Psychology:

The Science of the Mind

 The Content of Psychology
• What makes us what we are? Our genetic
inheritance or the environment we experience?
(are outgoing personalities genetic or early
experience?)

• Are people motivated best by reward for doing

something we would like them to do or
punishment for doing the wrong thing?
(praise or criticism?)
 Content (Continued)
• What is consciousness, and how does the
brain play a role in consciousness?
(is it simply awareness?)
• How do we change from being newborn
infants through childhood to adulthood?
(changes in ways of thinking vs. amount of
knowledge)
• What causes psychological disorders?
(conflict? Genetics? Abuse? All three?)
 Content (Still More)
• What makes people feel happy? How can
psychology contribute to happiness?
(can we stimulate happiness areas of the brain?)
• Are psychologically disturbed people
responsible for their own actions?
(Are they victims of unfortunate genetics and
upbringing?)
• How are people different from each other and
what makes them different? (Introversion and
Extraversion?)
 Content (Yet more)
• How do people remember things, make
judgments, and arrive at decisions?
(what is the best way to remember material
from this class meeting?)
• Are we truly rational and capable of smart
use of information?
(why do we engage in unhealthy
behaviors?)
 Psychology Defined: Content
The scientific study of behavior and mental
processes

Behavior: Observable actions of an

organism

Mental Processes: Thoughts, Feelings, and

Attitudes
 Talk About It
What are some important questions for you?
 Psychological Perspectives
Neuroscience or
Biological Perspective
How the body and brain
enable emotions,
memories, sensory
experiences, and
actions
Example: What is
happening in the
nervous system when
a person experiences
depression?
 Perspectives (Continued)

Evolutionary Perspective

How natural selection

leads to certain
psychological traits
Example: Can we explain
human emotion as a
trait that helps us
survive? Can we
explain depression as
something adaptive?
 Perspectives (Continued)
Psychodynamic
Perspective
How thoughts and
feelings spring from
unconscious forces
Ex. Is depression the
result of conflicts
among the id, ego
and superego (which
are parts of the
mind)?
Perspectives (More)
Cognitive

The coding, storage,

and use of
information

Example: What are the

beliefs that can lead
to depression?
Perspectives (Still More)
Behavioral

Understanding how
observable responses
are learned and
exhibited
Example: Is depressive
behavior something
that is learned or
reinforced?
 Perspectives-Summary
Neuroscience- Focus on brain and nervous
system
Evolutionary- Natural selection and how it
leads to psychological characteristics
Psychodynamic- Unconscioues forces in the
mind
Cognitive- Beliefs and thought processes
Behavioral- Observable behaviors
 Think About It
How can you explain the existence of
extreme aggressiveness, using the various
perspectives of psychology?
 What about the Science part of it?
Ways of Knowing
Intuition– Examine your own thoughts and
feelings. “It just seems to me…”
Authority- Rely upon the ideas of experts “If
Plato said it, it must be so”
Moral Desire- Beliefs based on moral
convictions—”I so want it to be true”
 Psychology: Process
Observation– Use of sense data to
determine what happens under various
circumstances. “I would not believe it if I
did not see it with my own eyes”

Psychology as a process that uses the tools

of science.
Would you shock someone if
ordered to do so?
 Think About It
How would you evaluate the following
statement?

“Children who watch violent TV will grow up

to be overly aggressive”
 Summary
• Psychology Defined
• The Content of Psychology
– Questions of Mind and Behavior
• Psychological Perspectives
– Neuroscience
– Evolutionary
– Psychodynamic
– Cognitive
– Behavioral
• The Process of Psychology
– Observation and Measurement
 Seven Big Ideas
1. Psychological processes have causes that can be
studied
2. Thoughts and behaviors are related to the brain and
nervous system
3. Heredity and Environment are both important
4. People are different but we can understand these
differences
5. People change during their lifetimes
6. Social groups affect the behavior of individuals
7. We are imperfect beings