CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS
PSYCHOLOGY AND
WHAT ARE ITS ROOTS?
What is Psychology?
1.
2.
Psychology derives its roots from
ancient Greek culture. It literally
means “the study of the mind.”
According to modern day
psychologists, the science of
behavior and mental processes is
called psychology.
Greeks and Philosophy/Psychology
1. The Greek philosophers Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato
are credited with the inception of psychology.
2. These philosophers developed two practical theories
concerning psychology:
a) Emotions can distort behavior.
b) And, our perceptions are merely interpretation of
the external world.
3. The Greeks also developed some bizarre notions
regarding psychology:
a) Emotions flow from the heart, liver, and spleen.

b) Mental disorders can be caused by excessive bile.
History of Psych

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4. When the medieval Roman Catholic
Church ruled over Europe, they began to
preach that the mind was an “unsolvable
mystery.” It operates completely outside
the natural laws that govern this world.
5. In the 17th century, French
philosopher Rene Decartes asserted
that emotional activity comes from
your central nervous system, and this
system is triggered by brain waves.
Early Perspectives

Structuralism—viewpoint that looks to
discover the basic structures of the mind and
how they influence behavior.
•
•
This idea was pursued by Wilhelm Wundt, and
he built the first experimental psych lab.
Wundt used the practice of introspection to
study the elements of the conscious mind.

Introspection – the process of reporting on
one’s own inner conscious experience
Introspection
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Through introspection, subjects were given
an experience and were required to
report on his/her thoughts about it.
Most experiences analyzed were
perceptual or sensory.
Once you see the cube change, you won’t be able to prevent it shifting back and
forth, seemingly at random.
TURN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR AND TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN
THEY LOOK AT THE CUBE.
Your description will be an introspective report of your mental experience.
Early Perspectives

Functionalism—took structuralism
further in order to determine how
consciousness could help us deal with
problems of everyday life.
•
John Dewey and William James
pursued functionalism as a means to
see how adaptive behavior can
lead to mental disorders.
Structuralism and Functionalism
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW6nm69Z_IE&
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active
1:11
6 Major Psychological Perspectives
1)
Biological View
-inherit some behaviors from your parents
-measure function of nervous and endocrine
(hormone) system
-strong roots in medicine and biological science
-have discovered things such as how damage
to certain parts of the brain can destroy
certain abilities
6 Major Psychological Perspectives
2. Psychodynamic View
•
•
•
Humans are largely motivated by
our unconscious needs, desires,
memories and conflicts
Focuses more on treatment then
research
A big supporter of this viewpoint
is Sigmund Freud
6 Major Psychological Perspectives
3) Cognitive View
-our actions are influenced by the way process
information from our environment
6 Major Psychological Perspectives
4) Behavioral View
•
•
•
Measures people’s actions in terms of direct
observation
They do not look to examine the inner reasons for
actions but the effects of people, objects, and events
on behavior
Most strongly influenced by B.F. Skinner
6 Major Psychological Perspectives
5) Humanistic View
•
•
•
Your actions are influenced by your self- worth and
need for growth and fulfillment
Emphasizes the positive side of human behaviorhuman ability, growth and potential
Led by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
6 Major Psychological Perspectives
6) Socio-Cultural
•
Emphasizes the importance of social interactions,
social learning, and cultural perspective
•
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Culture- blend of human language, beliefs, customs,
values, traditions
Why certain cultures have certain behaviors
Psychodynamic

Past experiences (repressed experiences) impact
our current experiences
Cognitive

Cognitive and decision making process- Thinking….
Behaviorism

Learn by watching others (modeling)
Humanism

Need help to reach full potential
Biology

Our knowledge of the brain and the influence of
genetics on our behavior is small (like the pinky)
Socio-Cultural

To understand others we must understand their
cultural background
How do Psychologist do their work?

Psychologists use a process called the scientific
method in order to develop their knowledge of
mental disorders and behaviors.
Types of Research

Experimental:
 Research
where the relationship between two or
more variables are being tested
 The experimenter deliberately manipulates one
condition (independent variable) to measure a
change
 Manipulated
OR Independent Variable- the variable that is
changed or tested in the experiment
 Responding OR Dependent Variable- the variable that is
the result of the manipulated or independent variable.
Scientific Experiment

An exercise physiologist counsels his
clients to exercise in the morning rather
than at night to facilitate weight loss.
Design an experiment to test whether this
is the correct advice.
Scientific Experiment

Do you need to define any terms for the
experiment?
Scientific Experiment

What is your independent variable?
Scientific Experiment

What is your independent variable?
 Whether
pm
the client exercises in the am or
Scientific Experiment

What is your dependent variable?
Scientific Experiment

What is your dependent variable?

weight loss
Scientific Experiment

How will you select and assign your
subjects to a group?
Scientific Experiment

How will you select and assign your
subjects to a group?
 Gender
 Age
 Current
weight
 Body fat composition
Scientific Experiment

What treatment will the experimental
group be given?
Scientific Experiment

What treatment will the experimental
group be given?

exercise in the am
Scientific Experiment

What treatment will the control group be
given?
Scientific Experiment

What treatment will the control group be
given?
 Workout
anytime throughout the day
Scientific Experiment

What controls will you use in your
experiment?
Scientific Experiment

What controls will you use in your
experiment?
 The
group of people in the experiment
 Weighing participants at the same time
everyday
Scientific Experiment

Is there anything you should control but
aren’t sure how?
Scientific Experiment

Is there anything you should control but
aren’t sure how?
 Diet
of participants
 What workouts they are doing
 How much sleep participants get
Types of Research

Correlation Studies
 Examiner
studies
relationship between
multiple variables without
specifically manipulating
variable
 They assess if there is a
“correlation” between
variables
 Ex: The more TV you
watch decreases your life
span
 Problems?
Types of Research

Surveys:
 Used
within correlation studies
 People are asked their attitudes,
thoughts, beliefs, and are
supposed to reflect the larger
population
 Ex: Voting surveys
 Problems?
Types of Research

Naturalistic
Observation:
 Form
of correlation
research
 Involves behavioral
assessment of people
or animals in their
home surroundings
 EX: Jane Goodall –
Chimpanzee culture
 Problems?
Types of Research

Case Studies:
 An
intensive investigation of an individual or small
group
 Often include psychological testing
 EX: Mass homicide/Terrorism
 Problems?