Module Convenor:

Jessica S. Dunn:
jessica.dunn@nottingham.edu.my
Overview of Lecture 1
Housekeeping & Formalities
- Sign in
- Introductions and Expectations
- Receive Module Outline
- Discuss timetable, readings and assessment

Introduction to the Module: Learning Objectives
- What is Psychology?
- Psychologys Goals
- Careers
- Some Key Historical Perspectives and Modern Views
- Research in Psychology
- Understanding the difference between Pure (Academic) and Applied
Psychology

- Final Thoughts and References


Introductions
My Name is

Im majoring in

One adjective friends and family would use to describe
me is

One weird/interesting thing Ive heard about
psychology is


Complete the following sentence:

"If I could have dinner with any person, living or dead, it would
be____________ because_____________."
Todays Learning Objectives
To define psychology in terms of its goals and
approaches
To trace the history of psychology
To explore the differences between pure/basic and
applied psychology
To become familiar with areas of research and
practice in applied psychology.
No matter where you go or what
you do, you live your entire life
within the confines of your head

~ Terry Josephson ~
Psychology?
http://data.bolton.ac.uk/pls/
Defining Psychology
What is Psychology?

Psychology is the scientific
study of behaviour and
mental processes

Misconceptions of Psychology


True/False Psych Trivia
1. Most brain activity stops during sleep
2. As the number of bystanders increases, your
chances of getting help decreases
3. Extroverts tend to stray more when compared to
introverts
Psychologys Goals
Description - tells what occurred

Explanation - tells why a behavior or mental
process occurred

Prediction - identifies conditions under which a
future behavior or mental process is likely to
occur

Change - applies psychological knowledge to
prevent unwanted behavior or to bring about
desired goals.

Psychology has a long past, but only
a short history.
~ Hermann Ebbinghaus ~

History of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt: The Father of Psychology (1832-1920)
Wanted to take a scientific approach to understanding
behaviour. He established the 1
st
ever Psychological
Laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.

Wundt write a very influential
Text on Psychology called,
Principles of Physiological
Psychology.

Structuralism
Structuralism: deals with the structure (building
blocks) of the mind (mental life).
One of Wundts followers, Edward Titchener, took the
the ideas of structuralism with him to the USA where
he established a psychological laboratory at Cornell
University.
Wundt and his followers believed that in the same way
that the elements hydrogen and oxygen combine to
form H20 - the compound water - the elements of
conscious experience combined to form the
compounds of the mind (Huffman, 2007) through
sensations and perceptions.
Functionalism: study of how the mind functions to
enable humans to adapt to their environment.

On the question of anger, the functionalist might ask,
what is the purpose of anger? How does it help is in our
everyday surroundings.

William James was another very influential figure from
the functionalist school of thought. He authored a 1400
page long book called Principles of Psychology (1890)
and explored animal behaviour as a means to better
understanding human behaviour.
Functionalism
Behaviourism
Behaviourist Perspective: John Watson (1913) and B. F.
Skinner (1940s)
Behaviour results from observable stimuli (in the
environment) and observable responses (actions)

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic perspective (1800-
early 1900s): Sigmund Freud (Austrian Physician)
Role of the unconscious, i.e. part of the mind outside
our awareness.

Psychodynamic Approach
Psychodynamic Approach
While the behaviourist would posit that aggression is a
learnt response to the environment, the
psychoanalytic perspective would suggest that an
individuals behavior emerges from how they internally
resolve the conflict of what is acceptable behaviour
and what are unacceptable motives (interaction
between id, ego and superego).
Freud argues that these are generally derived from our
sexual nature.
Humanistic Psychology
Humanist Perspective: Carl Rogers and
Abraham Maslow (1950s):
Emphasis on our unique ability to make
voluntary choices; free will.
Self actualization: state of self-fulfilment in
which we realise our highest potential.


History of Psychology Contd
Cognitive Perspective
Emphasis on thought, perception and information
processing

Neuroscience/Biopsychology Perspective
Development of sophisticated tools and technologies to
study structure and function of the brain, cells, biological
processes

Evolutionary Perspective
Derives from a focus on natural selection, adaptation and
evolution of behaviour and mental processes; i.e.
behaviour that enhances reproductive success

History of Psychology
Social/socio-cultural perspective:

Emphasis on social interactions and cultural
determinants of behaviour; i.e. ethnicity, religion,
occupation, socioeconomic class




Current Psychology
Biopsychosocial perspective:

This is regarded as a Modernist approach.

The biopsychosocial model combines and interacts
with the other 8 major perspectives

Views biological perspectives, psychological factors
and social factors as interrelated forces.
Research in Psychology
Basic/Pure Research in Psychology
Typically conducted in laboratories and academic
settings
Interested in exploring new theories and advancing
general scientific understanding
Meets first 3 goals of psychology- description,
explanation and prediction
Research in Psychology
Applied Research in Psychology
Generally conducted outside the laboratory
Meets the fourth goal of psychology- to change existing
real world problems by providing practical solutions,
which are grounded in psychological principles and
theories.

Historical Points of Interest in AP
Applied psychology traditionally concerned with
psychology in business and industry
Journal of Applied Psychology (founded 1917) still mostly covers this
(rather than e.g. clinical or forensic)

Early textbooks
Psychology and Industrial Efficiency (Munsterberg, 1913) and
Psychology of Advertising (Scott, 1908) covered personnel selection,
efficiency of work, and advertising.
Historical Points of Interest in AP
First University appointment in 1915:
Walter Dill Scott appointed Professor of Applied
Psychology at the Carnegie Institute of
Technology
In 1919, Scott founded The Scott Company, the
first organisation dedicated to industrial
psychology
Majority of psychologists now employed in
applied settings.

Applied vs. Basic Psychology
Applied Psychology rests on bedrock of academic research

History shows how applied work follows pure work
Psychological testing and individual differences Personnel selection (e.g.
IQ testing and the US Army)
Experimental psychology Human factors; engineering psychology (e.g.
ergonomic design of nuclear power station control rooms, weapons
guidance systems)
Personality and social psychology Employee relations (e.g. team-building
exercises)
Abnormal psychology Clinical psychology; health psychology;
counselling and psychotherapy (e.g. schizophrenia treatments)
Developmental psychology Educational psychology (e.g. Piaget and skills
expected of children in the National Curriculum)
Main Areas of Applied Psychology
The big professional domains especially in the UK
include :

Clinical psychology (diagnosis and treatment of mental
disorders)
Counselling psychology (improve personal and
interpersonal functioning focussing on emotional, social,
and vocational issues)
Educational psychology (improving learning processes)
Forensic psychology (applying psychology to legal issues)
Health psychology (health maintenance and patient
education)
Occupational psychology (work performance;
organisational functioning; worker wellbeing)
These will be covered in detail in subsequent lectures


Other Areas in Applied Psychology
There are many more domains of applied
psychology however.

Domains of Applied Psychology
E.g. Sporting psychology, consulting psychology (including
executive coaching), consumer psychology (advertising),
engineering/architechtural psychology, environmental
psychology among others.

100% Examination
Essay -based examination paper
Housekeeping...
Mutual Respect Every human being, of whatever
origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must
each respect others even as we respect ourselves
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Philosopher)

Attend Lectures and Tutorials - It will be difficult to
pass the course otherwise.

Be on Time

Turn off Hand Phones during class time

Housekeeping
Do Not Cheat on Exams its not worth the hassle
because if you do, you will be discovered and will only
end up cheating yourself.

Assume sole responsibility to read and study for
this course.
- Photocopies of lecture slides will be provided at every lecture
and will be posted on Moodle.
- These are to be treated only as a guide for your personal
reading.
- Copies of the core textbook are available in both the Library
and Bookshop.
Housekeeping...
Get lots of practice writing essays

Take good notes and review them

Share ideas with your classmates and study in small
groups to get the most out of the module


References for this Lecture
Huffman, K. (2007). Psychology in Action.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Huffman, K. (2005). Living psychology. Hoboken,
N.J.: John Wiley.

Gerrig, R. (2013). Psychology and Life, 20
th
Edition,
Boston: Pearson.

Enjoy the course!