Introduction to
Psychology
Frenship High School
Psychologist vs. Scientist
 Think of an adjective that describe a
psychologist.
 Think of an adjective that describe a
scientist.
 SHARE OUT AND DISCUSS
Identify the
following
individuals…
Dr. Phil
Dr. Melfi
(Lorraine Brocco)
Dr. Frasier Krane
(Kelsey Grammer)
Dr. Huang
(B.D. Wong)
Dr. Drew Pinsky
What do you think
 is?
 Most people think psychology () is only
counseling and abnormal psychology
(helping “crazy” people)
 This is largely fueled by television/movies
 Let’s look at the history of Psychology
and its origins and then explore the vast
subfields of psychology.
What is Psychology?
 Comes from two Greek words psyche
(soul) and logos (the study of)
 Psychology - the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes
 Behavior - outwardly observable acts of an
individual, either alone or in a group
 Mental processes – the physiological and
cognitive processes that underlie behavior
(e.g. sensation, perception, dreams, thoughts,
beliefs and feelings)
Goals and Fields of Study
 The goals of psychology are to describe,
explain, predict, and control mental
processes of behavior.
 It involves both the experimental study of
behavior and the practical applications
that arise from them.
 It is a scientific discipline that bridges
with other fields.
Fact or Falsehood?
To get an idea for the broad range of topics
covered by psychology, answer the
following True/False questions.
INSTRUCTIONS:
 Write your answers in your notes or on a
sheet of paper.
 Answers will be given at the end of the
quiz.
Fact or Falsehood?
1. To be useful, laboratory experiments in
psychology must re-create the
behaviors of everyday life.
2. The human brain produces its own
natural opiates that ease pain and
elevate mood.
3. Our personality comes from our home
and family environment growing up.
Fact or Falsehood?
4. Newborns can only see light and dark
shades.
5. Advertisers are able to shape our
buying habits through subliminal
messages.
6. Psychological research clearly indicates
that some people do have ESP.
Fact or Falsehood?
7. The majority of men’s dreams are about
women.
8. The greater the reward promised for
performing an activity, the more one will
come to enjoy the activity.
9. Hypnosis can be used to recover
repressed memories.
Fact or Falsehood?
10. In general, people underestimate how
much they really know.
11. Heredity, not environment, determines
one’s score on an intelligence test.
12. As children, many homosexuals were
molested, seduced, or otherwise
sexually victimized by an adult
homosexual.
Fact or Falsehood?
13. If you are truly innocent of committing a
crime you have nothing to fear from
taking a lie detector test.
14. Most of us suffer from unrealistically low
self-esteem.
15. The most common form of
schizophrenia is the split personality, in
which a person possesses two or more
separate identities.
Fact or Falsehood?
16. Without professional help, people who
suffer psychological disorders inevitably
get worse.
17. Internal bodily functions such as blood
pressure and heart rate are not subject
to conscious control.
18. Most people would refuse to obey an
authority who told them to hurt an
innocent person.
Fact or Falsehood?
 How do you think you did?
 All answers EXCEPT number 2 were
false!!!
 Let’s go back and discuss them.
Subfields of Psychology
 Applied Research





Biological psychologists
Developmental Psychologists
Cognitive Psychologists
Personality Psychologists
Social Psychologists
 Counseling Psychologists
 Clinical Psychologists
 Psychiatrists
More Subfields of

 The APA (American Psychological
Assoc.) has 53 divisions
 Here are some interesting divisions:





Society for Consumer Psychology
Exercise and Sport Psychology
Psychology of Religion
Population and Environmental Psychology
Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and
Violence: Peace Psychology Division
Your Homework
 Look up Psychology on the internet and
see what you find. There are many sites
out there to explore. Some aren't worth a
flip, and some are actually pretty
interesting.