PS1105 - Introduction to Applied Psychology

Music Psychology

• branch of both psychology and musicology

• aims to understand musical behaviour and experience

• includes how we percieve,create and respond to music

Do you need to be a musician to be a music psychologist

• the field is interdisciplinary and draws from many areas like physics, philosophy, biology and sociology

how does physics contribute to music psychology

• through acoustics which is the science of sound

• provides a fundamental basis for understanding the sonic (sound based) aspects of music

which brain regions are involved in emotional reactions to music

• the Amygdala and the Nucleus accumbens

• the Cerebellum is also involved in emotional reactions as well as movement

What role does the hippocampus play in the musical experience

• involved in music memories, experiences and context

Scientific revelations about music and the brain

• brain areas involved in music are not exclusive to music

• Music learning changes the brain (neuroplasticty)

Four recurring functions of self-chosen music

• distraction

• Energising

• Entrainment (syncing movements to a beat)

• Meaning enhancement

What is emotional work in the context of choosing music

• using music for mood management, reminiscing and the presentation of ones identity

Research methods used in music psychology

• experimental studies - measuring physical responses like heart rate

• Neuroimaging - using fMRI or EEG to see brain activity

• Surveys- using self-report measures about listening habits and mental health

Key finding in research project regarding drill music

• found themes of peer pressure,, safety needs, and gaining status

• Ultimately provided a balanced view of how drill music influences crime

Main challenges in music psychology

• subjectivity - everyone experiences music differently

• Cultural differences —- people from different culture perceive music differently

• Ethics - ethical considerations in therapy and research

Music psychology applied in the workplace

• used to influence employee productivity and consumer purchasing behaviour

Career opportunities in music psychology

• music therapist

• Academic researcher.

• Community music facilitator

Focus of music therapy for neurological conditions

• improves cognitive, psychological and behavioural outcomes for adult with dementia or PTSD

Counselling psychology

• the applications of psychological theory and research to therapeutic practice

In what year was the division of counselling psychology established

1994

Primary aims of counselling psychology interventions

• to improve wellbeing

• Reduce psychological distress

• Resolve crisis

How does counselling differ from psychotherapy in terms of depth and duration

• counselling is typically a short term process addressing issues in a less in-depth manner

• Psychotherapy is a long term process that addresses issues in a very deep manner

Difference between counselling and coaching

• counselling focuses on emotions, trauma and psychosocial change

• Coaching is structured and goal-focused emphasis performance, action planning and accountability

How does counselling psychology differ from clinical psychology

• clinical psychology often focuses on mental health disturbances and diagnostic categorisation

• Counselling psychology places a greater emphasis on subjective experience, individual meaning and a holistic person-centered approach

Three principles of counselling psychology practice

• insight - helping the client understand the origin of their problems

• Self-awareness - promoting awareness of thoughts and emotions

• Self - acceptance - helping the client develop a positive view of themselves

Core conditions for growth in the humanistic perspective

• unconditional positive regard - acceptance without judgement

• Genuineness - being open and authentic

• Empathy - Deeply understanding the clients internal world

Main goal of the psychodynamic perspective

• to bring unconscious thoughts and memories into the conscious mind so the client can see how past experiences especially early relationships influence their current behaviour

Transference

• when a client projects feelings from a past relationsjip onto the therapist

Countertransference

• when the therapist projects their own past emotional responses onto the client

Focus of the systematic perspective

• views psychological difficulties as arising within relationships and social systems rather than just within the individual

What is the core idea of cognitive-behavioural therapy

• distress is maintained by the interaction between thoughts emotions and behaviour

• Changing unhelpful thinking patterns leads to emotional and behavioural change

What are the two main ways happiness has been defined since the time of Aristotle

• Hedonia - focused on pleasure and feeling good

• Eudaimonia - focused on sense that life is well-lived and functioning well

• These two often co-occur and reinforce each other

Core elements of subjective well-being

• positive affect - how often you feel pleasant emotions like joy or contentment

• Negative affect - how infrequently you feel unpleasant emotions like sadness or anxiety

• Life satisfaction - a cognitive evaluation of how statuses you are with your life as a whole

Is there a single “happiness center” in the brain

• no instead pleasure is created by a network of small specialised regions called hedonic hotspots

• These are found in areas like the nucleus accumbens, ventral palladium and the orbitofrontal cortex

Satisfaction with life scale

• developed by Ed Diener - it is a 5-item self-report questionnaire that measures global cognitive judgements of life satisfaction

• Asks people to evaluate their life based on their own standards rather than momentary moods

What are the main critiques and defenses of using self-reports to measure happiness

• people might misremember, give socially ac

What are the main critiques and defenses of using self-reports to measure happiness

• critique - people might misremember, give socially acceptable answers or be influenced by their current mood

• Defense - research shows self-reports correlate strongly with reports from friends and family, physical health outcomes and observable behaviours like smiling

Which “big five” personality traits strongly predict happiness

• extraversion - strongly linked to higher positive affect and social engagements

• Neuroticism - high levels are linked to more frequent negative affect - low levels support subjective well being

How to optimists explain a negative event

• they use explanations that are external, temporary and specific

• This protects their self-esteem and wellbeing

Does money buy happiness

• up to a point it can increase happiness by removing hardship and meeting basic needs

• The Easterlin Paraox shows that while rich people are often happier than poor people at one point in time

• A societies a rage happiness doesn’t necessarily rise as everyone’s income increases

What did the nun study reveal about emotions

• researchers analysed autobiographies of nuns from their early 20s - they found those who expressed the most positive emotions lived significantly longer - 90% were alive at age 85 compared to only 34% of those with low positive expression

What did Harker and Keltner finding Duchenne smiles in yearbooks

• women who displayed genuine smiles in their college yearbooks photos were more likely to report higher life satisfaction more stable marriages and lower stress

How does the source of self-esteem between western and eastern cultures

• western - individualistic - happiness is linked to personal achievement, independence and individual self worth

• Eastern - collectivist - happiness is linked to social harmony, group belonging and fulfilling roles within relationships

Is happiness a destination

• no , according to Ed Diener - happiness is a process not a state

• It is shaped less by future achievements and more by everyday habits, thinking styles and relationships

occupational psychology

• the study of how people behave at work

• uses psychological principles to help change and improve work behaviour

Taylorism

• an early approach that focused on training workers to meet “economical standards” to make work as efficient as possible

Hawthorne Effect

• the discovery that workers productivity increases simply because they are being watched or shown attention by researchers

• physical changes matter but the interest shown in the employees is why they work harder

stages of the training cycle

• identify the learning needs

• design the training

• deliver the training

• evaluate the training

what is the best way to test if training was effective

• the experimental approach

• this involves measuring performance before and after training and comparing the results to a control group

how do goals improve performance

• performance is highest when goals are specific and difficult

• workers also ned feedback and must accept the goal for it work

what is the difference between hygiene factors and motivators

• hygiene factors - things like salary and working conditions - improving these stops people from being unhappy but doesn’t make them work harder

• motivators - things like achievement and recognition - these are what actually increase job satisfaction and motivation

Equity theory

• the idea that workers want fairness - they compare their inputs to their outcomes

• if they feel the rewards are equal to their effort they remain motivated

three things a worker must believe to be motivated

• expectancy

• instrumentality

• valence