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Reviewer Psychology

Psychology – the study of behaviors and mental processes.Behaviors - refers to observable actions or responses in both humans and animals.Mental Processes – refers to a wide range of complex mental processes such as thinking,dreaming and etc..

Goals of Psychology

• Describing The Way organisms behave

• Explaining the Causes Of Behavior

• Predicting How organisms will behave

• Controlling an Organism’s behavior

Different Approaches in Understanding Behavior

• Biological Approach - focuses on how our genes, hormones and nervous systeminteract with our environments to influence learning, personality, memory, motivationand etc..

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Cognitive Approach – examines how we process, store, and use information and how itinfluences what we attend to perceive, learn, remember, believe and feel.

• Behavioral Approach - Studies how organisms learn new behaviors or modify existingones..

• Psychoanalytic Approach – stresses the influence of unconscious fears, desires,motivations and the development of personality traits.

• Humanistic Approach / Personal Disposition– emphasizes the each individual hasgreat freedom in directing his or her future, a large capacity for personal growth, aconsiderable amount or intrinsic worth, and enormous potential for fulfillment.

• Cross Cultural Approach – examines the influence of cultural and ethnic similaritiesand differences on the psychological and social functioning of a culture’s members

• Evolutionary Approach – studies how evolutionary ideas, such as adaptation and

natural selection, explain human behaviors and mental processes.• Eclectic Approach – Using the Seven Different Approaches.

3 Factors Changing a Person

• Family

• School

• Personal Disposition

Historical Approaches to Psychology

• Structuralism (Elements of the Mind) – Wilhelm Wundt build the first psychology labin 1879 in Leipzig, Germany.

- Structuralism - the study of the most basic elements, primarily sensationsand perceptions that make up our conscious mental experiences.

- Introspection – method of exploring conscious mental processes by lookinginwards and being aware of one’s sensation and perception/

• Functionalism (Functions Of the Mind) – William James is the first author to publisha psychology book.

- The Study of the functions rather than the structure or consciousness.- Focuses on goals, purposes and functions of the mind.

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• Gestalt Approach (Sensation Vs. Perception) – introduced in 1912 by MaxWertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka.

o Gestalt is German word for “Whole pattern”

Phi Phenomenon - Apparent motion or illusionary movement.

• Behaviorism (Observable Behaviors) – in 1913 John B. Watson published a landmarkcalled “Psychology as a Behaviorist Views it”..