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A 3-hour Tour

A 3-hour Tour. Ok, so not quite 3 hours – just a (VERY BRIEF) – History of Psychology. First things first. What is psychology? The scientific study of behavior & mental processes Science: making verifiable, objective predictions Behavior: observable acts

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A 3-hour Tour

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  1. A 3-hour Tour Ok, so not quite 3 hours – just a (VERY BRIEF) – History of Psychology

  2. First things first . . . • What is psychology? • The scientific study of behavior & mental processes • Science: making verifiable, objective predictions • Behavior: observable acts • Mental Processes: storing, recalling, using info/feelings • How is it different from other social sciences? • Focus on individual behavior • Where did it come from? • Philosophy • Physiology • Psychology is born (roughly) in 1879

  3. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650)

  4. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • Rene Descartes • Beliefs • Rationalist: True knowledge comes through reasoning • Nativist: Heredity provides individuals with inborn knowledge and abilities and we use this to reason • We are to doubt everything – that’s the only way we can be certain about anything • I think, therefore I am.

  5. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • John Locke (1632 – 1704)

  6. Historical Origins of ψ from Philosophy • John Locke • Saw the mind as receptive and passive, with its main goal as sensing and perceiving • Tabula rasa – we are born as a blank slate, everything we know is learned • This is in direct contrast to the rationalist Descartes

  7. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Hermann Helmholtz (1821 – 1894)

  8. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Hermann Helmholtz • He was a mechanist – he believed that everything can be understood with basic physical and chemical principles • He pushed for the need to test and demonstrate things.

  9. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Gustav Fechner (1801 – 1887)

  10. Psychology Becomes More Scientific • Gustav Fechner • Psychophysics – he pushed to investigate the relationship between the physical world and our conscious psychological world • He thought it possible to measure the perceived as well as the physical intensities of sensory stimuli and to determine a mathematical relationship • Just noticeable difference (JND) approach

  11. The Father of Psychology • Wilhelm Wundt

  12. The Father of Psychology • Wilhelm Wundt • 1stψ lab (1879) • University of Leipzig, Germany • Focus on consciousness • Find basic elements of conscious processes • Discover how elements (sensations and feelings) are connected • Specify laws of connection • Introspection • Self-observation: ‘seeing’ mental processes in immediate experience

  13. The First Schools of ψ • Structuralism • Lots of work on sensation & perception and breaking those down into minute detail • Three basic mental elements • Images, feelings & sensations • Titchner • Found 43,000 elements associated with sensory experiences • 30,000 associated with visual • 11,000 associated with auditory • 4 associated with taste (was correct with this one)

  14. The First Schools of ψ • Functionalism • Focus on adaptation • Applying Darwin’s theory of natural selection to mental processes • William James • Stream of consciousness • Consciousness is personal/selective, continuous (can’t be ‘cut up’ for analysis), and constantly changing • Structuralism was foolish to search for common elements to all minds

  15. The First Schools of ψ • Behaviorism • Focus on observable behavior • J. B. Watson • Felt that the main goal of psychology should be the prediction and control of behavior • Stimulus-response theory • We respond to stimuli with our behavior, not thoughts • Pavlov’s dog studies • Reinforcement for behavior • If our behavior produces rewarding consequences, then we will do it again

  16. Subsequent Schools of ψ • Gestalt psychology • Wholes vs. multiple individual elements • You shouldn’t dissect an experience into separate elements to discover truths – instead, look at the ‘whole’ • Max Wertheimer • Phi phenomenon

  17. Subsequent Schools of ψ • Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Conscious vs. unconscious conflicts • Unconscious: motivations and memories of which we are not aware • Mental illness arises from being overwhelmed by which of these is ‘in control’ • Psychoanalysis as therapy: tell me about your childhood….

  18. Today’s Theoretical Perspectives • Behavioral • Observable S-R relationship • Psychodynamic • Unconscious forces motivating behavior • Humanistic • Self-actualization, free will • Cognitive • Thought processes • Psychobiological • Genes, brain function • Evolutionary

  19. So what is it you do? • Basic vs. applied • Areas of psychology: • Developmental • Personality • Clinical • Cognitive • Social • Experimental/biological • Quantitative

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