Psy 2012 Module 1

In-Class and Out-of-Class Lectures

Psychology?

Scientific study of behavior and mental processing

What are the 3 components of psychology?

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Which field did psychology originate from?

Philosophy

Similarities between psychology and philosophy

• study thoughts

• study the world

• ask similar questions about human nature about why we think and behave the way we do

How does psychology differ from philosophy

• psychology is a science

• philosophy does not use scientific method

Why might prediction of behavior be important?

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What is nature vs nurture

• nature: environment, parenting

• nurture: genetics, biological

If people can change, it supports which side? (nature vs nurture)

nurture

What is the mind-brain or mind-body problem?

are they two distinct systems or one and the same?

• mind: consciousness, thinking, cognition, mental processing

Dualism

the mind and brain are different kinds of substance that exist independently

• Aristotle believed the mind was located in the heart

• galen believed the mind was the build inside cavities in the brain called ventricles

What did Descartes believe?

the mind was the fluid inside the cavities in the brain called ventricles

• there had to be some physical intervention in the brain where the mental and physical interact for mental processing to happen

Pineal gland?

Descartes believed the physical intersection in the brain where the mental and physical interacted was here

• single structure in the middle of the brain

Monism

the mind and brain are the same, they’re interdependent

• brain activity causes mental activity

• evidence backed, more believed today

Who was Wundt and why was he important?

• brought scientific method into philosophy, making psychology a science

• father of psychology

• started first scientific lab to study mind and behavior

Structuralism

asked “what” questions such as “what does this brain area do?” and “what is somebody thinking/feeling?”

• identifies what the structures of the mind/brain do by asking people

• systematic, detailed self-reports, actually collect data from people in labs

• methods:

  • open up skull and probe around brain, asking what they feel

  • remove brain structures from a person and see how it affects them (similar to lobotomy)

  • look at people with brain injuries (ex. Phineas gage)

Story of Phineas Gage

• working on a railroad and had an accident where metal rod shot up behind his eye socket and came out through the front part of his brain

• he survived but had personality and behavior changes

Introspection

looking inside oneself, asking what someone is experiencing

William James

• American father of psychology

Functionalism

asks “why” something works the way it does

• why is it helpful that it does that

• why is it helpful that it’s organized that way

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach

• therapy and research based

1. Behavioral: you can only study the input and output; can’t observe what’s happening in the brain so you don’t study it

2. Cognitive (mental processing): try to understand what’s happening in the brain that causes the input to cause the output

Psychodynamic Approach

focuses on unconscious mind, childhood experiences, hypnosis, and dream analysis

• more therapy based

• associated with freud

• roarshak test

Humanistic Approach

becoming the best version of yourself by goal setting and achieving

• optimistic, fulfilling

• meets basic level needs

• more therapy based

Biological Approach

studying the nerve cells in the brain, DNA, and connection between bodily health and the brain

• more research based

Evolutionary Approach

understanding human behavior and mental processing by looking at ancestry

• more research based

Sociocultural Approach

we are who we are because of our environment

• immediate family, peers, friends, and the city/country we live in

• how different levels of the environment impact our mind and behavior

• more research based

Individualistic Cultures

individuals viewed as unique and distinct from their social group

• value independence and uniqueness

• prefer to work on tasks that they had success with

• like to emphasize their successes

• blame others for failure

• US is this culture

Collectivistic Cultures

emphasize social group and the individual’s role within that group

• value interdependence and working together

• prefer to work on tasks they have difficulty with

• self-critical view