What is Psychology?The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

(humans and animals)

Covers what we…..• Think• Feel• Do

• Largest association of Psychologists worldwide

Why Study Psychology?• Application to everyday life• Gain insight into behavior (yours and others)

Why Study Psychology?• Dispel myths about human behavior

Goals of PsychologyDescribe behaviorExplain behaviorPredict behaviorInfluence behavior

Phrenology – Examining bumps on the skull to determine intellect and character traits (19th century)

Past attempts at understanding human behavior (weird or not) have led to what we know today and shaped the current Approaches to Psychology

Wilhelm Wundt• ““Father of psychologyFather of psychology””

• Started 1st lab to study humans (1879)Started 1st lab to study humans (1879)• Established Psychology as formal field of studyEstablished Psychology as formal field of study

• Introspection Introspection – – self observation, report thoughts and self observation, report thoughts and feelingsfeelings

William James• “Father of MODERN Psychology”

or “Father of Psychology in the U.S.”• Principles in Psychology = 1st Psychology Textbook

• Psychoanalytic• Behavioral• Humanistic• Cognitive• Biological

• Sociocultural

PSYCHOANALYTIC• Key ideas

• childhood experiences• unconscious forces

• Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)• Unconscious motivations are responsible for human

behavior• Techniques:

• Free association• Psychoanalysis • Dream analysis

BEHAVIORAL• Key ideas

• Observable Behavior• Conditioning/Learning• Prior experience

• John Watson (1878 – 1958)• Behavior the result of conditioning – “We are what we

learn to be”• B.F. Skinner (1904 – 1990)

• Reinforcement

HUMANISTIC• Key ideas

• Self-directed• Uniqueness • Potential to develop

COGNITIVE• Key ideas

• How we ….. Process, Store, Retrieve information• Thought patterns• Problem solving• Behavior results from memories, expectations

BIOLOGICAL• A.k.a. Behavioral neuroscience• Key ideas

• How the brain, nervous system, hormones, genetics influence behavior

SOCIOCULTURALKey ideas

• Cultural influence on behavior• Gender• Socioeconomic status

Eclecticism• By combining information from all of the

approaches, psychologists stand a better chance of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling behavior.

Psychologist• Observe, analyze, evaluate behavior• Doctorate degree

Psychiatrist• Medical degree + training in psychiatric medicine

Clinical Psychologist• diagnoses and treats people with emotional disturbances

Counseling Psychologist• help people deal with problems of everyday life

Developmental Psychologist• Study changes that occur throughout life

Educational Psychologist• helps students learn

Industrial/Organizational Psychologist• employed by businesses to boost production, improve working conditions, make the workplace a more satisfying environment

Research v. Applied PsychologyResearch Psychologists – study origins, causes,

results of behaviorApplied Psychologists – make direct use of the

findings of research psychologist; deal directly with clients

Naturalistic Observation• Observe subjects in a natural setting without interfering• Natural behavior

Case Study• Intensive investigation of one or more participants• long-term observations, diaries, tests, interviews

Survey• Interviews, questionnaires, or both• asking many individuals a fixed set of questionsLongitudinal Study• Data is collected over a number of years• Development• time-consumingCross-sectional Study• Different age groups – same time – compare

Longitudinal vs. Cross-Sectional

Double-Blind Experiment• Neither participants nor experiment knows which received medication• keeps researcher unbiased

Placebo effect• change in illness/physical state from knowledge and perception of treatment• believing it will have an effect • fake medication