Introduction Psychology
What is Psychology?Psychology is the
scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
“Psychology” has its roots in the Greek words of “psyche,” or mind, and “-ology,” or a field of study.”
History of Psychology
“Psychology has a long past but only a short history.”
◦Hermann Ebbinghaus
Psychology vs. PsychiatryPsychiatry is a specialty in the medical field,
not a part of psychology.
Psychiatrists hold MDs and have specialized training in the treatment of mental and behavioral problems.
Psychology is a much broader field which has many different specialties.
Origins of PsychologyOrigins of Psychology• Greeks- 5th & 6th centuries
B.C. – People’s lives were
dominated not so much by gods but their own minds• People are rational
• Aristotle = Asked Why?– Began to compare the
sensations, wonder how the thought process worked, and even why we slept
Socrates -> Plato -> AristotleMind & Body Separate -> Yeah, not so much
Let’s look at the data
Socrates -> Plato -> AristotleMind & Body Separate -> Yeah, not so much
Let’s look at the data
Origins Continued…Origins Continued…• During Renaissance people began to
experiment and observe results• Rene Descartes first to pose dualism-
idea that a link existed between the mind and body– Nativism- is the view that certain
skills or abilities are 'native' or hard
wired into the brain at birth.
(1596-1650)
A Change in PerspectiveFor hundreds of years
medieval Christian churches felt the human mind, like that of God, was an unsolvable mystery.
In the 17th C. the French philosopher Rene Descartes argued that human sensations and behaviors were based on activity in the nervous system.
Rene Descartes 1596-1650
John Locke (1632-1704)John Locke (1632-1704)
– “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”–Tabula rasa
– Empiricism• Knowledge
originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation
Psychology Becomes a ScienceDespite Descartes arguments and scientific
breakthroughs at the time, psychology didn’t become a recognized science until the mid 1800s.
Modern Psychology Rooted in HistoryModern psychology developed from several
conflicting ideas including structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, behaviorism and psychoanalysis.
Psychological Science Is Born Psychological Science Is Born
–Wilhelm Wundt• (1832-1920)• Established modern
psychology as a formal
field of study
–1st “Psychologist”–Developed the first psychology
lab/experiment• Measuring reaction time
StructuralismWilhelm Wundt (Voont) was the first to
declare himself a psychologist.
He believed in structuralism.
Wilhelm Wundt 1832-1929
Structuralism: devoted to uncovering the basic structures that make up mind and thought-looking for the elements of conscious experience.
Structuralism relies on introspection, or the process of reporting one’s own conscious mental experiences.
What would be the strengths/weaknesses of introspection?
Gestalt PsychologyGestalt psychology was the opposite of
structuralism. Instead of looking at the individual parts, it wanted to examine the whole.
Gestalt psychology looked at how the brain works by studying perception and perceptual thinking.
Ex. Recognizing a person’s face.
• E.B. Titchner- brought Wundt’s
psychology to U.S. – Structuralism-study the basic elements
that make up human mental experiences– Introspection
• Looking inward- analyzing immediate sensations and how they related to one another.
• Results varied and were unreliable• For example…
• Using structuralism and the idea of introspection I would need to analyze everyone’s immediate sensations.
• Did this picture make you smile?• Did this picture make you want to cry?
• Once again with structuralism, results
varied and were unreliable
Critics of Wundt and StructuralismLike most new theories,
people began to dispute and refute structuralism.
William James (the first U.S. psychologist) believed that psychology should look at function and not just structure.
William James 1842-1910
Functionalism Functionalism • Functionalism- study how animals
and people adapt to their environments..– Influenced by Charles Darwin
• William James- father of psychology in U.S.– Taught first psychology class at Harvard
University in 1875.• Why does the brain think? Why does the nose
smell?
• Wrote “The Principles of Psychology”– Took 12 years!
1842-1910
Functionalism- A theory that emphasized the functions of consciousness and the ways consciousness helps people adapt to their environment.
James thought that psychology should explain how people adapted-or failed to adapt-to everyday life outside the laboratory.
The parts of the functionalist view of psychology
James’ FunctionalismJames’ criticism of Wundt’s
structuralism was that it was boring and inaccurate because it was only done in the laboratory.
James wanted to see how people functioned in everyday life, not just in contrived situations.Also he believed that mental
process were not static. He described them as a “stream of consciousness.”
LadiesLadies
• Margaret Washburn– First PhD 1894,
Cornell– The Animal Mind-
animal behavior research
• Mary Calkins– Denied degree by
Harvard in 1895– First woman president
of the APA– Renowned memory
researcher Between
1996-2009 Females
claimed two-thirds of U.S. Psychology
Ph.D.s
Psychology Defined 2012Psychology Defined 2012
• The definition has evolved over time.
*The science of behavior and mental *processes.
• Behavior = any action we can observe and record.– Examples: Yelling, smiling, sweating…
• Mental Processes = internal, subjective experiences we infer from behavior.– Examples: Sensations, perceptions,
feelings…
Nature versus NurtureNature versus Nurture
• The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors.
PlatoDescartes Darwin
AristotleLocke
Nature versus NurtureNature versus Nurture
• How are humans alike but diverse?• Are gender differences biologically predisposed
or socially constructed?• Is children’s grammar mostly innate or formed by
experience?• How are differences in intelligence and
personality influenced by heredity and by environment?
• Are sexual behaviors more pushed by inner biology or pulled by external incentives?
4.2%Elementary and Secondary Schools
6.3%Business and Government
8.5%Other
19.4%Hospitals and Clinics
28.0%Colleges and Universities
33.6%Private Practice
Psychology’s Early History
Psychology Today: Vigorous and Diversified
Seven Unifying Themes
PersonalApplication
Psychology’s Modern History
0.5%Forensic
0.6%Other
0.9%Clinical Neuropsychology
5.2%School
6.1%Industrial/Organizational
14.7%Counseling
72.1%Clinical
Psychology’s Early History
Psychology Today: Vigorous and Diversified
Seven Unifying Themes
PersonalApplication
Psychology’s Modern History
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