Download The Basics - Fall Creek High School

The Basics
Unit One
Origins of Psychology
- Roots in ancient philosophy
- Socrates – “ know thyself”
- Plato – rely on thought and reason
- Aristotle – rely on experience, observation
- Confucius – concerned with nature of the human
- Influences on modern psychology
• Wilhelm Wundt – 1879 – transition from philosophy to
science
- Founder of modern psychology
- First actual psychology lab
Major Early Schools of Psychology
-Structuralism
-Introspection – the pieces of what make you who you
are
-Components or building blocks of the mind
-Functionalism
-William James – United States
-The mind adapts us to our environment
-Understand the mind by understanding how it functions
Major Early Schools of Psychology
-Behaviorism
-John Watson – early 1900’s
-Study only overt behavior
-Experience, environment mold us
-B.F. Skinner – operant conditioning – consequences are
crucial to learning
-Reinforcer – pleasant consequence; increases
behavior
-Punishment – unpleasant consequence; decreases
behavior
Major Early Schools of Psychology
-Gestalt psychology
-Max Wertheimer – contemporary of Watson
-Unified, organization patterns
-“Whole is greater than the sum of the parts”
-Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis “Talk it out therapy”
-Austrian physician
-Focus on the unconscious
-Sexual and aggressive impulses motivate
-Importance of early childhood experience
-Dynamic conflict between unconscious desire and
acceptable behavior
Modern Views in Psychology
-Behavioral perspective
-Modeled after school of behaviorism
-Observable behavior; emphasis on experience and
learning
-Broader variation: social-cognitive theory “If I do X , Y
will happen”
-Environment and cognitive factors
-Values, goals, and expectations important
-Behavior therapy – applying learning principles to
treat psychological problems
Modern Views in Psychology
-Psychodynamic Perspective
-Neo-Freudians include emphasis on self-awareness and choices
-Focus remains on unconscious drives and early childhood
experience
-Criticized because scientific study is difficult
-Humanistic perspective
-Carl Rodgers key player in this idea
-Known as “third force” in psychology, started in 1950’s
-Combined Freud’s ideas with behaviorism
-Each human has unique abilities and potential
-Free will, personal choice; crucial aspects of this perspective
-We are our own architects
Modern Views in Psychology
-Physiological perspective
-Biological processes influence behavior
-Nervous system and body chemicals at root of human
functioning
-Heredity an important consideration
-Subfield: Evolutionary psychology
-Study non-human species as well as humans
-Genetic programming creates behavioral tendencies,
predispositions
Modern Views in Psychology
-Cognitive perspective
-Wilhelm Wundt
-Cognition means knowledge
-Study of mental processes; acquiring knowledge of
ourselves and the world
-How we learn, think, reason, remember, and use language
-Criticized by behaviorists as being beyond scientific study,
cannot see people think
Modern Views in Psychology
-Sociocultureal Perspective
-Behavior and attitudes are influenced by culture
-Social and economic experiences have impact
-Ethnicity , age, gender, and lifestyle are
considered
The Many Fields of Psychology…
-Traditional Specialty Areas of Psychology
-Experimental psychologists: use the experimental research
method to study behavior and mental processes
-Clinical psychologists: study individuals with psychological
disorders
-Counseling psychologists: treat individuals with less severe
disorders
-School psychologists: work directly with children to aid in
school experience
-Educational psychologists: research/apply best learning
environments
The Many Fields of Psychology…
-Developmental psychologists: study human
growth and changes over their lifetime
-Personality psychologists: study unique personal
characteristics and behaviors
-Social psychologists: focus on the individual as a
member of a group
-Environmental psychologists: study the
relationship between people’s behavior and their
environment (color of the room)
The Many Fields of Psychology…
-Industrial / Organizational psychologists:
research/apply ways to make the work setting better
-Health psychologists: study the relationship between
psychological factors and physical well-being
-Consumer psychologists: look at people’s purchases
and reaction to advertising