Introduction to Psychological Science: Study of the Mind, Brain, and Behavior

1. Introduction 1 Psychological Science: study of the mind, brain and behavior

2. Questions to Consider: I. What Are the Seven Themes of Psychological Science? II. How Did the Scientific Foundations of Psychology Develop? III. How Can We Apply Psychological Science?

3. I. What Are the Seven Themes of Psychological Science? • Psychology Is an Empirical Science • Nature and Nurture Are Inextricably Entwined • The Brain and Mind Are Inseparable • A New Biological Revolution Is Energizing Research • The Mind Is Adaptive • Psychological Science Crosses Levels of Analysis • We Often Are Unaware of the Multiple Influences on How We Think, Feel, and Act

4. 1. Psychology Is an Empirical Science • The scientific method: objective, systematic procedures used to understand what is being studied • Understanding how science is conducted makes it possible to tell which studies are credible and which are not

5. 2. Nature and Nurture are Inextricably Intertwined • Are psychological characteristics a product of nature or nurture? • Biologically innate or acquired through education, experience, and culture • Psychologists now widely recognize both as important

6. 2. Nature and Nurture Are Inextricably Intertwined • Changing beliefs about the influence of nature vs. nurture • Schizophrenia • Bipolar Disorder

7. 3. The Brain and Mind Are Inseparable • Descartes’ theory of dualism • Maintained the distinction between mind and body • Assigned the body many mental functions previously considered the mind’s domain • Psychological scientists largely reject dualistic thinking • Mind is what the brain does (monism)

8. 4. A New Biological Revolution Is Energizing Research • Growth in understanding mental activities’ biological bases • Interest in biology permeates psychological science

9. 4. A New Biological Revolution Is Energizing Research • Three crucial developments • Brain chemistry • The human genome • Watching the working brain

10. 4. A New Biological Revolution Is Energizing Research • Brain chemistry: • Though it was long believed only a handful of neurotransmitters were involved in brain functions, in fact hundreds of substances play critical roles in mental activity and behavior • New understanding of the brain’s chemical process has provided insight and enabled the development of treatments for psychological disorders

12. 4. A New Biological Revolution Is Energizing Research • The human genome: • Scientists have mapped the basic genetic code for the human body • Developed various techniques for discovering the links between genes and behavior • Beginning to understand how situational contexts influence how genes are expressed

13. 4. A New Biological Revolution Is Energizing Research • Watching the working brain: • Only since the late 1980s have researchers been able to study the working brain as it performs its vital psychological functions • Many brain regions participate to produce mental activity and behavior

14. Phelps, Banaji, and their colleagues showed white college students pictures of unfamiliar black and white faces. When some of the participants viewed unfamiliar black faces, brain scans showed activation of the amygdala, a brain region associated with threat detection, and also of the anterior cingulate, which is associated with emotional response.

15. 5. The Mind Is Adaptive • The brain has evolved over millions of years to solve problems related to survival and reproduction • Mind is adaptive in biological and cultural terms • Genetic mutations

16. 5. The Mind Is Adaptive • Evolutionary theory: • Determining whether human mechanisms are adaptive • Need to be aware of the challenges of our ancestors in order to understand our current behavior • Sweet and fatty foods

17. 6. Psychological Science Crosses Levels of Analysis • Four levels of analysis reflect the most common research methods for studying behavior: • Biological • Individual • Social • Cultural

18. 6. Psychological Science Crosses Levels of Analysis • Biological level of analysis • The physical body contributes to mind and body • Neurochemical and genetic processes • Individual level of analysis • Differences in personality • Mental processes that affect how people perceive the world

19. 6. Psychological Science Crosses Levels of Analysis • Social level of analysis • Group contexts affect people’s ways of interacting and influencing each other • Cultural level of analysis • Different cultures shape thoughts, feelings, and actions of the people in them

21. 7. We Are Unaware of Influences on How We Think, Feel, and Act • People are influenced by subtle factors in their environments, even when they largely are unaware of those influences. • Some factors influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors at an unconscious level

22. Chapter 1 Day 2 II. How Did the Scientific Foundations of Psychology Develop? III. How Can We Apply Psychological Science?

23. II. How Did the Scientific Foundations of Psychology Develop? • Experimental psychology begins with structuralism • Functionalism addresses the purpose of behavior • Gestalt psychology emphasizes patterns and context in learning • Women made pioneering contributions to psychology • Freud emphasized the power of the unconscious • Most behavior can be modified by reward and punishment • Cognition affects behavior • Social situations shape behavior • Psychological therapy Is based on science

24. 1. Experimental Psychology Begins with Structuralism • History of experimental psychology: • William Wundt developed the method of introspection • A systematic examination of subjective mental experiences that requires people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts.

25. 1. Experimental Psychology Begins with Structuralism • Edward Titchener pioneered structuralism: • Based on the idea that conscious experience can be studied when it is broken down into its underlying components

26. 2. Functionalism Addresses the Purpose of Behavior • William James • Critic of structuralism • Coined the term “stream of consciousness” • An ever-changing, continuous series of thoughts • Proposed the approach of functionalism • Argued that the functions of the mind, rather than its elements, should be the focus of psychologists

27. 3. Gestalt Psychology Emphasizes Patterns and Context in Learning • Second school of thought opposed to structuralism • Personal experience is not simply the sum of its constituent parts • Perception of objects is subjective and dependent on context

30. 4. Women Made Pioneering Contributions to Psychology • In the history of psychology, women have made pioneering contributions • Mary Whiton Calkins • Margaret Flay Washburn

31. 5. Freud Emphasized the Power of the Unconscious • Sigmund Freud is a key figure in the history of psychology • Much of human behavior is determined by mental processes operating below the level of conscious awareness, at the level of the unconscious • Pioneered the case study approach

32. 6. Most Behavior Can Be Modified by Reward and Punishment • John B. Watson • Challenged the focus of psychology on conscious and unconscious mental processes • Proposed the idea of behaviorism, an approach that emphasizes environmental effects on behavior

33. 7. Cognition Affects Behavior • George A. Miller defined the field of cognitive psychology • Concerned with higher-order mental functions such as intelligence, thinking, language, memory, and decision making

34. 8. Social Situations Shape Behavior • Social psychology • Focused on the power of the situation and on the way people are shaped through their interactions with others. • Power of social situations-Nazi Germany • Link to video about Milgram Experiment

35. 9. Psychological Therapy Is Based on Science • A humanistic approach to the treatment of psychological disorders • Developed in the 1950s • Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow • Emphasized how people can come to know and accept themselves in order to reach their unique potential.

36. III. How Can We Apply Psychological Science? • Psychological Knowledge Is Used in Many Professions • People Are Intuitive Psychological Scientists • Psychological Science Requires Critical Thinking • Psychologists Adhere to a Code of Ethics • Psychology Is Relevant to Every Person’s Life

37. This graph, adapted from data published by the American Psychological Association (APA), shows the great increase in this professional organization’s membership from 1900 to 2004.

38. 1. Psychological Knowledge Is Used in Many Professions • Psychological science’s content is of interest and value to many professions • Physicians use knowledge of psychological science to better related to their patients, determine how patients’ behaviors are linked to health, and learn what motivates patients to seek out medical care (or not).

39. 1. Psychological Knowledge Is Used in Many Professions • Careers in which it is necessary to understand people also use psychological science. • Lawyers, politicians, and advertisers

40. 2. People Are Intuitive Psychological Scientists • By nature, humans are intuitive psychological scientists • Develop hypotheses about and try to predict others’ behavior

41. 3. Psychological Science Requires Critical Thinking • Critical thinking: • Systematic way of evaluating information to reach reasonable conclusions • Thinking that is purposeful, reasoned, and goal directed • Used in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions

42. 4. Psychologists Adhere to a Code of Ethics • The American Psychological Association publishes a code of ethics that all its members must respect • This code includes being respectful to all people, treating them with dignity, and protecting them from potential harm • Ethical dilemmas

43. 5. Psychology Is Relevant to Every Person’s Life • The insights of psychology are critical in almost every sphere of our lives and its content • Explicating how humans think, feel, and behave – it is universal