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This introductory guide covers the fundamental concepts of psychology, including understanding psychology, relevance to business administration, and key perspectives such as biological, behavioral, cognitive, psycho-dynamic, and humanistic-existential. Explore various psychological perspectives, from examining behavior in relation to the body to understanding mental processes and behavior through cognitive approaches. Gain insights into human behavior control by unconscious impulses and the exploration of self-fulfillment and ethical choices. Discover specialized areas within psychology, including clinical, counseling, developmental, and social psychology, and learn about techniques like psychotherapy and behavior therapy.
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Introduction to Psychology Dr. Peter Dwumah
Topics UnderstandingPsychology Learning Motivation Attitudes Social Perception Social Interaction and PsychologicalDisorders
Topic 1 UnderstandingPsychology
Explanation of Psychology • Passer & Smith (2011) • Scientific study of behaviour and the mind • Lahey (2012) • Science of behaviour and mental processes
Relevance of studyingPsychology Whatare the relevance of psychologicalknowledge to a business administration student?
Perspectives in Psychology Biologicalperspective Behaviouralperspective Cognitiveperspective Psycho-dynamicperspective Humanistic-existentialperspective
BiologicalPerspective Somepsychologists: Karl Lashley, Donald O. Hebb Relateovertbehaviour to the body Electrical and chemical happenings Neuro-biological processes underlyingbehaviour and mental processes
BiologicalPerspective Brain Nervous system Hormones Genes Egs
BehaviouralPerspective • Somepsychologists: John B. Watson, B.F Skinner • Concerned with activities of an organismthatcanbeobserved • Not the non-observable eg brain, hormones
BehaviouralPerspective • People act because of • Learning histories • Situationalinfluences • Rewardsinvolved • Not necessarilyconsciouschoice
BehaviouralPerspective • Fundamental principle • Stimuli produces a response • Stimuli: events before a behaviouroccurs • Response: behaviouritself • S-R Theory • Most behaviour is learned • Behaviourcontrolled from external stimuli
CognitivePerspective • Somepsychologists: Hermann Ebbinghaus, Elizabeth Loftus • Examines the nature of the mind and how mental processes influencebehaviour
CognitivePerspective • Concerned with mental processes: • Perceiving-Remembering • Reasoning -Decision making • Problem solving
CognitivePerspective Study mental processes to understand whatorganisms do. Human behaviour is controlled by the processing of information in perception and memory Humansare information processors
CognitivePerspective Actions governed by thought Investigate the ways in whichweperceive and mentallyrepresent the world Attempt to studywhat is referred to as the mind
Psycho-dynamicPerspective • Developed by Sigmund Freud: psycho-analytic; psycho-analysis • Searches for causes of behaviourwithin the innerworkings of our personality • Unique patterns of traits, emotions, motives
Psycho-dynamicPerspective Analysis of internal and primarilyunconsciouspsychological forces Much of humansbehaviour stem from unconscious processes
Psycho-dynamicPerspective • Unconsciousprocess • Beliefs, fears and desires a person is unaware of but thatinfluencebehaviour • All humans actions have a cause
Psycho-dynamicPerspective The cause is oftensomeunconsciousmotiveratherthan the rational reasonthatmaybe given Human behaviour is controlled by unconsciousimpulses
Humanistic-existentialPerspective • Scholarsinclude Carl Rogers, Roll May, Abraham Maslow • An individual’s principal motivational force is a tendencytoward • growth • Selfactualization
Humanistic-existentialPerspective • Humanism • Stresses the human capacity for selffulfilment and the central roles of human consciousness, selfawareness and the capacity to makechoices
Humanistic-existentialPerspective • Existentialism • Viewspeople as free to choose and responsible for choosingethicalconduct
Humanistic-existentialPerspective Assertsthathumansarefree to determineourownbehaviour. Emphasizedfreewill, personalgrowth and the attempt to find meaning in one’sexistence Freedom is both a source of pride and a greatresponsibility
Areas of specialization Clinical and counsellingpsychology School and educationalpsychology Developmentalpsychology Social psychology Environmentalpsychology
Areas of specialization Occupationalpsychology Personality psychology Experimentalpsychology Communitypsychology
Areas of specialization • Clinicalpsychology • Specialize in helping people with psychological problems adjust to the demands of life • Eg-anxiety, depression, sexualdysfunction, mental illnessetc • Use of structured interviews; psychological tests
Areas of specialization • Clinicalpsychology • Techniques • Psychotherapy: systematicapplication of psychologicalknowledge to the treatment of problem behaviour
Areas of specialization • Clinicalpsychology • Techniques • Behaviourtherapy: application of principles of learning to the directmodification of problem behaviour
Areas of specialization • Counsellingpsychology • Deal with clientsexperiencingadjustment problems • Eg makingacademic decisions, marital conflict, familyconflict
Areas of specialization Counsellingpsychology • Use of structured interviews; psychological tests • Techniques • Psychotherapy • Behaviourtherapy
Areas of specialization • School psychology • Operateswithinschool system • Identify and assist students whoencounter problems thatinterfere with learning • Eg family problems, emotionaldisturbances, learningdisabilitiesetc
Areas of specialization School psychology • Use of interview: teachers, parents, students • Psychological tests: intelligence and achievement tests • Direct observation of behaviour
Areas of specialization • Educationalpsychology • Operateswithinschool • Optimizing classroomconditions to facilitatelearning • Improvement in courseplanning • Instructionalmethods
Areas of specialization • Developmentalpsychology • Referred to as human development • Studychangesthrough out the life span • Physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes
Areas of specialization Developmentalpsychology • Influence of developmental stages on mental processes and behaviour • Studychanges-physical, emotional, cognitiveand social- thatoccurthrough the life span • Origins of developmentalabnormalities, languagedevelopment, adolescentsconflictetc
Areas of specialization • Social Psychology • Human interactionaffectsbehaviour • Social interaction with peopleinfluence attitudes and behaviour
Areas of specialization Social psychology • Mental processes and human interaction • Understand and explainhowfeelings, thoughts and behaviour of peopleareinfluenced by the presence of others • Actual • Imagined • Implied • Topicsinclude attitude formation, conformityetc
Areas of specialization • Environmentalpsychology • Focus on ways in which mental processes and behaviourinfluence the physicalenvironment • Ways in whichphysicalenvironmentinfluences mental processes and behaviour • Egs: effect of temperature; pollution, crowdingetc
Areas of specialization Occupationalpsychology • Functioning of organizations • Mental processes affectoccupations.
Areas of specialization • Occupationalpsychology • Behaviour of people and groups at work • Increasingeffectiveness and efficiency • Satisfaction at work
Topic2 LEARNING
Learning • Definitions • Atkinson et al (1993) • A relatively permanent change in behaviourthatresults from practice
Learning • Passer & Smith (2011) • A process by whichexperienceproduces a relativelyenduringchange in an organism’sbehaviour or capabilities
Learning • Not includedarebehaviourchanges of an organismthatare due to • Maturation (ratherthanpractice) • Temporaryconditions
Learning • Behaviourists’ understanding • Relatively permanent change in behaviour resulting from experience • Focus on behaviourchange
Learning • Behaviourists’ understanding • Direct observableprocess • Measurablechanges
Learning • Cognitivetheorists’ understanding • Process by whichorganismsmakerelatively permanent changes in the waytheymentallyrepresent the environment as a result of experience
Learning • Cognitivetheorists’ understanding • Internal • Not directlyobservableprocess • Evident by behaviouralchange
Kinds of Learning • Habituation • Simplest form of learning • Decline in the tendency to respond to stimuli thatbecomesfamiliar due to repeatedexposure