EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY

(7th Edition in Modules) David Myers

PowerPoint Slides Aneeq Ahmad Henderson State University

Worth Publishers, 2008

The History and Scope of Psychology

Module 1
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The History and Scope of Psychology What is Psychology?

Psychologys Roots Contemporary Psychology Tips for Studying Psychology

Psychology
With hopes of satisfying curiosity, many people listen to talk-radio counselors and psychics to learn about others and themselves.

http://www.photovault.com

http://www.nbc.com

Dr. Crane (radio-shrink)

Psychic (Ball gazing)

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Psychologys Roots
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

Aristotle, a naturalist and philosopher, theorized about psychologys concepts. He suggested that the soul and body are not separate and that knowledge grows from 5 experience.

http://faculty.washington.edu

Psychological Science is Born

Wundt and psychologys first graduate students studied the atoms of the mind by conducting experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879. This work is considered the birth of psychology as we know it today.
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Wundt (1832-1920)

Psychological Science is Born

American philosopher William James wrote an important 1890 psychology textbook. Mary Calkins, Jamess student, became the APAs first female president. 7

James (1842-1910)

Mary Calkins

Psychological Science is Born

Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician, and his followers emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior.
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Freud (1856-1939)

Psychological Science is Born

Psychology originated in many disciplines and countries. It was, until the 1920s, defined as the science of mental life.

Psychological Science Develops

Behaviorists

Skinner (1904-1990)

Watson and later Skinner emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific 10 psychology.

Watson (1878-1958)

Psychological Science Develops

Humanistic Psychology

Maslow (1908-1970)

Rogers (1902-1987)

Maslow and Rogers emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential 11 and our need for love and acceptance.

http://facultyweb.cortland.edu

http://www.carlrogers.dk

Psychology Today
We define psychology today as the scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner thoughts and feelings).

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Psychological Associations & Societies

The American Psychological Association is the largest organization of psychology with 160,000 members world-wide, followed by the British Psychological Society with 34,000 members.
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Psychologys Big Question

Nature versus Nurture
The controversy over the relative contributions of biology and experience.

Nurture works on what nature endows.

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Psychologys Three Main Levels of Analysis

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Psychologys Current Perspectives

Perspective
Neuroscience

Focus
How the body and brain enables emotions?

Sample Questions
How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? How does evolution influence behavior tendencies?

Evolutionary

How the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation of ones genes?

Behavior genetics How much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences?

To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment?
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Psychologys Current Perspectives

Perspective
Psychodynamic

Focus
How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts?

Sample Questions
How can someones personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking?
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Behavioral

How we learn observable responses?

Psychologys Current Perspectives

Perspective
Cognitive

Focus
How we encode, process, store and retrieve information? How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures?

Sample Questions
How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? How are we as Africans, Asians, Australians or North Americans alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ?

Social-cultural

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Psychologys Subfields: Research

Psychologists
Biological Developmental Cognitive Personality Social

What they do
Explore the links between brain and mind. Study changing abilities from womb to tomb. Study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. Investigate our persistent traits. Explore how we view and affect one another.
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Psychologys Subfields: Research

Other 11.5% Experimental 14.1% Biological 9.9%

Developmental 24.6%

Psychometrics 5.5% Cognitive 8.0% Social 21.6% Personality 4.8%

Data: APA 1997
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Psychologys Subfields: Applied

Psychologists
Clinical
Counseling Educational Industrial/ Organizational

What they do
Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders Helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges. Studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings Studies and advises on behavior in the workplace.

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Psychologys Subfields: Applied

Industrial 6% Educational 9% Counseling 15% Clinical 67%
Data: APA 1997
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Other 3%

Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry

A clinical psychologist (Ph.D.) studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy. Psychiatrists on the other hand are medical professionals (M.D.) who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients.

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Tips for Studying Psychology

Psychology can teach you how to ask and answer important questions. Survey, Question, Read, Rehearse and Review (SQ3R) Survey: What you are about to read, including chapter outlines and section heads. Question: Ask questions. Make notes. Read: Look for the answer to your questions by reading a manageable amount at a time. Rehearse: Recall what youve read in your own words. Test yourself with quizzes. Review: What you learn. Read over notes and quickly review the whole chapter.
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Tips for Studying Psychology

Additional Study Hints
Distribute your time. Learn to think critically. Listen actively in class. Overlearn. Be a smart test-taker.

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