Introduction Psychology

What is Psychology?Psychology is the

scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

“Psychology” has its roots in the Greek words of “psyche,” or mind, and “-ology,” or a field of study.”

History of Psychology

“Psychology has a long past but only a short history.”

◦Hermann Ebbinghaus

Psychology vs. PsychiatryPsychiatry is a specialty in the medical field,

not a part of psychology.

Psychiatrists hold MDs and have specialized training in the treatment of mental and behavioral problems.

Psychology is a much broader field which has many different specialties.

Origins of PsychologyOrigins of Psychology• Greeks- 5th & 6th centuries

B.C. – People’s lives were

dominated not so much by gods but their own minds• People are rational

• Aristotle = Asked Why?– Began to compare the

sensations, wonder how the thought process worked, and even why we slept

Origins Continued…Origins Continued…• During Renaissance people began to

experiment and observe results• Rene Descartes first to pose dualism-

idea that a link existed between the mind and body– Nativism- is the view that certain

skills or abilities are 'native' or hard

wired into the brain at birth.

(1596-1650)

A Change in PerspectiveFor hundreds of years

medieval Christian churches felt the human mind, like that of God, was an unsolvable mystery.

In the 17th C. the French philosopher Rene Descartes argued that human sensations and behaviors were based on activity in the nervous system.

Rene Descartes 1596-1650

John Locke (1632-1704)John Locke (1632-1704)

– An Essay Concerning Human Understanding–Tabula rasa

– Empiricism• Knowledge

originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation

Psychology Becomes a ScienceDespite Descartes arguments and scientific

breakthroughs at the time, psychology didn’t become a recognized science until the mid 1800s.

Modern Psychology Rooted in HistoryModern psychology developed from several

conflicting ideas including structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, behaviorism and psychoanalysis.

Psychological Science Is Born Psychological Science Is Born

–Wilhelm Wundt• (1832-1920)• Established modern

psychology as a formal

field of study

–1st “Psychologist”–Developed the first psychology

lab/experiment• Measuring reaction time

StructuralismWilhelm Wundt (Voont) was the first to

declare himself a psychologist.

He believed in structuralism.

Wilhelm Wundt 1832-1929

Structuralism: devoted to uncovering the basic structures that make up mind and thought-looking for the elements of conscious experience.

Structuralism relies on introspection, or the process of reporting one’s own conscious mental experiences.

What would be the strengths/weaknesses of introspection?

Gestalt PsychologyGestalt psychology was the opposite of

structuralism. Instead of looking at the individual parts, it wanted to examine the whole.

Gestalt psychology looked at how the brain works by studying perception and perceptual thinking.

Ex. Recognizing a person’s face.

• E.B. Titchner- brought Wundt’s

psychology to U.S. – Structuralism-study the basic elements

that make up human mental experiences– Introspection

• Looking inward- analyzing immediate sensations and how they related to one another.

• Results varied and were unreliable• For example…

• Using structuralism and the idea of introspection I would need to analyze everyone’s immediate sensations.

• Did this picture make you smile?• Did this picture make you want to cry?

• Once again with structuralism, results

varied and were unreliable

Critics of Wundt and StructuralismLike most new theories,

people began to dispute and refute structuralism.

William James (the first U.S. psychologist) believed that psychology should look at function and not just structure.

William James 1842-1910

Functionalism Functionalism • Functionalism- study how animals

and people adapt to their environments..– Influenced by Charles Darwin

• William James- father of psychology in U.S.– Taught first psychology class at Harvard

University in 1875.• Why does the brain think? Why does the nose

smell?

• Wrote “The Principles of Psychology”– Took 12 years!

1842-1910

Functionalism- A theory that emphasized the functions of consciousness and the ways consciousness helps people adapt to their environment.

James thought that psychology should explain how people adapted-or failed to adapt-to everyday life outside the laboratory.

The parts of the functionalist view of psychology

James’ FunctionalismJames’ criticism of Wundt’s

structuralism was that it was boring and inaccurate because it was only done in the laboratory.

James wanted to see how people functioned in everyday life, not just in contrived situations.Also he believed that mental

process were not static. He described them as a “stream of consciousness.”

LadiesLadies

• Margaret Washburn– First PhD 1894,

Cornell– The Animal Mind-

animal behavior research

• Mary Calkins– Denied degree by

Harvard in 1895– First woman president

of the APA– Renowned memory

researcher Between

1996-2009 Females

claimed two-thirds of U.S. Psychology

Ph.D.s

Psychology Defined 2012Psychology Defined 2012

• The definition has evolved over time.

*The science of behavior and mental *processes.

• Behavior = any action we can observe and record.– Examples: Yelling, smiling, sweating…

• Mental Processes = internal, subjective experiences we infer from behavior.– Examples: Sensations, perceptions,

feelings…

Nature versus NurtureNature versus Nurture

• The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors.

PlatoDescartes Darwin

AristotleLocke

Nature versus NurtureNature versus Nurture

• How are humans alike but diverse?• Are gender differences biologically predisposed

or socially constructed?• Is children’s grammar mostly innate or formed by

experience?• How are differences in intelligence and

personality influenced by heredity and by environment?

• Are sexual behaviors more pushed by inner biology or pulled by external incentives?

4.2%Elementary and Secondary Schools

6.3%Business and Government

8.5%Other

19.4%Hospitals and Clinics

28.0%Colleges and Universities

33.6%Private Practice

Psychology’s Early History

Psychology Today: Vigorous and Diversified

Seven Unifying Themes

PersonalApplication

Psychology’s Modern History

0.5%Forensic

0.6%Other

0.9%Clinical Neuropsychology

5.2%School

6.1%Industrial/Organizational

14.7%Counseling

72.1%Clinical

Psychology’s Early History

Psychology Today: Vigorous and Diversified

Seven Unifying Themes

PersonalApplication

Psychology’s Modern History