Psych 301 8 29 3 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Psychological science is the study of mind brain and behavior Mind Thoughts Feelings Perceptions Brain Neurons neurochemicals brain anatomy Behavior Observable physical actions What are the themes of Psychological Science Cumulative principles Influence of biology Brain Chemistry Neurotransmitters Genetics The Human Genome Brain Imaging Neuroscience Localization of function Involvement of multiple brain regions The mind has been shaped by evolution The mind is adaptive Ideas from evolutionary theory Natural selection guides inherited characteristics Random adaptations sometimes increase chances of survival Adaptive behaviors are built into our bodies and brain Many current behaviors reflect our evolutionary heritage Psychological science crosses levels of analysis common goal of understanding how the mind works Theoretical orientation determines choice of questions and research approach Seven levels of analysis table from book What are the origins of psychological science The nature nurture debate considers the impact of biology and environment Culture Beliefs values rules and customs Within a group sharing language environment Nature Nurture debate Psychological activity is biologically innate Psychological activity is acquired through education experience and culture The mind body problem has challenged philosophers and psychologists The Mind Body Problem is perhaps the quintessential psychological issue Mind and Body are separate and distinct Ren Descartes Dualism Mind is simply the subjective experience of the physical brain Evolutionary theory natural selection Charles Darwin 1809 1882 Theory of natural selection On the Origin of Species 1859 Natural Selection Inheritable individual differences are the basis of evolutionary development Francis Galton 1822 1911 Measurement of mental differences Psychological testing movement Historical foundations Structuralism Conscious experience can be broken down to its basic underlying components Wilhelm Wundt 1879 opens first Experimental psychology laboratory Methods Subtractive Response Time Introspection Functionalism How the mind operates Concerned with the adaptive purpose of mind and behavior William James 1842 1910 The mind cannot be broken down into elements Stream of Consciousness Emphasized the uses of thoughts Gestalt psychology Patterns and context in learning and perception The whole is greater than the sum of its parts Important figures Max Wertheimer 1880 1943 Wolfgang K lher 1887 1967 Freudian psychodynamics The unconscious influences everyday mental life Sigmund Freud 1856 1939 Unconscious mental processes Psychoanalysis therapeutic technique Bring the contents of the unconscious into conscious awareness Free association and dream interpretation Behaviorism Role of environment in producing behavior Modifying behavior by reward and punishment John B Watson 1878 1958 Stimuli triggers and responses behaviors B F Skinner 1904 1990 Behaviors shaped by their consequences Cognitive psychology Thought influences behavior Intelligence thinking language memory Information processing theories Computer model Cognitive Neuroscience Brain enables cognitive processes Social psychology The power of the situation How people are shaped through their interactions with others Field theory Kurt Lewin 1890 1947 Interplay between people and their environments Attitudes prejudice attraction group dynamics What are the professions of psychological science Subdisciplines focus on different levels of analysis Psychological Scientist Uses the methods of science Studies interplay of brain mind behavior and social environment Psychological Practitioner Applies findings from psychological science to assist people in daily lives Psychological knowledge is used in many professions People are intuitive psychological scientists
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