Psych 301, 8/29/3
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
“Psychological science is the study of mind, brain, and behavior.”
Mind: Thoughts / Feelings / Perceptions
Brain: Neurons, neurochemicals, brain anatomy
Behavior: Observable physical actions
What are the themes of Psychological Science?
Cumulative principles
Influence of biology
Brain Chemistry: Neurotransmitters
Genetics: The Human Genome
Brain Imaging: Neuroscience
Localization of function
Involvement of multiple brain regions
The mind has been shaped by evolution / The mind is adaptive
Ideas from evolutionary theory
Natural selection guides inherited characteristics
Random adaptations sometimes increase chances of survival
Adaptive behaviors are built into our bodies and brain
Many current behaviors reflect our evolutionary heritage
Psychological science crosses levels of analysis
“…common goal of understanding how the mind works.”
Theoretical orientation determines choice of questions and research approach.
Seven levels of analysis [table from book]
What are the origins of psychological science?
The nature-nurture debate considers the impact of biology and environment
Culture
Beliefs, values, rules, and customs
Within a group sharing language & environment
Nature-Nurture debate
Psychological activity is biologically innate?
Psychological activity is acquired through education, experience, and culture?
The mind-body problem has challenged philosophers and psychologists
“The Mind-Body Problem is perhaps the quintessential psychological issue”
Mind and Body are separate and distinct (René Descartes: Dualism)
Mind is simply the subjective experience of the physical brain
Evolutionary theory & natural selection
Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)
Theory of natural selection
On the Origin of Species (1859)
Natural Selection
Inheritable individual differences are
the basis of evolutionary development
Francis Galton (1822 - 1911)
Measurement of mental differences
Psychological testing movement
Historical foundations
Structuralism
Conscious experience can be broken down to its basic underlying components.
Wilhelm Wundt, 1879: opens first Experimental psychology laboratory
Methods: Subtractive Response Time, Introspection
Functionalism
How the mind operates
Concerned with the adaptive purpose of mind and behavior
William James (1842 - 1910)
The mind cannot be broken down into elements
Stream of Consciousness
Emphasized the uses of thoughts
Gestalt psychology
Patterns and context in learning and perception
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Important figures: Max Wertheimer (1880 - 1943), Wolfgang Kölher (1887 - 1967)
Freudian psychodynamics
The unconscious influences everyday mental life
Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939)
Unconscious mental processes
Psychoanalysis (therapeutic technique)
Bring the contents of the unconscious into conscious awareness
Free association and dream interpretation
Behaviorism
Role of environment in producing behavior
Modifying behavior by reward and punishment
John B. Watson (1878 - 1958)
Stimuli (triggers) and responses (behaviors)
B. F. Skinner (1904 - 1990)
Behaviors shaped by their consequences
Cognitive psychology
Thought influences behavior
Intelligence, thinking, language, memory
Information processing theories – Computer model
Cognitive Neuroscience: Brain “enables” cognitive processes
Social psychology
The power of the situation
How people are shaped through their interactions with others.
Field theory
Kurt Lewin (1890 - 1947)
Interplay between people and their environments
Attitudes, prejudice, attraction, group dynamics
What are the professions of psychological science?
Subdisciplines focus on different levels of analysis
Psychological Scientist
Uses the methods of science
Studies interplay of brain, mind, behavior, and social environment
Psychological Practitioner: Applies findings from psychological science to assist people in daily lives
Psychological knowledge is used in many professions
People are intuitive psychological scientists