Week 2: Foundations of Psychology

Ph.D.

research/clinical

psychologist

scientist-practitioner model

Psy.D.

Clinical training

psychologist

M.D.

medical practitioner

psychiatrist

medicine and clinical intervention

what is psychology?

science of behavioral and mental processes

values evidence over intuition and employs the scientific method

behavior

observable responses to internal and external objects or events

mind

creates and controls cognitive functions such as thinking, reasoning, decision making, and memory

Plato - rationalism

logic/reasoning

the mind has a rational structure, reality can be understood through logical principles

knowledge is innate within us

Aristotle - empiricism

experience/observation

emphasized experience and evidence

discounted the notion of innate ideas, knowledge is gained through experiences

nature

genetics determine behavior, who and what we are is hardwired from birth

inspired by rationalism

nurture

behavior is shaped by the environment, our experiences determine who and what we are

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

“Father of Psychology”

created the first psychology laboratory (The Institute for Experimental Psychology)

founder of structuralism

structuralism

study of the conscious experience. focused on the mind and mental processes, aimed to determine the structure of the mind by using introspection

reductionist perspective: reduced conscious experience into basic elements in order to see how they are related (like chemists analyzing compounds)

introspection

recording sensory experience, feelings, or thoughts evoked by a certain experience

flaws of structuralism?

relying solely on an individual’s reflection to document a phenomenon, there is no objective evaluation of that claim (it’s unreliable)

William James (1842-1910)

“wrote the book” on psychology (the principles of psychology)

founder of functionalism: what is the survival function of the mind? rooted in darwin’s theories

Functionalism

focused on the roles or functions that underlie mental processes

the mind is pragmatic, physically motivated, intentionally selective

flaws of functionalism?

relied on introspection (unreliable)

did not employ experimental methods

psychological perspective

framework of theories, principles. and approaches to studying, interpreting, and understanding the mind and human behavior

behavioral psychology (nurture)

focuses on studying behavior and the external factors that influence it

ALL behavior is shaped by the environment. the mind could not be observed, but behavior can be (concerned with stimulus → response)

John B. Watson (1878-1958)

founded behavioral psychology and argued that scientific psychology should only study observable behavior

stimulus

any detectible input from the environment

response

any observable, overt, behavior

biological psychology (nature)

focused on biological, physiological, and genetic influences. argues all mental experiences are physical experiences produced by a complex network of neural connections

emerged from functionalism

biological psychology case studies

Phineas Gauge (perspnality change), Henry Moliason (memory impairments), Clive Wearing (memory impairment)

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

tracks flow of oxygenated blood while the brain is active

electroencephalogram (EEG)

uses electrodes attached to the scalp to measure the electrical impulses generated by the human cortex

cognitive psychology

focuses on the role off mental processes, views the mind as an “information processor” or a computer program

emerged from cognitive revolution

cognitive revolution

shifted psychology away from behaviorist perspectives and into the realm of earnest investigations into the workings of the mind

Alan Turing (1912-1954)

father of computer science (not a psychologist), invented the Turing Machine which is the basis for modern computers

psychodynamic psychology

focuses on the role of early childhood experiences and unconscious desires

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

creator of psychoanalysis, argued that humans are driven by unconscious desires that originate from early childhood experiences

emphasis on interpretative therapies (dream analysis, music therapy)

Freud’s model of the psyche

Id “the drive”, ego “the mediator”, superego “the moral compass”

humanistic psychology

focuses on people’s “growth potential”, everyone has the capacity for self-actualization

client centered therapies fostering facilitated conditions for growth

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

founder of humanistic psychology, argued that behaviorism and psychoanalysis

optimal conditions for human growth?

genuineness, acceptance, empathy

Social psychology

focuses on interpersonal relationships and group dynamics, interacting with others modifies behavior in predictable ways

Kurt Lewin (1890-1947)

father of social psychology, argued that behavior results from the interaction between person and environment. one of the first psychologists to systematically test human behavior

social psychology case studies?

Stanford prison study, milgram’s obedience study, asch’s conformity study