorities even women have historically been ignored Brought to importance by global communication cultural blending 8 Evolutionary positive psychology Evolutionary psychology the study of behaviors adaptive value in nature Positive psychology understanding of positive adaptive creative fulfilling mindsets Positive subjective experiences Positive individual traits Positive community and society 9 Growth and work areas Psychology the science of behavior and underlying cognition Both research and application Numbers have grown dramatically especially since 1950 1970 Work settings college university hospital clinic private practice business government grade school and others 10 Research areas professional specialties Research areas Developmental looks at human growth and more recently aging Social looks at interpersonal behavior and the forces underlying it Educational looks at learning processes and teaching methods Health studies how mental and physical health are connected Physiological studies how genetic and physical factors affect the mind Experimental focuses on expanding core ideas Cognitive studies high level mental processes Psychometrics measures behavior and mental traits Personality analyzes patterns in behavior Professional specialties Clinical diagnosing treating mental illness Psychiatry is a medical approach to those problems Counseling analyzing dealing with more mundane problems Industrial organizational applications for organized groups School promoting development in schoolchildren 11 Psychology as a field of study Psychology is empirical relying on direct observation for knowledge Psychology relies on multiple theories or networks of ideas used to explain observations no one theory can account for all behavior Psychology is influenced by society and history 12 Psychology s subject matter Behavior has multiple causes Behavior is shaped by culture a shared lasting set of customs beliefs values norms and institutions Heredity and environment both influence behavior Perception is personal and subjective