1 / 18

A brief introduction…

A brief introduction…. … to the world of Psychology. A deep thought….

guinivere-crolly
Download Presentation

A brief introduction…

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. A brief introduction… … to the world of Psychology.

  2. A deep thought… • “There are 100 billion galaxies. Just one of these, our own relative speck of a galaxy, has some 200 billion stars, many of which, like our sun, are circled by planets. On the scale of outer space, we are less than a single grain of sand on all the oceans’ beaches, and our lifetime but a relative nanosecond. Yet, there is nothing more awe-inspiring than our own inner space. Our brain is by far the most complex physical object in the entire cosmos. Our consciousness- mind somehow arising from matter- remains a profound mystery. Our thinking, emotions, and actions fascinate us. Outer space staggers us with its enormity, but inner space enthralls us.”Enter the world of psychology…

  3. Part 1: The roots of Psychology

  4. A quote… • “Psychology has a long past, but a short history.” • -Hermann Ebbinghaus • What do you think this statement means?

  5. Ancient prescientific roots • Since the beginning, humans have been intensely interested in themselves and others (Buddha, Confucius, ancient Hebrews) • Ancient Greece • Socrates (469-399 BCE)/Plato (428-348 BCE): determined that the mind is separate from the body; knowledge is inborn • Aristotle (384-322 BCE): human behavior governed by patterns and rules; i.e. seeking pleasure, avoiding pain; used observation and data; knowledge is not preexisting- it comes from experience • Hippocrates (460-371 BCE): strange behavior caused by brain abnormalities, not the gods; four “humors” or fluids determined personality

  6. 1600s: modern science begins • Rene DeCartes, France (1595-1650) • “I think, therefore I am.” • People used their inborn knowledge to reason • Theorized about brain fluids causing movement by flowing through nerves to our muscles • Francis Bacon, Great Britain (1561-1626) • Focused on experiments and common sense over superstition; responsible for the scientific method • John Locke (1632-1704) • “Tabula rasa:” blank slate

  7. Birth of Modern Psychological Science • Bacon and Locke’s insights lead to modern empiricism- that knowledge comes from experience and science relies on observation, experimentation, evidence. • December, 1879: 1st psychology lab established in Germany at University of Leipzig by Wilhelm Wundt • The 1st ever psychology experiment on reaction time and perception: • 1/10 sec.: hit a button when you hear the sound of a ball. • 2/10 sec.: hit a button when you are consciously aware of perceiving the sound.

  8. The first two perspectives/theories Edward Titchener (Wundt’s student) • Founded structuralism (1892): used self-reflective introspection used to discover the elements of the mind. William James • Created functionalism: how do our thoughts and behaviors help us adapt to our environments? • Wrote the first psychology textbook (1890) • Admitted the first female Psychology Ph.D at Harvard (Mary Calkins)

  9. Other early landmarks • Hermann Ebbinghaus: first experiments on memory (1885) • 1st Psychology Ph.D awarded (1886) • 1st American Professor of Psychology (1888) • APA (American Psychological Association) founded in 1892 • Edward Thorndike: first experiments on animal learning (1898) • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): Psychoanalysis • Alfred Binet: first intelligence test (1905) • John B. Watson (1878-1958): Behaviorism • In order to be a reputable science, psychology should limit itself to observable, measurable behaviors (1913) • Gestalt Psychology (Wertheimer, Koffka, etc) (1920s): "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts;” learning comes from insight, not only from repetition and rewards • For more details, watch this video: • http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/history/history_flash.html

  10. Part 2: The Tools and Perspectives of Modern Psychology The Bio-Psycho-Social Model and the 6 Modern Approaches

  11. Bio-psycho-social model

  12. 1. Psychoanalytic approach • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

  13. 2. Behaviorist approach • John Watson (1878-1958) • B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

  14. 3. Humanistic approach • The late 1950s and 1960s

  15. 4. Cognitive approach • Cognition=Thinking

  16. 5. Biological approach How do the following impact an individual’s mental processes and behavior:

  17. 6. Sociocultural approach • How do the following forces impact a person’s behavior and mental processes? • Does your language shape the way you think? Check these out: • http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine • http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~atman/Misc/eskimo-snow-words.html

  18. Final thoughts… • There are many approaches, therefore there are many possible answers. • Think of each of the six perspectives as a “lens” onto each individual. • Human beings have free will; as a result, human behavior does not follow set laws, like physics. • However, there are still patterns and tendencies that can be discovered using the scientific method.

More Related