Introduction to Psychology

1. Introduction to Psychology Dr. Peter Dwumah

2. Topics UnderstandingPsychology Learning Motivation Attitudes Social Perception Social Interaction and PsychologicalDisorders

3. Topic 1 UnderstandingPsychology

4. Explanation of Psychology • Passer & Smith (2011) • Scientific study of behaviour and the mind • Lahey (2012) • Science of behaviour and mental processes

5. Relevance of studyingPsychology Whatare the relevance of psychologicalknowledge to a business administration student?

6. Perspectives in Psychology Biologicalperspective Behaviouralperspective Cognitiveperspective Psycho-dynamicperspective Humanistic-existentialperspective

7. BiologicalPerspective Somepsychologists: Karl Lashley, Donald O. Hebb Relateovertbehaviour to the body Electrical and chemical happenings Neuro-biological processes underlyingbehaviour and mental processes

8. BiologicalPerspective Brain Nervous system Hormones Genes Egs

9. BehaviouralPerspective • Somepsychologists: John B. Watson, B.F Skinner • Concerned with activities of an organismthatcanbeobserved • Not the non-observable eg brain, hormones

10. BehaviouralPerspective • People act because of • Learning histories • Situationalinfluences • Rewardsinvolved • Not necessarilyconsciouschoice

11. 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

12. CognitivePerspective • Somepsychologists: Hermann Ebbinghaus, Elizabeth Loftus • Examines the nature of the mind and how mental processes influencebehaviour

13. CognitivePerspective • Concerned with mental processes: • Perceiving-Remembering • Reasoning -Decision making • Problem solving

14. CognitivePerspective Study mental processes to understand whatorganisms do. Human behaviour is controlled by the processing of information in perception and memory Humansare information processors

15. CognitivePerspective Actions governed by thought Investigate the ways in whichweperceive and mentallyrepresent the world Attempt to studywhat is referred to as the mind

16. 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

17. Psycho-dynamicPerspective Analysis of internal and primarilyunconsciouspsychological forces Much of humansbehaviour stem from unconscious processes

18. Psycho-dynamicPerspective • Unconsciousprocess • Beliefs, fears and desires a person is unaware of but thatinfluencebehaviour • All humans actions have a cause

19. Psycho-dynamicPerspective The cause is oftensomeunconsciousmotiveratherthan the rational reasonthatmaybe given Human behaviour is controlled by unconsciousimpulses

20. Humanistic-existentialPerspective • Scholarsinclude Carl Rogers, Roll May, Abraham Maslow • An individual’s principal motivational force is a tendencytoward • growth • Selfactualization

21. Humanistic-existentialPerspective • Humanism • Stresses the human capacity for selffulfilment and the central roles of human consciousness, selfawareness and the capacity to makechoices

22. Humanistic-existentialPerspective • Existentialism • Viewspeople as free to choose and responsible for choosingethicalconduct

23. 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

24. Humanistic-existentialPerspective

25. Areas of specialization Clinical and counsellingpsychology School and educationalpsychology Developmentalpsychology Social psychology Environmentalpsychology

26. Areas of specialization Occupationalpsychology Personality psychology Experimentalpsychology Communitypsychology

27. 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

28. Areas of specialization • Clinicalpsychology • Techniques • Psychotherapy: systematicapplication of psychologicalknowledge to the treatment of problem behaviour

29. Areas of specialization • Clinicalpsychology • Techniques • Behaviourtherapy: application of principles of learning to the directmodification of problem behaviour

30. Areas of specialization • Counsellingpsychology • Deal with clientsexperiencingadjustment problems • Eg makingacademic decisions, marital conflict, familyconflict

31. Areas of specialization Counsellingpsychology • Use of structured interviews; psychological tests • Techniques • Psychotherapy • Behaviourtherapy

32. Areas of specialization • School psychology • Operateswithinschool system • Identify and assist students whoencounter problems thatinterfere with learning • Eg family problems, emotionaldisturbances, learningdisabilitiesetc

33. Areas of specialization School psychology • Use of interview: teachers, parents, students • Psychological tests: intelligence and achievement tests • Direct observation of behaviour

34. Areas of specialization • Educationalpsychology • Operateswithinschool • Optimizing classroomconditions to facilitatelearning • Improvement in courseplanning • Instructionalmethods

35. Areas of specialization • Developmentalpsychology • Referred to as human development • Studychangesthrough out the life span • Physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes

36. 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

37. Areas of specialization • Social Psychology • Human interactionaffectsbehaviour • Social interaction with peopleinfluence attitudes and behaviour

38. 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

39. 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

40. Areas of specialization Occupationalpsychology • Functioning of organizations • Mental processes affectoccupations.

41. Areas of specialization • Occupationalpsychology • Behaviour of people and groups at work • Increasingeffectiveness and efficiency • Satisfaction at work

42. Topic2 LEARNING

43. Learning • Definitions • Atkinson et al (1993) • A relatively permanent change in behaviourthatresults from practice

44. Learning • Passer & Smith (2011) • A process by whichexperienceproduces a relativelyenduringchange in an organism’sbehaviour or capabilities

45. Learning • Not includedarebehaviourchanges of an organismthatare due to • Maturation (ratherthanpractice) • Temporaryconditions

46. Learning • Behaviourists’ understanding • Relatively permanent change in behaviour resulting from experience • Focus on behaviourchange

47. Learning • Behaviourists’ understanding • Direct observableprocess • Measurablechanges

48. Learning • Cognitivetheorists’ understanding • Process by whichorganismsmakerelatively permanent changes in the waytheymentallyrepresent the environment as a result of experience

49. Learning • Cognitivetheorists’ understanding • Internal • Not directlyobservableprocess • Evident by behaviouralchange

50. Kinds of Learning • Habituation • Simplest form of learning • Decline in the tendency to respond to stimuli thatbecomesfamiliar due to repeatedexposure