Chapter 1 - What is Psychology?

The Roots of Psychology

• William Wundt 1879, University of Leipzig in Germany (structuralism)

  • Structuralism: Structuralism is a theoretical perspective in psychology that focuses on understanding the structure of the mind by breaking down mental processes into their most basic components. Developed by Wilhelm Wundt in the late 19th century, particularly at the University of Leipzig in Germany, structuralism emphasizes the analysis of conscious experience and the elements that make up mental states.

• William James wrote the first psychology textbook (functionalism), defining psychology as the “science of mental life.”

  • Functionalism: Functionalism is a theoretical perspective in psychology that focuses on the purpose of mental processes and behavior. It emerged in response to structuralism and emphasizes how mental activities help individuals adapt to their environments. William James, a prominent figure in functionalism, defined psychology as the "science of mental life," stressing the importance of understanding the functions of the mind rather than just its components.

• Mary Calkins was denied admission into Harvard, but eventually became the first woman APA president.

• Freudian Psychology was created and idealized by Sigmund Freud.

• Behaviorism: coined by Watson and Skinner and defined psychology as the “study of observable behaviour.”

• Humanism: coined by Rogers and Maslow

So, What is Psychology?

• Original definition: study of mental life.

• 1920s - 1960s definition: study of observable behaviors.

• Current definition: study of behavior and mental processes.

  • Behavior: anything we do

  • Mental processes: thoughts, beliefs, feelings

Diversity in the Field of Psychology

• Clinical psychologists/mental health counselor

• Industrial/organizational psychologists

• Neuropsychologists

• Sport psychologists

• School psychologist

What Causes our Behavior?

• Is our behavior the result of…

  • biological factors

  • psychological factors

  • social/cultural factors

• Biopsychosocial approach

Nature vs Nurture Debate

• Nature: genetic contributions to personality/behavior

• Nurture: environmental contributions to personality/behavior

Hindsight Bias

• the “I knew it all along” phenomenon. After learning the outcome of an event, many people believe they could have predicted that very outcome.

  • Ex. Hurricane Katrina, 9/11

Overconfidence

• Sometimes we think we know more than we actually know

Types of Research

• Case study: a technique in which one person (or a small group) is studied in small depth

• Naturalistic observations

  • Advantages: observing behavior as it naturally occurs in the environment

  • Disadvantages: observer presence, observer bias, time consuming

  • Survey: a technique of gathering self reported attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people usually done by questioning a representative, random sample of people.

  • Double blind procedure: participants and research assistants remain unaware of which treatment (if any) they are receiving or administering. This decreases the likelihood of the placebo effect.

Independent/Dependent Variables

• Independent variable: the “cause” which is being used by the researcher to influence the dependent variable, the “effect. The effect of the independent variable is the focus of the study.

• Dependent variable: the factor that may change in response to an independent variable.