AN INTRODUCTION

Psychology

AIMS OF LESSON

To develop an understanding of what Psychology is and what Psychology isn’t

To explore how Psychology has shaped our world

To have some fun with some simple experiments

Psyche = Mind;Logos = Knowledge or Study

Once defined as study of the mind Now broader definition to include behaviour

too Psychologists study mind and behaviour scientifically

What What isis psychology? psychology?

What is the Mind?

Refers to experiences or the mental processes and experiences that cannot be directly observed. any response that is internal or hidden from view

and cannot be directly observed

Psychology relies on inferences, or assumptions, about underlying processes on the basis of observable behaviour. An inference is a logical conclusion which is

based on available evidence.

What is behaviour?

Behaviour refers to any observable action made by a

living person or animal.is best described as any kind of response that

can actually be seen and measured.

Examples of behaviour include: Eating Sleeping Sneezing Watching T.V. Running

What is Behaviour?

Consider each activity listed below and state whether or not you think it is a behaviour.

Experiencing butterflies in the stomachDreamingBlinking

HeartbeatToothache

Planning an excuse to get out of a dateSinging a song aloud

Writing a letterExperiencing an itch

Reading the time on your watch

ΨΨ is the symbol for is the symbol for PsychologyPsychology

ΨΨ is the Greek letter psi and it is is the Greek letter psi and it is the international shorthand symbol the international shorthand symbol for the word Psychology. for the word Psychology.

You will often see it in text books You will often see it in text books or anything relating to the subject.or anything relating to the subject.

Is Psychology just common sense?

Ψ It might be common sense to say that some football fans behave badly because they are hooligans….

Ψ How do we know this?Ψ Do we have evidence for this explanation?ΨHas anyone done any research on this topic?

- effects of crowds/groups on individuals: deindividuation- Effects of alcohol on individuals

Scientific Study

Scientific studyScientific study refers to the approach refers to the approach which is used in psychology. which is used in psychology.

Psychologists use the highly disciplined Psychologists use the highly disciplined methods of science e.g. experimentation and methods of science e.g. experimentation and carefully controlled observation.carefully controlled observation.

Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Psychology Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Psychology differ in what they study, yet each uses the differ in what they study, yet each uses the scientific method trying to achieve common scientific method trying to achieve common goals of: goals of:

descriptiondescription, , prediction, explanation and prediction, explanation and controlcontrol

What is Research?

Ψ Research is a way of investigating something. We look at it in depth.

There are several Research MethodsΨ Laboratory ExperimentΨ Field ExperimentΨ Natural ExperimentΨ ObservationΨ SurveyΨ CorrelationΨ Case Study

Some psychological research Some psychological research topics:topics:

Importance of love in childhoodImportance of love in childhood

development of language development of language

accuracy of eyewitness testimonyaccuracy of eyewitness testimony

PRO SOciAL HELPING BEHAVIOURPRO SOciAL HELPING BEHAVIOUR

TREATMENT OF DEPRESSIONTREATMENT OF DEPRESSION

causes of ADDICTIONcauses of ADDICTION

Say the colour of the words in the next slide.

GREEN

BLUE

YELLOW

BLACK

BLUE

YELLOW

RED

WHITE

GREEN

RED

BLACK

BLUE

RED

YELLOW

ORANGE

GREEN

PURPLE

GREEN

BLACK

YELLOW

The effect you experienced is The effect you experienced is the STROOP INTERFERENCE the STROOP INTERFERENCE

EFFECT.EFFECT.

TO THINK ABOUT AND DISCUSS:TO THINK ABOUT AND DISCUSS: Some behavior is AUTOMATIC. It’s Some behavior is AUTOMATIC. It’s

impossible NOT to read color words. impossible NOT to read color words.

Would a person who cannot read Would a person who cannot read

experience the effect?experience the effect?

WHEN MIGHT THIS BE A USEFUL TOOL WHEN MIGHT THIS BE A USEFUL TOOL

TO USE?TO USE?

Now we are going to do a simple activity involving letters of the alphabet.

Based on your gut feelings, quickly write down:

1.Your six FAVOURITE letters

2.Your six LEAST FAVOURITE letters

Look over each list and circle all of the letters that occur in your own first name. Count the number of circled letters in each list.

Which list included more of theletters from your own first

name??

The preference for the letters in one’sown name is the name letter effect.

TO THINK ABOUT: Would people bemore likely to purchase a product if the

product resembled his or her name?

Which center circle is Which center circle is larger?larger?

Here are the same Here are the same circles again.circles again.

Do you see the flashing Do you see the flashing dots? dots?

The flashing is all in your head.The flashing is all in your head.

What do Psychologists do?

They explain behaviour

But how do they explain it?

Many different APPROACHES or PERSPECTIVES to explaining behaviour

BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH

Ψ Perhaps we learn behaviour….

Ψ This explanation is called Learning Theory and is based on Conditioning

Ψ There are two types of Conditioning

Ψ Classical Conditioning

Ψ Operant Conditioning

Classical Conditioning. Ivan Pavlov

Unconditioned stiumulus ucs (food) Unconditioned response ucr (salivation)Conditioned stimulus cs (bell)Conditioned response cr (salivation)

ucs (food) +cs (bell) ucr (salivation)cs (bell) cr (salivation)

The dog sees the food and salivates. Then the dog sees the food at the same time as a The dog sees the food and salivates. Then the dog sees the food at the same time as a bell is rung. It salivates. Then the dog hears the bell, associates it with the food, and bell is rung. It salivates. Then the dog hears the bell, associates it with the food, and salivates. The dog has been conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell.salivates. The dog has been conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell.

Have you been classically conditioned?

At the dentist …are you frightened as you walk through the door? As you sit in the chair?

Going to the dentist is associated with pain – you expect pain whenever you go to the dentist

Operant ConditioningB F Skinner

The rat’s behaviour is ‘shaped’ until it ‘learns’ that it will be reinforced (rewarded) if it presses the food lever!

Why Operant? When an animal performs a behaviour, it operates on the environment.

Possible consequences of behaviour

Ψ positive reinforcement..pleasurable reward, so behaviour will be repeated

Ψ negative reinforcement..performing a behaviour that will stop an unpleasant stimulus

Ψ punishment .. an unpleasant response which will stop the behaviour

Little Albert

Is your behaviour conditioned or learned?

Ψ What do you do when you hear a bell ring?

Ψ Could you touch a spider?

Ψ Have you ever been rewarded for a behaviour?

Psychoanalytic TheoryPsychoanalytic Theory

ΨΨ Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud’s theory of personality ’s theory of personality (Psychoanalytic Theory) and treatment for (Psychoanalytic Theory) and treatment for abnormal behaviour called Psychoanalysis.abnormal behaviour called Psychoanalysis.

ΨΨ The theory explains human development in The theory explains human development in terms of an innate drive (something we are born terms of an innate drive (something we are born with e.g. pleasure) and early experience (the with e.g. pleasure) and early experience (the extent to which the desires were gratified) extent to which the desires were gratified)

Structure of the Freudian Structure of the Freudian PersonalityPersonality

ΨΨ Freud assumed that the mind is divided into 3 Freud assumed that the mind is divided into 3 parts: parts: Id, EgoId, Ego and and SuperegoSuperego

Defence MechanismsDefence MechanismsΨΨ RepressionRepression: Keep threats out of consciousness.: Keep threats out of consciousness.

ΨΨ Displacement: Move target of emotions e.g. aggression Displacement: Move target of emotions e.g. aggression to someone/something else.to someone/something else.

ΨΨ Projection: Attribute undesirable characteristics to Projection: Attribute undesirable characteristics to someone else..someone else..””itit’’s not me its not me it’’s yous you””..

ΨΨ Denial: Refuse to accept the reality of an event. Denial: Refuse to accept the reality of an event.

ΨΨ Intellectualisation: Remove emotions from a Intellectualisation: Remove emotions from a threatening event.threatening event.

ΨΨ Examples? Examples?

Cognitive /Information Processing Theory

Cognitive Psychologists believe it is internal, mental processes that can explain behaviour

Began in the 1950s around the time of the first computers

Examples of processes

MemoryAttentionSchemasThinkingAttributionPerceptionInformation processingSocial cognition

Biological Approach

All behaviour normal and abnormal, is based in physiological processes, especially the brain but also including other parts of the nervous system and the endocrine (glandular) system.

THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY TRUE !!What behaviour can you attribute to

biology???

Examples

Brain structure – link between Broca’s and Wernicke’s area and language; the pineal gland and biological rhythms

Brain function: electrical activity – EEG stages of sleep

Brain function: neurotransmitters – increase in dopamine activity in schizophrenia, decrease in serotonin in depression, increase in pleasure/euphoria ?

Physiological arousal – skin conductance responses, heart rate, increase with arousal state; hormones (adrenaline)

Functional MRI (fMRI)

Applies MRI technique to blood flow in the brain. So can picture the brain ‘in action’, e.g. look for variations in brain activity across different areas during speech and other behaviours

Good spatial resolution (3 mm), no injections or radioactivity; but strong magnetic field, so any metal interferes

Positron Emission Tomography

PET: injection of e.g. radioactive glucose; taken up by most active areas, emits radioactivity which can be recorded and built into a picture of brain activity

Uses injections and radioactivity, so number of scans limited and only adults used.

Spatial resolution not as good as fMRI

Compare and Contrast

In pairs …Choose two perspectives from your text book

and read relevant sectionsThink about how they are similar and how

they are different – make notesFill in the Compare and Contrast document