Introduction to Psychology – Key Vocabulary

What is Psychology?

• Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior.

  • Psych - Soul
  • Ology - Scientific study of

• Psychologists study everything about the human experience:

  • Basic workings of the human brain
  • Consciousness
  • Memory
  • Language
  • Reasoning
  • Personality
  • Mental health

History of Psychology

• Psychological perspectives:
  • Structuralism
    • Understanding the conscious experience through introspection.
    • Wilhelm Wundt
      • Credited as one of the founders of psychology.
      • Created the first laboratory for psychological research.
      • Focused on understanding the structure and characteristics of the mind through introspection.
      • Introspection:
        • Process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts.
  • Functionalism
    • Focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment.
    • William James
      • First American psychologist.
      • Drew from the functionality of cognitive processes, establishing functionalism.
      • Emphasized how mental activities contributed to basic environmental survival.
  • Psychoanalytic Theory
    • Focuses on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior.
    • Sigmund Freud
      • Founded psychoanalytic theory, a perspective which dominated clinical psychology for many decades.
      • Studied “hysteria” and neurosis.
      • Theorized that many of his patients’ problems arose from the unconscious mind.
      • Believed that one way the unconscious mind could be accessed was through dream analysis.
      • Focuses on the role of a person’s unconscious and early childhood experiences.
  • Gestalt Psychology
    • Focuses on humans as a whole rather than individual parts.
    • Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler
      • German psychologists who immigrated to the U.S. to escape Nazi Germany.
      • Gestalt - “Whole”
      • Based on the idea that although a sensory experience can be broken down into individual parts, how those parts relate to each other as a whole is often what the individual responds to in perception.
      • Ideas of Gestalt continue to influence research on sensation and perception.
  • Behaviorism
    • Focuses on observing and controlling behavior.
    • Pavlov, Watson, Skinner
      • Ivan Pavlov
        • Discovered the concept of classical conditioning.
        • Studied conditioned reflexes in which an animal produced a reflex (unconscious) response to a stimulus (salivating in the presence of food) and, over time, was conditioned to produce the response to a different stimulus (salivating to the sound of a bell) that the experimenter associated with the original stimulus (Food and bell became associated).
      • John B. Watson
        • Known as the father of behaviorism within psychology.
        • Believed that objective analysis of the mind was impossible.
        • Instead he focused on observable behavior and ways to bring that behavior under control.
        • Today, behaviorism is used in behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
      • B. F. Skinner
        • Concentrated on how behavior was affected by its consequences.
        • Studied the principles of modifying behavior through reinforcement and punishment which he saw as major factors in driving behavior (operant conditioning).
  • Humanism
    • Emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans.
    • Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
      • Abraham Maslow
        • Proposed a hierarchy of human needs in motivating behavior.
        • Asserted that so long as basic needs necessary for survival were met (e.g., food, water, shelter), higher-level needs (e.g., social needs) would begin to motivate behavior.
      • Carl Rogers
        • Developed a client-centered therapy method that has been influential in clinical settings.
        • Client-centered therapy involves the patient taking a lead role in the therapy session.
        • Rogers believed therapists need:
          • unconditional positive regard
          • genuineness
          • empathy
  • The Cognitive Revolution
    • By the 1950’s, new disciplinary perspectives in linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science were emerging.
    • The mind became the new focus of scientific inquiry.
    • Noam Chomsky
      • Was very influential in beginning the cognitive revolution.
      • He believed psychology needed to incorporate mental functioning into its focus in order to fully understand human behavior.

Other Figures in Psychology

• Margaret Floy Washburn
  • First woman to earn a doctorate in Psychology
  • Researched on animal behavior and published an authoritative text on the subject.

Contemporary Psychology

• Branches of psychology
  • Biopsychology and Evolutionary Psychology
  • Sensation and Perception
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Personality Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Industrial-Organizational Psychology
  • Sports and Exercise Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Forensic Psychology
• Biopsychology
  • Biological psychologists study how the structure and function of the nervous system generate behavior.
    • Research can include:
      • Sensory and motor systems
      • Sleep
      • Drug use and abuse
      • Ingestive behavior
      • Reproductive behavior
      • Neurodevelopment
      • Plasticity of the nervous system
      • Biological correlates of psychological disorders
• Sensation and Perception
  • This area of study focuses on both physiological aspects of sensory systems and the psychological experience of sensory information.
    • Sensation – Sensory information (sights, sounds, touch, smell).
    • Perception – Experience of the world which is influenced by where we focus our attention, our previous experiences, and our cultural backgrounds.
• Developmental Psychology
  • Developmental psychology studies the physical and mental attributes of aging and maturation.
    • This can include various skills that are acquired throughout growth.
      • Moral Reasoning
      • Cognitive Skills
      • Social Skills
    • Jean Piaget is famous for his theories regarding changes in cognitive ability that occur as we move from infancy to adulthood.
• Personality Psychology
  • Focuses on behaviors and thought patterns that are unique to each individual.
  • Studies in this field include conscious and unconscious thinking and identifying personality traits.
  • FIVE FACTOR MODEL
• Social Psychology
  • How individuals interact and relate with others and how such interactions can affect behavior.
    • Prejudice
    • Attraction
    • Interpersonal conflicts
    • Obedience
• Health Psychology
  • Branch that focuses on how individual health is directly related or affected by biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences.
  • The biopsychosocial model suggests that health/illness is determined by an interaction of these three factors.
• Clinical Psychology
  • Focuses on diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and problematic patterns of behavior.
    • Study involves clinical therapy and counseling.
    • Cognitive-behavioral therapists take cognitive processes and behaviors into account when providing psychotherapy.
    • This is one of several strategies that may be used by practicing clinical psychologists.
• Industrial-Organizational Psychology
  • Branch that applies psychological theories, principles and research to industrial and organizational settings.
    • Involves issues related to personnel management, organizational structure and workplace environment.
• Sports & Exercise Psychology
  • Focus on psychological aspects regarding sports and physical performance.
    • Study includes motivation, performance related anxiety, and general mental well being.
• Forensic Psychology
  • Branch of psychology dealing with justice system.
    • Tasks of Forensic Psychologists include assessment of individuals' mental competency to stand in trial, sentencing and treatment suggestions, and advisement regarding eyewitness testimonies.
    • This field of psychology requires a strong understanding of the legal system.

Careers in Psychology

• Most careers in psychology require a PhD or a Masters degree.
  • A few career options:
    • Teaching
    • Research
    • Clinical psychologist
    • Counseling psychologist
    • Social Work
    • Corporate and Marketing jobs
• Percent of 2009 Psychology Doctorates Employed in Different Sectors
  • University: 26%
  • Hospital or health service: 25%
  • Government/VA medical center: 16%
  • Business or nonprofit: 10%
  • Other educational institutions: 8%
  • Medical school: 6%
  • Independent practice: 6%
• Top Occupations Employing Graduates with a BA in Psychology (Fogg, Harrington, Harrington, & Shatkin, 2012)
  • Ranking Occupation
    • 1 Mid- and top-level management (executive, administrator)
    • 2 Sales
    • 3 Social work
    • 4 Other management positions
    • 5 Human resources (personnel, training)
    • 6 Other administrative positions
    • 7 Insurance, real estate, business
    • 8 Marketing and sales
    • 9 Healthcare (nurse, pharmacist, therapist)
    • 10 Finance (accountant, auditor)