Psych 1101 Introduction to General Psychology What is psychology?psychology - scientific study of human behavior and mental processesscientific - answering questions objectively based on observable facts, data, and established methods behavior - observable behaviors, behaviors need to be operationally defined, behavior is anythingan organism doesmental processes - the internal, subjective, experiences we infer from behavior - thoughts, feelings, sensationsEarly ThoughtsPeople 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 Universityof Ceipzig, marking the formal beginnings of the...Wundt's student - Edward Titchener came up with structuralismHow was the mind put together? by asking people how do you feel (it's unreliable because it's subjective) structure of the mindFunctionalism 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 geneticsJohn B. Watson - Little Albert Experiment (born without fear, fear from environment)B.F. Skinner Psychoanalytic Theory - Sigmund FreudUnconscious mental processes shape feelings, thoughts, and behaviorsIt's not external environment but unconscious that determine our behavior The unconscious is the part of the mind that operates outside of conscious awarenessCarl Rogers - School of Thought - Humanistic PsychologyHumanistic 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 processedA return to an emphasis on mental processesNature vs. Nurture nature - genetics/ biological makeupnurture - 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