Chapter 1 Intro to Psych Module 1 Psychologists at Work 01 23 2012 Psychology the scientific study of behavior and mental processes Psychologists try to describe predict and explain human behavior and mental processes as well as helping to change and improve the lives of people The Subfields of Psychology Psychology s family tree Behavioral neuroscience examines how the brain and the nervous system determine behavior how our bodies influence our behavior Experimental psychology studies the processes of sensing perceiving learning and thinking about the world Cognitive psychology focuses on higher mental processes thinking memory reasoning problem solving judging decision making and language Developmental psychology studies how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death Personality psychology focuses on the consistency in people s behavior over time and the traits the differentiate one person from another Health psychology explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments Clinical psychology study diagnosis and treatment of psychological Counseling psychology educational social and career adjustment disorders problems Social psychology study of how people s thoughts feelings and actions are affected by others Cross cultural psychology investigates the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across cultures and ethnic groups Evolutionary psychology considers how behavior is influenced by our genetic inheritance from our ancestors Behavioral genetics seeks to understand how we might inherit certain behavioral traits and how the environment influences whether we display such traits Clinical neuropsychology unites neuroscience and clinical psychology focuses on the origin of psychological disorders in biological factors Psychologists A Portrait Employed in variety of settings from private practice to colleges 6 belong to minor racial groups making it less likely for racial In the US women outnumber men in the field members to see a psychologist most psychologists have a phD or psyD takes 4 5 years past the BA most psych majors after graduation work in social services administrator counselor provide care Module 2 A Science Evolves The Past the Present and the Future The Roots of Psychology 5 000 BCE trephining allowed for the escape of evil spirits 430 BCE Hippocrates argues for four temperaments of personality 1637 Decartes describes animal spirits that travel through hollow tubes and conduct impulses 1690 John Locke introduces tabula rasa children are born into the world with minds like blank states 1807 Franz Josef Gall proposes phrenology 1879 Wilhelm Wundt set up first psychology lab o study the building blocks of the mind o structuralism study of the conscious experience focused on uncovering the fundamental mental components of perception consciousness thinking emotions and other kinds of mental states and activites o introspection method in which patients are presented with a stimulus and then asked to describe what they were experiencing in order to come to a better understanding of the structure of the mind 1895 functionalism replaced structuralism concentrated on what the mind does and how behavior functions 1920 Gestalt psychology emphasizes how perception is organized studying how people consider individual elements together as units or wholes o the whole is different from the sum of its parts Women in Psychology psychology Margaret Floy Washburn first woman to receive a doctorate in Leta Stetter Hollingworth first psychologist to focus on child development and women s issues Mary Calkins became the first female president of the American Psychological Association Karen Horney focused on social and cultural factors behind personality June Etta Downey spearheaded the study of personality traits and became the first woman to head a psychology department in a state university Anna Freud made notable contributions to the treatment of abnormal behavior Mamie Phipps Clark carried out pioneering work on how children of color grew to recognize racial differences Today s Perspectives methods functioning Common goal to explain and understand behavior using scientific Neuroscience views behavior from the perspective of biological Psychodynamic believes behavior is motivated by inner unconscious forces over which a person has little control Behavioral focuses on observable behavior Cognitive examines how people understand and think about the Humanistic contends that people can control their behavior and that they naturally try to reach their full potential world Module 3 Psychology s Key Issues and Controversies Nature vs Nurture how much of people s behavior is due to heredity and how much is due to environmental influences Conscious vs Unconscious how much of our behavior is produced by forces of which we are aware and how much is due to unconscious activity Observable behavior vs internal mental processes should psychology concentrate solely on behavior that can be seen by outside observers or should it focus on unseen thinking processes Free Will vs Determinism how much of our behavior is a matter of choices made freely or produced by factors beyond people s willful control Individual differences vs universal principles how much of our behavior is a consequence of our unique qualities and how much reflects the culture of the society in which we live Understanding How Culture Ethnicity and Race Influences Behavior Different cultures have very different view of the world thus it is important to study other cultural groups in order to identify the universal principles of behavior People s behavior is a joint product of their race and of the treatment they receive from others because of it By examining behavior across ethnic cultural and racial lines can psychologists differentiate principles that are universal from those that are culture bound Psychology s Future Psychology will be increasingly specialized Evolving neuroscientific approaches will have an increasing influence over other branches of psychology Psychology s influence on issues of public interest will grow Issues of diversity will become more important to psychologists Becoming an Informed Consumer of Psychology Know who is offering the information and advice check out credentials Be wary of simple glib responses to major difficulties Be aware that few univseral cures exist for humankind s ills No source of informative or advice is definitive
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