Intro to Psychology – Day 3

Goals: History of Psychology – Students will1. Explain the historical background of the

field of psychology.2. Describe the six main contemporary

perspectives in psychology.

Instructor will distribute A Brief History of Psychology written by BSU Professor Landrum.

Read the hand-out. Highlight the important points that the

instructor discusses in class.◦ You are responsible for these portions of the

reading.

A Brief History of Psychology

A general set of assumptions about the nature of certain phenomena.◦ In psychology, each perspective has a different

set of assumptions about the nature of human behavior and mental processes. Human behavior is complex and a variety of

perspectives gives a richer and fuller view of behavior that could be seen in one perspective alone.

The book discusses several perspectives, the following slides contains a new perspective added since the books publication.

What is a theoretical perspective?

Biological◦ Nervous system, glands and hormones, genetic

factors◦ Biological processes influence behavior and

mental processes Evolutionary

◦ Physical traits, social behavior◦ Adaptive organisms survive and transmit their

genes to future generations

Major Contemporary Perspectives

Humanistic◦ Self-concept◦ People make free and conscious choices based on

their unique experiences Psychoanalytic

◦ Unconscious processes, early childhood experiences◦ Unconscious motives influence behavior

Learning◦ Environmental influences, learning, observational

learning◦ Personal experience and reinforcement guide

individual development

Major Contemporary Perspectives

Sociocultural◦ Ethnicity, gender, culture, socioeconomic status◦ Sociocultural, biological, and psychological factors

create individual differences Cognitive

◦ Interpretation of mental images, thinking, language

◦ Perceptions and thoughts influence behavior

Major Contemporary Perspectives

We will break into seven groups. Each group will be assigned a perspective. Each group will choose a chapter from the

table of contents in the text book and the group will explain how their perspective would interest biologically oriented psychologists.

The group will share with the class and the class will determine which perspective to which you are referring.

Guided Practice