AP PSYCH 1.1 Introducing Psychology

Defined as the study of the mind or soul
- Well, what is the mind? What is thinking? What is a soul?
- This definition is not actually very helpful
Do you have a mind? Are you the mind? Is a mind something that can be possessed?
These kinds of questions led to the birth of psychology, with roots in philosophy
Psychology cannot be approached like other sciences
- It is a relatively new science
- There is no method to concretely study it
- Only parts of psychology can be tangibly observed and tested
- Every single person is unique
- Our ideas and concepts surrounding psychology are always changing
There are many approaches, or perspectives, to psychology

Functionalism and structuralism are two of the earliest approaches
Wilhelm Wundt is the father of psychology and founded a laboratory in 1879, the first time psychology had been studied as an independent science
Edward Titchener, one of Wundt’s students, takes many of his ideas to the United States and founds Structuralism
Structuralism is studying the mind by looking at what it is made of
- Not literally, like the brain and its parts
- This method used introspection, looking within oneself, as the basis of its data collection
- The problem with this is that it relied on subjective accounts of people’s own minds and was very unreliable
- This approach asks ‘what?’
Functionalism is studying the mind through what it does, or its function
- Whereas Wundt created the first lab, William James wrote the first textbook
- All traits, physical or not, serve a function; that was the basis of this approach
- This approach asks ‘what function does ____ serve?’ and ‘why?’
- Related to ideas of the theory of evolution, another later approach
Structuralism vs. Functionalism
- Wundt and James were rivals, each trying to prove their approach’s validity

The mind is very difficult to examine scientifically
There are eight billion minds on the planet, each changing every second
Wundt, Titchener, and James all have different approaches to studying the mind
There are many more approaches, developing to this day
Psychology is a new science and therefore our understanding of it evolves all the time
All of these approaches can answer many questions, but no single approach can answer all questions well

One of the older approaches still used today
Founded by Sigmund Freud, originally called psychoanalytic
Was the only approach to psychology for a long time
Focuses heavily on the unconscious: desires, hidden messages, hypnosis, dream analysis, etc.
Flexible and can’t necessarily be proven wrong
Isn’t very scientific, can’t be empirical
- Attempting to study something that is literally hidden/impossible to access

Developed as a rejection of the psychodynamic approach
Was looking for more empiricism in psychology, so this approach focuses only on tangible, observable behaviors
Started by Ivan Pavlov inadvertently
- He discovered that dogs would salivate at a bell once they learned it meant they would be fed
- This proved the formerly denied idea that physical responses could be triggered
- He called this reflexive conditioning; today, we call it classic conditioning
This may be a way to explain odd reactions, like strong fear or relaxation from objects or sounds
B.F. Skinner is known for operant conditioning
- Relates to the idea of positive reinforcement
- Subjects presented with positive rewards for a behavior are more likely to do it
- Punished behaviors are less likely to occur
- Every second, we are doing behaviors and receive responses in someway
- We learn from these responses and behave accordingly
- We quickly learn that not blinking is associated with discomfort, therefore we blink to avoid that feeling
Classical conditioning can be measured but things such as creativity and thoughts cannot be trained in this way
Operant conditioning can also be observed easily, but people are more complex than punishments and rewards
- Selfless acts that harm the one doing them and feelings like love aren’t explained by this

Focuses on thoughts, which are almost impossible to study
Everything is related to thoughts, because everything we think has constructed perceptions around it, no matter what
Nothing we think is completely free of influence
Many of our thinking processes are flawed by emotions, shortcuts, limited experience, or natural shortcomings of the brain.
This is a flexible approach that allows for individual differences and complexity
Focuses on thoughts which are extremely difficult to faithfully study
- Often requires introspection, which is flawed

Focuses on the idea that ‘the mind is what the brain does’
- Connects to the whole body, actually, as all bodily systems are connected to the mind
Approaches psychology by observing the literal electrical and chemical activities happening within the body and brain
A very empirical theory, so very reliable
This theory is too simplistic in our current state of science
- This theory cannot explain things like love and the human condition

References where people’s personalities come from
- Nature vs. Nurture
- The cultures, communities, and individuals that shape us
Proposes that all interactions shape us at least a little bit
Our likes and dislikes are influenced by the many things we’ve been exposed to
Works well when observing group behaviors and thoughts
Not so good at being applied to individuals, as it can be stereotyping
Culture is also hard to measure

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