What Is Psychology?

1. What Is Psychology? Psychology–The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

2. What Is Psychology? Pseudopsychology – psychological practices that are false or unfounded. • The science of psychology is built on rigorous principles such as research, evidence and testable ideas. • Any discipline that is treated like a science but does not meet these standards can be called pseudoscience.

3. Types of Psychologists

4. What is a psychologist? • Psychologist– a scientist who studies the mind and behavior of humans and animals • Observe • Analyze • Evaluate

5. Psychiatrist • a medical doctor who can prescribe medication • Psychiatry– a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders

6. Clinical psychologist • diagnoses and treats people with emotional disturbances

7. Counseling psychologist • helps people adjust to the challenges of everyday life

8. Developmental psychologist • studies physical, emotional, cognitive, and social changes that occur throughout life

9. Educational psychologist • concerned with helping students learn • Intelligence • Memory • Problem solving • Motivation

10. Community psychologist • may help design, run, or evaluate, mental health clinics

11. Industrial/Organizational psychologist • uses psychological concepts to make the workplace a more satisfying environment for employees and managers

12. Experimental psychologist • studies sensation, perception, learning, motivation, and emotion in carefully controlled laboratory conditions

13. Environmental psychologist • study the effects of the environment on people • Natural disasters • Overcrowding • Pollution

14. Psychobiologist • studies the effects of drugs or tries to explain behavior in terms of biological factors

15. Forensic psychologist • work in legal, court, and correctional systems; assist police by developing personality profiles of criminal offenders

16. Health psychologist • studies the interaction between physical and psychological health factors

17. A Brief History of Psychology

18. Structuralism • Wilhelm Wundt • Was interested in the basic elements of human experience and the structure of the mind. • 1st psychological laboratory (1879) • Introspection • A method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings.

19. Functionalism • William James • “Father of Psychology” • Taught the 1st psychology class at Harvard. • Studied the function of consciousness and how people adapt to their environments.

20. Inheritable Traits • Sir Francis Galton • Heredity influences a person’s abilities, character, and behavior. • Genius is a hereditary trait. • “Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could get rid of less desirable people?”

21. Gestalt Psychology • Wertheimer, Kohler, Koffka • Perception is more than the sum of it’s parts. • “Whole pattern”

22. Psychoanalytic Psychology • Sigmund Freud • Unconscious motivations and conflicts are responsible for human behavior. • Free association • Dream analysis

23. Behavioral Psychology • Ivan Pavlov • Classical conditioning • John Watson • Studied observable behaviors • BF Skinner • Reinforcement and punishment Little Albert Experiment

24. Humanistic Psychology • Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers • Emphasizes how each person is unique and has the potential to develop fully.

25. Cognitive Psychology • Jean Piaget • Focuses on how we process, store, and use information and how this information influences our thinking, language, problem solving, and creativity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiTz2i4VHFw

26. Biological Psychology • Psychobiologists • Study how the brain, nervous system, hormones, and genetics influence our behavior. • Behavior is a result of our physiological makeup. Biological explanation of depression

27. Sociocultural Psychology • Focuses on how ethnicity, gender, culture, and SES impact human behavior and mental processes.