Psychology Has Many Faces:Science, Academic Discipline, Healing
Profession
ClinicianResearcher
Teacher
Understand Research Methods
Behavioral Neuroscientist…
Behavior in relation to the Brain
Psychology
Strong Background in Research Methods!
Science: a process of inquiry
Basic Curiosity
“We Ask Questions of Science AndGet answers”
D.E. Moss
The process of formulating specific questions and then finding answers in order to better understanding
Psychology: the science of human & animal behavior
Goal: gather an organized body of knowledge
Psychological research seeks scientific explanation for behavior
1. Empirical: based on observable evidence
2. Testable: verifiable through direct observation
3. Rational: follow rules of logic, consistent with known facts (not based on assumptions known to be false)
Scientific explanations strive to be:
1. Parsimonious: offer the least complex explanation that requires the fewest assumptions
2. General: can be applied to more than the original set of circumstances – broad explanatory power
3. Tentative (Skepticism): readily replaced by better explanation
Occam’s Razor: “Do not multiply hypotheses unduly”
Choose the simplest explanation!!!!
Science is based on:
Empiricism:Collecting data
Rationalism:Formulating Question
Skepticism:Interpretation
of dataDecarte (thinking)• reasoning• rules of logic
Thales (observation)• careful observation of nature
Documentation - data
What is Science?
2. Collection of facts?
1. Technology?
3. Finished Product?
4. Objective search for the truth?
5. Immediate solutions to practical problems?
6. Grows continuously?
What is Science?
Just a Collection of Facts: NO!
Integration of data but also theory driven –
relating data to principles (theories)
What is Science?
Finished Product: NO!
One experiment inevitably leads to other questions…serendipity!
What is Science?
Science Grows Continuously: NO!
Science grows awkwardly
One direction then another directionScience has a history of fads (style that interests many people for a short time)
Ex: Schools of Psychology
Structuralism: the study of the structure of conscious experience
(1832-1920)
50 years
moved psychological study from the domain of philosophy and the natural sciences and began to utilize physiological experimental techniques in the laboratory – SCIENCE
moved psychological study from the domain of just the “mind” to behavior influence of Darwin - animal researchapplied research (practical questions ie., education, training, developmental)
Functionalism: Consciousness as well as behavior must
serve some sort of purpose – the function of the mind
William James (1842-1910)“my thinking is first, last always for the
sake of doing”
Professor at HarvardTaught first class in experimental Psych
in US
50 years
Behaviorism:
All other schools to mentalistic and to subjective – not observable, not science
Focus is on relationship between the environment and behavior
John Watson (1878-1957)University of Chicago
Johns Hopkins
moved psychological away from the mind – only behavior transferred all mentalistic content into S-R: “we only think we think” animal research (Pavlov. Skinner) Against Freud!
60 years
No longer one school of Psychology
Biological Psychology
Cognitive Psychology Social Psychology
Clinical PsychologyNeuropsychology
Developmental Psychology