CGSC 1001: Introduction to Psychology and Cognitive Science
Overview of Cognitive Science and Psychology
Definition of Cognitive Science: An interdisciplinary field of study that encompasses multiple domains, including:
Psychology
Philosophy
Anthropology
Linguistics
Computer Science
Artificial Intelligence
Definition of Psychology: The scientific study of the mind and behaviour.
Relevance of Psychology: It is applicable to every aspect of the human experience and serves as a tool for solving individual and societal problems.
Diversity and Global Perspectives in Psychology
Complexity of Psychological Topics: The subject matter in psychology is vast and multifaceted, often requiring more than one perspective for a complete explanation.
Inclusion and Accuracy: For an accurate understanding of human behaviour, psychologists must:
Adopt diverse perspectives.
Study diverse populations.
Train a diverse group of researchers.
Foster collaboration to achieve a more complete picture of humanity.
The WEIRD Sample Constraint: Psychologists must be cautious about overgeneralizing findings from Western contexts to the rest of the world.
WEIRD Definition: Research participants originating from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic backgrounds.
Statistical Context: Although WEIRD samples dominate research, they represent only approximately of the global population.
The Impact of Background: Psychologists must recognize that different groups experience the world based on their backgrounds, including factors such as privilege or discrimination.
The Major Perspectives and "Big Ideas" in Psychology
Goals and Their Contributing Perspectives:
Understanding Broad Patterns of Behaviour: Addressed by the Evolutionary and Cultural perspectives.
Understanding Thoughts and Feelings: Addressed by the Cognitive and Emotional perspectives.
Understanding Roles of Body and Brain: Addressed by the Biological–neuroscience perspective.
Understanding Stable and Changing Patterns of Behaviour: Addressed by the Developmental, Personality, Social, and Clinical perspectives.
The Five "Big Ideas" regarding Mind and Behaviour:
Multifactorial Influence: Behaviour and mental processes are influenced by the interaction of psychological, biological, social, and cultural factors.
Dual Shaping: Both conscious understanding and unconscious processes shape behaviour.
Subjective Filtering: Human experiences of the world are filtered through human perceptions and biases, creating an "imperfect personal lens."
Insight through Disruption: Both typical functioning and disruptions to that functioning (such as disorders) provide insights into how the mind operates.
Practical Application: The application of psychology can positively transform individuals, organizations, and communities.
Psychology in the Canadian Context: Western vs. Indigenous Perspectives
Western Eurocentric Origins: "Western" refers to beliefs, norms, and values originating from Eurocentric cultures. In Canada, these views are often perceived as "normal" relative to other cultures, including Indigenous ones.
Historical Demographic: Most founders of psychological science were men of European descent, though the field is currently becoming more diverse.
Indigenous Perspectives in Canada:
Eduardo Duran: An Indigenous psychologist who advocates for flexibility when defining what is considered "truth" or "normal" across different cultures.
Albert Marshall: A Mi’kmaq Indigenous Elder who popularized the concept of Etuaptmumk, or "Two-eyed seeing."
Two-Eyed Seeing: The concept that Western and Indigenous knowledge systems can and should work in harmony across disciplines like psychology.
Thinking Like a Psychological Scientist
Psychological Science: Defined as the scientific study of mind and behaviour, distinct from how it is typically portrayed in popular media.
Characteristics of Psychological Science:
Critical: Combines curiosity and wonder with a healthy sense of skepticism.
Summative: Considers multiple sources of evidence rather than absolute conclusions. Knowledge is cumulative and grows as new information is presented.
Cognitive Biases and Obstacles:
Overconfidence Effect: The tendency for individuals to be overly certain about the accuracy of their own knowledge.
Confirmation Bias: The tendency to seek out, believe, and pay attention only to evidence that confirms preexisting beliefs.
Utility of Scientific Training: Learning these principles helps individuals recognize misinformation ("fake news"), find reliable sources, and overcome personal biases.
A Historical Overview of Psychology
Timeline and Origin: Psychology is a relatively young science, existing for just over a century. It began in Western Europe.
Early Divergence: Psychology developed through two independent paths:
Scientific Approach: Focused on intellectual endeavours and experimentation at universities.
Originated with Wilhelm Wundt in Germany.
Brought to Canada by James Mark Baldwin, who established the first lab.
Focused on perception, thought, and behaviour.
Clinical Approach: Focused on therapeutic interventions for disorders in medical settings.
Originated with Sigmund Freud in Austria and England.
Focused on psychiatry, psychotherapy, and clinical practice.
Contemporary Integration:
Modern psychology merges the scientific and clinical approaches by using research-based evidence to treat psychological problems.
The field emphasizes open science practices, transparency, and strict ethical guidelines.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): The body that oversees much of the clinical practice and research within Canada.
The Backdrop of Behaviour: Biological, Evolutionary, and Cultural Perspectives
Evolutionary Perspective: Investigates how the human evolutionary past shapes "cultural universals"—traits shared by all humans, such as a preference for fairness.
Cultural Perspective: Investigates how context affects thoughts and preferences.
Culture Definition: The rules, values, ceremonies, and beliefs held by a group with a common environment and language.
Nature-Nurture Interaction: Nature (biology/evolution) interacts with nurture (environment/culture) to predict behaviour.
Historical Mismatch: Some evolved tendencies may no longer match the requirements of contemporary culture.
Biological–Neuroscience Perspective: Focuses on the biological underpinnings of thought and action.
Neuroscience Definition: The scientific study of how nerves and cells send and receive information across the brain, body, and spinal cord.
Key Canadian Figures: Wilder Penfield, Donald O. Hebb, and Brenda Milner.
Conscious and Unconscious Mental Processes: Cognitive and Emotional Perspectives
Cognitive Perspective: Studies mental processes such as perception, learning, memory, language, and creativity.
Example: Humans are sensitive to dilated (enlarged) pupils in others, interpreting them as a sign of interest or arousal, which can influence perceptions of attractiveness.
Emotional Perspective: Studies how the capacity to feel and perceive emotions influences decision-making and social relationships.
Example: There is a strong link between the motivation for social connection and emotional well-being. Excessive consumption of others' "highlighted moments" on social media can negatively impact this well-being.
The Unconscious: Refers to the mental life that influences thoughts and actions but remains inaccessible to direct observation or awareness. Conscious and unconscious processes can sometimes conflict.
Human Stability and Change: Developmental, Personality, Social, and Clinical Perspectives
Developmental Perspective: Studies physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes across the human life cycle, from conception to old age.
Contributors: James Mark Baldwin and Janet Werker.
Personality vs. Social Perspectives:
Personality: Asks if certain internal traits make an individual more socially skilled.
Social: Asks if situational contexts influence the level of social skill demonstrated.
Clinical Perspective: Focuses on causes and treatments for disorders to improve well-being.
The Growth Mindset: The foundational belief that human behaviour and personality are not fixed and can be changed. Psychology aims to build empathy and understand complexity.
Positive Psychology and the Three Components of Happiness
Positive Psychology: The scientific study of factors that contribute to happiness, health, and stress management (e.g., courage, hope, and creativity).
Components of Happiness:
Positive emotions and pleasure.
Engagement with life.
Living a meaningful life characterized by good relationships and a history of accomplishment.
Professional Pathways and Educational Success
Mental Health Careers in Canada: Includes clinical psychology, counselling psychology, and psychiatry.
Interdisciplinary Utility: Psychological knowledge is useful in criminal justice, legal professions, education, and the sports industry.
The Role of University: Modern university education is less about memorizing facts (which are accessible via the internet) and more about learning to think critically and using information to make decisions.
Study Success Strategies:
Requires time-management and metacognition (awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes).
Learning Tools in "Interactive Psychology: People in Perspective":
Chapter Outlines: Summarize covered content.
Study Units: Break topics into manageable chunks.
Explore Questions: Prepare the brain for learning at the start of units.
Interactive Figures: Engaging visual learning tools.
Check Your Understanding: Post-unit assessments to improve comprehension.