General Psychology

Psychology - taken from the Greek words psyche and logos =soul and mind - Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behavior with the object of understanding why living beings behave as they do. Behavior: - is anything a person does, feels, or thinks. Science: - systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. Philosophy - the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct Democritus(c 460-370BC) -believed that the human mind is composed of atoms which could circulate freely and which enabled it to penetrate the whole body. Plato(c 427-347BC) -the mind or soul is distinct in its own right and is god-given. It enters the body with its reflected perfection of God and rules the body which it inhabits as knower, thinker, and determiner of action. Socrates and Plato - believe in dualism- the mind and body are separate- the belief that ideas are innate or born with Aristotle(c 384- 322) -A student of Plato, distinguished three functions of the souls- the vegetative, concerned with basic maintenance of life. The appetitive, concerned with motives and desires; and the rational, the governing functions location in the heart. The brain merely performs minor mechanical processes as a gland. -mind and body are the same John Locke -tabula rasa- The mind is but a white paper that we write experiences on Rene Descartes -formulated the theory of mind-body interactions. -interactive dualism- mind and body separate but do interact to produce conscious experiences, like sensations and emotions Nature Vs. Nurture 1. Nature: genetics, natural tendencies, born this way 2. Nurture: environment plays a role on determining who we are. - factors people around us, friends, family.

 Empiricism -science should be based on knowledge, experience or observation Wilhelm Wundt - founded the first laboratory dedicated exclusively to psychological research in Leipzig. -father of Psychology Sigmund Freud - developed an independent approach to the study of the mind called psychoanalysis, which has been widely influential. - Believed that personality behavior could be explained through the role of unconsciousan area which is unaware to the individual UNCONSCIOUS- area of ourselves that we are unaware that has an impact on how we react and who we are .

Perspective in Psychology Psychology is a discipline that asks and answers the fundamental question, why do we behave the way we do and think the way we think?. The best way to characterize the different approaches that are taken to answer the question of psychology is to identify them as major perspectives.

Perspective

Influence

Areas of Interest

Biological Behavioral genetics

Physiological

Brain, Nervous System Role of genetics and environment on behavior

Nature vs. Nurture

Psychodynamic

Sigmund Freud

unconscious, early life experiences

Cognitive Humanistic/ Phenomenological

Jean Piaget

Mental processes-thinking

Carl Rogers

Importance of self-concept, free well How cultural background could affect behavior Natural Selection

Cross cultural Evolutionary

Role of Diversity Charles Darwin

EXPLORATIONS IN PSCHOLOGY

Standardized vs. Non-standardized Tests -Refers to all aspects of creating, testing, and administering a psychological test. Standardized tests =have established norms to which you can compare an individuals performance. Norms : =The normal distribution of scores on a standardized tests determined by the test standardization group . 1.Intelligence tests - Measures the broad range of mental and intellectual capabilities. e.g .Stanford-Binet & Weschler - popular and somewhat controversial Intelligence tests. 2.Aptitude Tests attempt to gauge whether a person is capable of learning a specific knowledge base. e.g. SAT academic aptitude tests 3.Affective tests -are designed to assess interests, attitudes, and personal values of an individual. -Most personality tests are considered affective tests Non-standardized tests -are classroom tests and are usually developed by the teacher as opposed to some group of outside testers. 1. Criterion-Referenced Assessment -This is also a form of non-standardized testing. A student's performance is measured against a standard. -the score shows whether or not the test takers performed well or poorly on a given task e.g. Driver's License Test

Forms of Non-Standardized Testing 1.Interviews 2. Informal questioning 3. Group discussions 4. Oral tests 5.Quick pop quizzes

6.Exhibitions of work 7.Projects and performance exams

Branches of Psychology 1. General Psychology -This field presents the basic and fundamental principles of human behavior. It explains the How and Why of the persons behavior from a scientific viewpoint. 2. Abnormal psychology -is the scientific study of abnormal behavior and mental disorders in order to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning. 3. Health psychology -explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical aliments or disease (e.g., stress can affect physical health). 4. Counseling psychology - which focuses primarily on educational, social and career adjustment problems. 5. Social psychology - is the study of how peoples thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others. Social psychologists focus on such diverse topics as human aggression, liking and loving, persuasion, and conformity. 6. Developmental psychology - is the branch of psychology that studies how people grow and change from moment of conception through death. 7. Personality psychology - attempts to explain both consistency and change in a persons behavior over time. Also, the individual traits that differentiate the behavior of one person from another when they confront the same situation. 8. .Forensic psychology - this involves applying psychology to criminal investigation and the law. A forensic psychologist practices psychology as a science within the criminal justice system and civil courts. 9. Occupational psychology -(also known as industrial-organizational psychology) - studies the performance of people at work and in training, develops an understanding of how organizations function and how people and groups behave at work. 10.Psychometrics or Psychometric Psychology- concerned with the application of mathematical procedures to the problems like testing, the use of norms, central tendencies and the like.
11. Comparative Psychology -This deals with the behavior and mental processes of the different species. It makes a comparative study of the behavior of the different animals of all degrees of complexity. 12. Physiological Psychology -This is a study relating bodily processes to behavior. 13.Educational Psychology -This study is concerned with the application of psychological principles to the problems of education-like teachers preparation, motivation and teaching processes, evaluation of teaching techniques.

METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY Research Method

-A systematic procedure for answering scientific questions Comparative: Study and compare behavior of different species, especially animals Cognitive: Primarily interested in thinking Biopsychology: How behavior is related to biological processes, especially activities in the nervous system Gender: Study differences between males and females and how they develop Social: Human and social behavior Cultural: How culture affects behavior Evolutionary: How our behavior is guided by patterns that evolved during our history

What Might a Psychologist Research?

The Scientific Method Form of critical thinking based on careful measurement and controlled observation Six Basic Elements Observation Defining a problem Proposing a hypothesis (an educated guess that can be tested) Gathering evidence/testing the hypothesis Publishing results Building a theory Some Terms Hypothesis testing: Scientifically testing the predicted outcome of an experiment or an educated guess about the relationship between variables Operational definition: Defines a scientific concept by stating specific actions or procedures used to measure it Theory: A system of ideas that interrelates facts and concepts, summarizes existing data, and predicts future observations

RESEARCH METHOD

Descriptive methods - involve systematic observations and recording of behaviors. - Observations can take placed in natural settings or in laboratories. The Four Types of Descriptive Methods 1.Observations-the psychologist observes behavior in real-world settings and makes no attempt to manipulate or control the situation 2. Surveys-questionnaires require subjects to read questions and mark their answers. 3.Interviews-involves asking people questions to find out about their experiences and attitudes. 4.Standardized tests-allow the researcher to measure some aspect of the participants behaviors and/or mental processes and compare each individuals outcome to that of others who have also performed the same test 5.Case studies-, which provides an in-depth examination of a single individual, from which the results may not be easily generalized to other people. Correlational Method -procedure that allows the researcher to describe how strongly two or more events or characteristics are related. e.g. "MARRIAGE SLOWS CANCER DEATHS Experimental method - allows psychologists to determine the causes of behaviors and mental processes