Foundations of psychology

1. Foundations of psychology Learning Goal: I can demonstrate an understanding of the main concepts and theories within APS – foundations

2. What is Psychology? • The study of how and why humans act as they do. • Instead of studying how humans function in cultures or societies, psychology focuses on the individual, and the personal and unique experiences that influence how the individual acts and thinks.

3. History of Psychology • Phrenology: Franz Gall (19th century). • That 35 behaviours and personality traits could be discovered by examining bumps on the skull. Examples – bumps 1 to 7 Reproductive instincts The love of one's offspring Affection and friendship Self-defense, courage and fighting Murderous instincts Guile; acuteness; cleverness Sense of property; the tendency to steal

4. Sensation and Perception • All branches of psychology approach the study of human mental processes by dividing them into two processes: sensation and perception. • Sensation: The process that activates our sense receptors – sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. • Perception: The process that allows us to select, organize and interpret sensory signals to the brain.

5. Types of Psychology • EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY • The branch of the discipline that sets up experiments to see how individuals act in particular situations .

6. Types of Psychology • CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY • Is the branch of the discipline that develops programs for treating individuals suffering from mental illnesses and behavioural disorders.

7. Psychology vs. Psychiatry • Psychology • Usually have doctoral degree in psychology • Theoretical psychologists do research and study rules that govern behaviour • Clinical psychologists work with people to apply research and try to help them vs. • Psychiatry • General medical degree and then specialized training in psychiatry. Can prescribe meds. • Sometimes referred to as a “shrink”

8. Psychological Schools of Thought • Psychoanalytic Theory • Behaviouralism • Learning Theory

9. Psychoanalytic Theories • The mind is divided into two parts: the conscious(aware of ) and the unconscious (not aware of). • According to psychologists, our unconscious mind has more influence than our conscious mind on our personalities and behaviour

10. The Unconscious Mind • The Unconscious mind is divided into three parts: • Id–which encourages us to seek physical satisfaction. • Superego–prompts us to do the moral thing, not the one that feels best. • Ego–the referee between the two and deals with external reality, this is our most conscious self.

12. Sigmund Freud • https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Mkin1FhojCo

13. Sigmund Freud • The founder of psychoanalytic theory. • He believed our early childhood experiences, usually involving our relationships with parents and family, are stored in our unconscious mind. • While we are normally unaware of these memories, they can have a powerful influence on the way we function. • Those that live with a general sense of frustration, our behaviour may become neurotic and connected with anxiety or obsessiveness which can be treated using dream analysis, hypnosis and individual counseling.

14. Alfred Adler (1870-1937) • Adler believed that difficulties people encounter in gaining self-esteem and recognition, if not overcome by the normal means lead to compensatory behaviour and resultant personality disorders which are now widely referred to as an inferiority complex.

15. Carl Jung (1875-1961) • Responsible for the identification of the Extroverted(outward-looking; outgoing; rely on others for sense of well being) and Introverted(inward-looking; emotionally self sufficient; well being comes from within) personality types. • Worked closely with Freud but split later in their careers. • The other aspect of Jung's work which has been very influential is his approach to the analysis of dreams.

16. Behaviourism • Behaviourists believe that psychologists can predict and control or modify human behaviour by identifying the factors that motivate it in the first place. • Behaviouristsplaced particular stress on the early childhood years, and the rules or practices parents use to raise their children because they believe these methods have a huge influence on the character of individuals even into adulthood.

17. Charles B. Watson (1878-1958) • The founder of behaviourism. • He used animal experiments to determine whether strict or flexible learning patterns are more effective. • Wrote book “Psychological Care of the Infant and Child” concluded that children should be brought up using a ‘scientific’, strictly scheduled, rules-based model.

18. Benjamin Spock (1903-1998) • He believed that a permissive approach to child rearing, rather than a strict one, would result in successful, well-adjusted adults. • He encouraged parents to be loving, flexible and supportive.

19. Learning Theories • Learning Theorists agree that humans are born with little instinct but much learning potential. • They believe that most human behaviour is learned, especially in child and youth. • By controlling the way in which humans learn behaviours, society can have a great influence on their ultimate personalities. • Believe that children who were brought up in loving families would grow up to become secure and loving adults, but only if parents provided clear and consistent expectations for good behaviour, and swift but fair consequences for bad behaviour.

20. B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) • Skinner proved that pigeons could be trained to peck at a particular coloured disk to get food rewards. • Rats received food rewards for pressing specific levers in a complicated sequence leading many theorists to believe that learning was a STIMULUS-RESPONSE effect. • He believed that if the subject is correctly stimulated it will give the appropriate response. • Theory of OPERANT CONDITIONING: learning can be programmed by whatever consequences follows a particular behaviour.

21. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) • Analysis of human needs organized into a hierarchy ranging from basic survival through to the need for love, security and esteem. • Highest level was “self actualization (integration of the self > making the personality whole) • Maslow’s theories had most profound impact on industrial psychology (making workplace a satisfying experience by raising morale of workers to improve performance)

22. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) • Classical Conditioning – pairing a behaviour with a stimulus • Pavlov’s experiments with dogs showed that it was possible to get a dog to associate the sound of a bell with the imminent arrival of food • At the sound of a bell, the dog would salivate in anticipation

23. Alfred Bandura 1925- • Observational Learning – Social Learning Theory • Bandura concluded that learning is largely a modeling experience • When humans observe behaviour either acceptable or unacceptable they are more likely to practice it