Psych 1101 Introduction to General Psychology What is psychology psychology scientific study of human behavior and mental processes scientific answering questions objectively based on observable facts data and established methods behavior observable behaviors behaviors need to be operationally defined behavior is anything an organism does mental processes the internal subjective experiences we infer from behavior thoughts feelings sensations Early Thoughts People are who they are because they are born that way inborn nativism We learn how to think feel perceive external environment teaches us Some early ideas such as phronology Franz Joseph Gall did not stand the test of time phronology learn about people from their body first landmark 1879 Wundt founded the first laboratory of Psychology at the University of Ceipzig marking the formal beginnings of the Wundt s student Edward Titchener came up with structuralism How was the mind put together by asking people how do you feel it s unreliable because it s subjective structure of the mind Functionalism was advocated by William James influenced by Darwin focuses on how behaviors and mental processes function to allow people and animals to adapt to their environment Behaviorism popular early 1900s psychology redefined as the scientific study of observable behavior dismissed introspection in favor of measuring only that which is observable and quantifiable suggests that environment is much more influential on behavior than genetics John B Watson Little Albert Experiment born without fear fear from environment B F Skinner Psychoanalytic Theory Sigmund Freud Unconscious mental processes shape feelings thoughts and behaviors It s not external environment but unconscious that determine our behavior The unconscious is the part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awareness Carl Rogers School of Thought Humanistic Psychology Humanistic psychology emphasized human growth potential and the importance of meeting our needs for love and acceptance Humanistic therapist need for love and acceptance Cognitive psychology 1960s the scientific study of how perception thought memory and reasoning are processed A return to an emphasis on mental processes Nature vs Nurture nature genetics biological makeup nurture environment external influences contemporary theorists recognize that nurture works on what nature endows Humans as a species are biologically endowed with an enormous capacity to learn and adapt in response to environmental stimuli Psychology s 3 main levels of