Unit 1 - Psychology’s History and Approaches

Module 1 - Psychology and Its History

Psychology is a Science

• The Scientific Attitude

  • Curiosity

    • Data supports ideas, hypotheses, predictions

  • Skepticism

    • Separates the real from the fake, attainable from unattainable

  • Humility

    • Addressing mistakes and new discoveries

    • Be humble

Critical Thinking

• Critical thinking

  • The Scientific Attitude

  • Studies beliefs + evidence, finds sources, address hidden biases

    • Draws conclusions based on these aspects

Prescientific Psychology

• Socrates + Plato

  • Mind separate from body

  • Knowledge is innate (born within)

• Aristotle

  • Observations → data

  • Knowledge is from experience (learned)

• René Descartes

  • Nerves help us move

  • Nerves are hollow (not true)

  • Experiences → memories

• Francis Bacon

  • Mind is capable of many things, more powerful than we thought

• John Locke

  • We have no knowledge at birth

  • Tabula rasa (blank slate)

• Empiricism

  • We learn via experience

  • Observations + experiments → scientific knowledge

Psychological Science Is Born

• William Wundt

  • First psychological lab (1879)

    • Tested reaction time

    • Wanted to measure “atoms of the mind”

• G. Stanley Hall

  • Established first US psychological laboratory

• Structuralism

  • Edward B. Titchener (S.E.T.)

  • Organize + classify elements of the mind’s structure

  • Introspection

    • Self-reflective, to observe themselves

• Functionalism

  • William James (F. W. J.)

    • Mental/behavioral processes; how they function

    • Influenced by Charles Darwin

      • We adapted traits from ancestors

    • Consciousness is a function

    • Admitted Mary Whiton Calkins into grad. seminar

      • Unequal treatment from Harvard

      • First female pres of American Psychological Association

        • Professional + academic psychologists

  • How mental + behavioral processes function

• Margaret Floy Washburn

  • The Animal Mind

  • 2nd APA female president

Psychological Science Matures

• Behaviorism

  • John B. Watson + B. F. Skinner

    • Psychology = “Scientific study of observable behavior”

    • You learn through the ENVIRONMENT

• Psychoanalytic Psychology

  • Sigmund Freud (Freudian Psychology)

  • Unconscious + childhood experiences impact behavior

• Humanistic Psychology

  • Carl Rogers + Abraham Maslow

    • Behavior is not only impacted by unconscious + childhood experiences

    • Behaviorism + Psychoanalytic Psychology is limited

    • Potential for change in behavior throughout human lifespan

    • Free will; you have control over your behavior

    • “Growth mindset”

Multiple Choice Questions

1. By seeking to measure “atoms of the mind,” who established the first psychological lab?

Answer: Wilhelm Wundt

2. Which philosopher proposed that nerve pathways allowed for reflexes?

Answer: René Descartes

3. Who coined the term tabula rasa (blank slate) to help explain the impact experience has on shaping an individual?

Answer: John Locke

4. Which of the following best describes research typical of Wilhem Wundt’s first psychology lab?

Answer: Measuring reaction time between hearing sound + pressing button

5. With which of the following statements would John B. Watson most likely agree?

Answer: Psychology should focus on observable behavior

Module 2 - Today’s Psychology and Its Approaches

Contemporary Psychology

• Cognitive psychology

  • Science of mind

  • Study of mental processes

    • Perceiving, processing, remembering info

• Cognitive neuroscience

  • Cognitive psychology (mind) + neuroscience (brain)

  • Study of underlying mental activity

• Psychology

  • Science of behavior and mental processes

  • Developed from philosophy + biology

    • Ivan Pavlov (physiologist)

    • Jean Piaget (biologist)

    • Morton Hunt (psychology historian)

      • “Magellans of the mind”

• Nature-nuture issue

  • Are human traits inherited or developed?

• Natural selection

  • Charles Darwin

    • On the Origin of Species

  • Certain traits and characteristics will allow a species to survive and reproduce in a certain environment

    • Animal structures AND behaviors

• Evolutionary psychology

  • How are humans alike from being shaped by shared biology + evolutionary history?

• Behavior genetics

  • How do we humans differ from being shaped by genetics and environments?

• Culture

  • W.E.I.R.D. cultures

    • Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic

  • Shared ideas and behaviors passed down from generation to generation

  • Shapes behavior

• Gender can also shape our behavior

• Psychology has always explored the topic of understanding/treating global issues

  • Anxiety, depression, poverty, abuse, etc

• Positive psychology

  • Human flouishing

    • Martin Seligman

• Being pleasant, engaged, and meaningful → happiness

• Focused on helping everyone thrive and succeed

The Biopsychosocial Approach and Psychology’s Theoretical Perspectives

• Biopsychosocial approach (3 viewpoint - behavior or mental process)

  • Biological influences

    • Genetic predispositions

      • Genetically influenced traits

    • Genetic mutations

    • Natural selection

      • Adaptive traits + behaviors

    • Genetic change via environment

  • Psychological influences

    • Fears and expectations are learned

    • Emotional responses

    • Cognitive processing, perception

  • Social-cultural influences

    • Being around others

    • Cultural, society, family expectations

    • Peers + models (ex: social media)

Psychology’s Theoretical Perspectives

Use Psychology to Become a Stronger Person – and a Better Student

• Good habits

  • Sleep aids in more energy, alertness, productivity

  • Exercise promotes health + energy + good mental health

  • Set goals

    • Long term + daily

    • Becomes a habit over time

• “Growth mindset”

  • Mind is like a muscle – keeps growing with effort

• Relationships

  • Be surrounded by caring and positive people

• Testing effect

  • Henry Roediger + Jeffery Karpicke (2006)

  • Self-testing/rehearsing → better memory

• SQ3R

  • Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

    • Survey

      • Test understanding before viewing material

      • Find out what you don’t know yet

• Question

  • Ask questions throughout reading to test understanding on material

• Read

  • Actively search answer to questions

  • Read as much as you can bare

  • Take notes

  • Make information personal (make connections)

• Retrieve

  • Retrieve main ideas from sections

  • Self-test (testing effect)

• Review

  • Read over notes

  • Skim through module

• More study tips

  • Study in sessions

    • Don’t study a large amount of material all at once

    • Space it out

    • Time management

  • Think critically

  • Actively process info

    • Jot main/sub ideas down

    • Ask questions

    • Make connections

  • Overlearn

    • Elizabeth Bjork + Robert Bjork (2011)

      • Less input, more output (summarize, ask questions)

Test Yourself

The testing effect describes the enhanced memory that results from repeated retrieval rather than from simple rereading of new information.

SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is a major issue in modern-day psychology?

Answer: Nature-nurture

2. Which of the following perspectives is moost likely to address how encoding, storing, retrieval of info might alter our thoughts?

Answer: Cognitive

3. Most likely to examine unconscious motives of person who is overly aggressive on the basketball court?

Answer: Psychodynamic

4. Positive psychology, which studies the ideas behind human flourishing, is connected to which psychologist?

Answer: Martin Seligman

Module 3 - Subfields in Psychology

Basic and Applied Psychology

• Psychometrics

  • Measurement of abilities, attitudes, traits

• Basic research

  • Scientific studies that build knowledge base

• Applied research

  • Scientific studies that aims to solve practical problems

Psychology’s Main Subfields

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who among the following would most likely study the interaction of people, machines, and physical environments?

Answer: Human factors psychologist

2. Psychiatrists differ from clinical psychologists in that they

Answer: are medical doctors licensed to prescribe medication

3. Which of the following psychologists most strongly emphasize that human behavior is powerfully influenced by interaction between ppl + their physical, social, political, and economic environments?

Answer: Community

4. Most likely to investigate biological, psychological, cognitive, social changes over lifetime

Answer: Developmental

5. A psychologist investigates the methods teachers use to enhance student learning. In which of the following subfield is the psychologist most likely working?

Answer: Educational psychology

6. Works with children whose parents are divorcing. Helps them develop skills needed to cope.

Answer: Counseling

7. Dwayne is interested in helping people make good decisions regarding their physical well-being. Dwayne should consider a career as

Answer: Health psychologist