Psychology’s Big Issues & Approaches

1. Psychology’s Big Issues &Approaches

2. Philosophical Developments BIG • THE Question: Nature vs. Nurture • Inherited vs. Environment • Are our physical and mental abilities determined by our genes or our experiences? • What has the biggest effect on behavior? • What are the interactions between genetics and environment? • NURTURE WORKS ON WHAT NATURE ENDOWS

3. Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

4. Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

5. Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis

6. Bio-Psycho-Social ModelAnalysis

7. PsychologicalApproaches

8. Psychological Perspectives • Each view behavior from a particular perspective • Method of classifying a collection of ideas • Also called “schools of thought” • Also called “psychological approaches”

9. Cognitive Perspective • Focus: On how people think and process information • Behavior is explained by how a person interprets the situation • How is knowledge acquired, organized, remembered, and used to guide behavior? • Influences include • Piaget – studied intellectual development • Chomsky – studied language • Cybernetics – science of information processing

11. Biological Perspective • Focus: How our biological structures and substances underlie a given behavior, thought, or emotion • Behavior is explained by brain chemistry, genetics, glands, etc. • Focus may be at various levels • individual neurons • areas of the brain • specific functions like eating, emotion, or learning • Interest in behavior distinguishes biological psychology from many other biological sciences

13. Social-Cultural Perspective • Focus: How thinking and behavior change depending on the setting, situation or culture • Behavior is explained by the influence of other people present

15. BehavioralPerspective • Focus: How we learn through rewards, punishments, and observation • View of behavior based on experience or learning • Classical conditioning - Pavlov • Operant conditioning – Skinner • Founded by James Watson

17. Humanistic Perspective • Focus: How healthy people strive to reach their full potential • Behavior is explained as being motivated by satisfying needs (safety, hunger, thirst, etc.), with the goal of reaching one’s full potential once basic needs are met. • Developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers • behavior reflects innate ‘actualization’ • focus on conscious forces and self perception • more positive view of basic forces than Freud’s

19. Positive Psychology • Modern “Humanistic Psychology” • Focus: To study and promote optimal human functioning • Help people discover their human potential and fullfillment • Martin E.P. Seligman is a major advocate • Should promote building positive qualities of people rather than focus on what’s wrong with people

21. PsychodynamicPerspective • Focus: How behavior is affected by unconscious drives and conflicts • Behavior is explained through unconscious motivation and unresolved inner conflicts from one’s childhood. • Modern version of psychoanalytic perspective (Sigmund Freud)

26. Evolution • Darwin’s Theory of Evolution with the process of Natural Selection influenced Psychology. • The most adaptive traits will survive due to natural selection • Focused on how one’s environment might cause one to adapt physically, behaviorally & psychologically to insure the success of future generations.

27. Evolutionary Psychology • Influenced by Darwin and the emphasis on innate, adaptive behavior patterns • Combines aspects of biological, psychological, and social perspectives • Behavior is explained by how the behavior may have helped our ancestors survive long enough to reproduce successfully.

28. Perspectives Timeline

29. Psychology’s Subfields

30. Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist • Counseling Psychologist – help people with crises & life problems (academic, job related, family) • Clinical Psychologist – treats disorders • Psychiatrist – medical doctor that can prescribe drugs to treat physical causes of disorders

31. Basic vs. Applied Research • Basic Research – Discovering concepts and processes • Biological psychologists • Developmental psychologists • Cognitive psychologists • Educational psychologists • Personality psychologists • Social psychologists Applied Research – Providing solutions to problems • Industrial/organizational psychologists • Human factors psychologists • Counseling psychologists • Clinical psychologists • Psychiatrists • Positive psychology • Community psychologists

32. Definition Slides

33. Biological Psychology = the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. • Some biological psychologists call themselves • behavioral neuroscientists, • neuropsychologists, • behavior geneticists, • physiological psychologists, or • biopsychologists.

34. Cognitive Psychology = the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

35. Evolutionary Psychology = the study of the evolution of behavior and mind, using principles of natural selection.

36. Psychodynamic Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, and uses that information to treat people with psychological disorders.

37. Social-Cultural Psychology = the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking.

38. Psychometrics = the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.

39. Developmental Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

40. Educational Psychology = the study of how psychological processes affect and can enhance teaching and learning.

41. Personality Psychology = the study of an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

42. Social Psychology = the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

43. Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychologists = the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.

44. Human Factors Psychologists = an I/O subfield that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.

45. Counseling Psychology = a branch of psychology that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, and marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.

46. Clinical Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treat people with psychological disorders.

47. Community Psychology = a branch of psychology that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.