Download Psychology Unit 1 - spetersopsych

Welcome to
Mr. P’s
Psychology
Class!
http://spetersopsych.wikispaces.com/
Bell Activity: Day 1
Write a short paragraph about yourself.
What are your hobbies and interests? Do
you work? If so, where? What school
activities are you involved in? What are
your career/education goals and future
aspirations? Why did you sign up to take
Psychology? Include anything else you
want to share about yourself.
What is Psychology?
Why Study Psychology?
Bell Activity 1/24/2013
Learning Targets:
At the end of class,
you will be able to-
1.
-Define Psychology
-List the 4 goals of
Psychology
-Asses your
personality traits
2.
What is
Psychology?
Why should
we study
Psychology?
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the
systematic and scientific
study of behavior and
mental processes
 Can
be applied to humans or
animals
 Big
Question: Should only
observable behaviors be
studies or should thoughts,
feelings and fantasies be
studied?
Why Study Psychology?
1. Behavior is complex and is made up of
physiological and cognitive elements.
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Physiological- mental state ex. Eating b/c hungry
Cognitive- mental ex. eating because of stress or
boredom.
This also includes learned behavior, norms,
perceptions, culture, emotions etc.
The question of “why did so-and-so do that”?
Behavior can then be broken down and analyzed
based on the above
Why Study Psychology?
2. Insight
Better understanding of people and self
(be careful, you are taking psychology
and are not a psychologist, don’t try to
analyze or terrorize everyone around
you)
You can gain a better understanding of
the complexity and diversity of behavior.
Why Study Psychology?
3. Practical information

Learning concrete ways to carry out
procedures developed by psychologists.

Shaping-Using rewards & punishments
(ex. Training a puppy)

Mnemonic devices-memory aids
associating items w/something easier to
remember (ex. Every Good Boy Does
Fine).
Answer True/False to the Following
Questions
1.
2.
The behavior of most lower animalsinsects, reptiles, amphibians, most
rodents and birds- is instinctive and
unaffected by learning.
For the first week of life, a baby sees
nothing but shades of grays-blue
regardless of where he or she looks.
3.
4.
5.
A child learns to talk more quickly if the
adults around the child habitually repeat
the word he or she is trying to say, using
proper pronunciation.
The best way to get a chronically noisy
child to settle down and pay attention is
to punish him or her.
Slow learners learn more of what they
learn than fast learners
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Highly intelligent people (geniuses) tend
to be physically frail and socially isolated.
On the average, you can not predict
from a person’s grades at school and
college whether he or she will do well in
a career.
Most stereotypes are completely true.
In small amounts, alcohol can be a
stimulant
The largest drug problems in the U.S.,in
terms of number of people affected, is
marijuana?
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Psychiatry is a subdivision of Psychology
Most developmentally disabled people also
have psychological disorders.
A third or more of the people suffering from
severe psychological disorders are potentially
dangerous.
Electroshock therapy is an outmoded
technique rarely used in today’s hospitals.
The more severe the disorder, the more
intensive the therapy required to cure it; for
example, schizophrenics usually respond best
to psychoanalysis
16.
17.
Nearly all the psychological
characteristics of men and women
appear to be inborn; in all cultures, for
example, women are more emotional
and sexually less aggressive than men.
No reputable psychologist takes seriously
such irrational phenomena as ESP,
hypnosis, or the bizarre mental and
physical achievements of Eastern yogis.
Psychology Unit 1
What are the Goals
of Psychology?
Goals of Psychology
Description
Explanation
Prediction
Influence
Goals of Psychology
1. Description: Describe or
gather information about the
behavior being studied
Goals of Psychology
2. Explanation: Explain why people
behave as they do
-As hypothesis are tested, more complex
explanations can be formed
-Theories formed after extensive testing of
hypothesis
-Theories change as new data improves our
understanding
-Good theories cause us to validate or alter
principles that help explain and predict
observed behavior
Goals of Psychology
3. Prediction: Predict what
organisms will do or what they
will think and feel in various
situations.
-Predict future behaviors by
studying descriptive and
theoretical accounts of past
behaviors
Goals of Psychology
4. Influence: Influence behavior in
positive ways.
-Basic Science: Conducting research to find
out more about human behavior (find
the problem)
-Applied Science: Using principles to solve
more immediate problems (correct the
problem)
Bell Activity 1/25/2013
Learning Targets: At
the end of class you will
be able to-Define terms from
chapter 1
-Describe the
approaches to studying
Psychology
Apply the approaches to
studying Psychology
1.) What are the four
goals of Psychology?
2.) List all of your
activities, actions
you have taken since
you woke up this
morning.
Scientific Basis for Psychology
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Scientific method: identify problem,
hypothesize, collect data (observe &
experiment) & analyze data.
Hypothesis: stating what you expect to
find in a way that can be proved or
disproved.
Example: people who have similar
opinions on important issues are likely to
be attracted to one another.
Application Activity
Apply the four goals of Psychology to
explain how a psychologist might
approach the following question:
Why are you sitting in psychology class
when there are other things you could be
doing?
A Brief History of
Psychology
Brief History
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Greeks believed human behavior controlled by our
own minds, not by the gods.
Copernicus: Earth was not center of universe;
Introduced observation into scientific experiments
Galileo: Used a telescope to verify Copernicus’ ideas;
experimentation through observation
Rene Descartes: “I think therefore I am;” reasoned
that the mind and the body influence each other to
create a person’s experiences.
Historical Approaches
to Psychology
Structuralism
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Study of the of the basic elements of
human experience
Wilhelm Wundt: established first “lab” to
study Psychology
Tried to map thought process
Method of introspection
(self observation)
Functionalism

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Study of how animals and
people adapt to their
environments
William James “Father of
Psychology;” The
Principles of Psychology
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(1890)
Activities of the mind help
us to survive.
Focus on the functions of
the conscious mind and
the purpose of behaviors
Inheritable Traits
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Sir Francis Galton
Heredity influences
behavior
Did not consider
environment as a
factor
Gestalt Psychology
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Wertheimer, Kohler, Koffka
Study of how sensations are assembled
into perceptual experiences
Perception is more than the sum of it’s
parts-involves a whole pattern
Ex: When you look at a chair, you don’t
see just the legs
Contemporary
Approaches to the
Study of Psychology
Psychoanalytic Psychology
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Sigmund Freud
Primitive biological urges (subconscious) beneath
the surface that are in conflict with requirements of
society and morality.
Free Association- reveal thought process; patients
say anything that comes to mind, then analyzed.
Dream analysis
Used notes to develop a
personality theory.
Behaviorists
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Pavlov, Watson, Skinner
Investigate observable behavior
All behavior is the result of conditioning
and occurs because the appropriate
stimulus is introduced (Watson)
Reinforcement; response to desired
behavior increases likelihood that behavior
will be repeated (Skinner)
Pavlov
Watson
Behaviorists
Skinner
Humanists
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Maslow, Rogers, May
Individuals have freedom in directing his
or her future and achieving personal
growth.
Cognitive Psychology
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Piaget, Chomsky, Festinger
Behavior is influenced by variety of mental
processes
Focus on how we process, store and
retrieve information and how that
information influences our thinking,
language, problem solving and creativity
Biological Psychology

Study how the brain, nervous system,
hormones, and genetics influence our
behavior
Social Psychology

Study of the influence of cultural and
ethnic similarities and differences on
behavior and social functioning.
Ex: How do people react when someone
sneezes? How would your life be different
if you were born in extreme poverty or
extreme wealth?
Approaches to Psychology Group
Skit
Each group will be assigned one of the
approaches we discussed.
 You groups will need to develop a skit to
demonstrate the approach.
**You can read more about each approach
in the textbook (Chapter 1 section 2)
**Everyone in the group must be involved
in the skit!

Psychology as a
Profession
Psychologist
 Someone
trained to observe,
analyze and evaluate behavior
Psychiatrist
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Medical doctor who can prescribe
medications or operate on patients
May work with Psychologist to treat a
patient
Specialty Fields
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Clinical Psychologist: psychotherapists,
dealing with personal problems (mental
hospitals, private offices, prisons etc.)
Educational Psychologist: teaching children
& young adults (intelligence, memory, problem
solving, motivation, teaching methods etc..
Industrial/Psychologist: study and develop
ways to improve production, working conditions,
job placement, training people.
Specialty Fields
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Community Psychologist: Mental
health or social welfare agency; design,
run, evaluate mental health clinics
Developmental Psychologists: Study
physical, emotional, cognitive and social
changes throughout life
Experimental Psychologists: Perform
research to understand behavior