Download introduction to psychology and key people

Answer the following:
What is behavior??
Introduction to Psychology
Objectives
 Describe what psychology is
–What psychologists do
–The main types of psychology
 Explain why the psychology of
the past is important today,
particularly the work of key
pioneers
 Compare the seven different
contemporary approaches to
psychology
Why study psychology?
 Gain a better understanding
of your own behavior
– own identities
– thinking process
– actions
Definition
 Psychology is the study of
behavior and mental
processes.
 Covers everything people
think, feel, and do.
Scientific Method
 Reach conclusions by identifying a
specific problem or question
 Formulate a hypothesis
 Collect data through observation
and experiment
 Analyze the data
What do Psychologists do?
1. Conduct research
2. Promote physical and mental
health
3. Help people learn
4. Work in the community
5. Contribute to the work
environment
Types of Psychology
 Basic research- conduct studies
with a long-term goal to find out
more about human and animal
behavior
 Applied psychology- discovering
ways to use what we already know
about people to benefit others.
Key people
 Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
–Started his Laboratory of Psychology.
–Developed self-observation called
introspection – looking inside oneself
and describing what is going on
–Voluntarism-free will, choice and
purpose.
William James-(1842-1910)
 all activities of the mind (feeling,
learning, remembering) serve
one main function, to help us
survive as a species.
 Functionalism- how the mind
functions. Pragmatism- if an
idea works, it is valid or useful
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
 Concept of reinforcement
– Rewarded for performing an action
 More likely to perform that action again in the future.
 People learn in the same way animals.
Kenneth B. Clark
 Examined the negative effects of
segregation on the self-esteem of AfricanAmerican children.
 Contributed to psychology’s diversity.
 Examined quality of education and problems
of juvenile delinquency and crime.
 Researched effects of discrimination.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
 Psychoanalysis- analyzes
information contained in the
unconscious mind.
 Free Association
John B. Watson (1878-1958)
 Behaviorist- investigates
observable behavior
 All behavior is the result of
conditioning and occurs because
the appropriate stimulus is present
in the environment
 Albert Bandura
 His social learning theory stressed the importance
of observational learning, imitation, and modeling.
"Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to
mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on
the effects of their own actions to inform them
what to do," Bandura explained in his 1977 book
Social Learning Theory
 Erik Erikson's stage theory of psychosocial
development helped create interest and
research on human development through
the lifespan. He expanded psychoanalytic
theory by exploring development throughout
the life, including events of childhood,
adulthood, and old age.
 Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist
whose research on conditioned reflexes
influenced the rise of behaviorism in
psychology. Pavlov's experimental methods
helped move psychology away from
introspection and subjective assessments to
objective measurement of behavior.
 Carl Rogers placed emphasis on human
potential, which had an enormous influence
on both psychology and education. He
became one of the major humanist thinkers
 Do Now:
–Riddle
“I believe that people learn in the
same way animals do. Who am I?
Create a series of riddles about
each of the individuals described in
the section.
Contemporary perspectives.
 Biological Approach- emphasizes the
influence of biology on behavior-our
thoughts, fantasies and dreams are
made possible by the brain
 Learning Perspective- emphasizes the
effects of experience on behavior.
 Psychodynamic ApproachFocuses on the way
unconscious forces, conflicts, or
instincts influence behavior.
 Biopsychosocial perspectivemental processes are influenced
y the interaction of biological
processes, psychological
dispositions and social factors.
 Evolutionary Approach- parts
of the mind are evolutionary
adaptations arising through
natural selection.
 Humanistic Approach-we all
have the potential to become
fulfilled and effective people
Cognitive Approach
 Higher processes studied
–Thinking, intelligence, problem
solving, reasoning, and creativity.
 Sociocultural Approach- how
behavior is influenced by the
social groups we belong to or
by the culture in which we live.