Man is the only animal for
whom his own existence is a
problem which he has to solve.
- Erich Fromm (1900 - 1980)
What does this quote suggest about the psychological answer
to the question: What makes us human?
Draw these nine dots in your notebook. Without lifting
your pen or retracing any line, draw no more and no
fewer than four straight lines that connect all nine dots.
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This tests your ability to reason and solve problems.
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Cognition: Humans’ ability to process information, apply
knowledge, remember, think, and speak.
Cognitive Psychology studies the mental processes that underlie behaviour. Areas
of study include:
•perception
•memory and learning
•Attention
•Problem solving
•language use and acquisition
•reasoning and decision-making
Read this paragraph aloud:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht
I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan
mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in
a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist
and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig
huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was
ipmorantt.
The Stroop Test
Name the colour that each word is printed in:
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Sometimes our perception
does not match up with
reality…
Video: the McGurk Effect
Language
• Our capacity for language is one of the
things that makes us uniquely human
• Video: Toddlers' representational
thinking skills
What makes us human?
Based on what you’ve
just seen, how do you
think psychologists
would approach the
question: What makes
us human?
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What makes us human?
• From a psychological perspective, the
cognitive process makes us human.
• Humans are able to interpret and
manipulate mental ideas and images to
obtain information, reason, and solve
problems.
What makes us human?
• The human brain is a complex and multidimensional
organ
• All vertebrates have a hypothalamus that regulates
basic functions (such as______________)
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Source: User:Emijrp/Commons/eo/12
What makes us human?
• The part of the brain that differentiates us from other
species is the cerebral cortex - controls our
thoughts, senses, language and memory
• What does each side of the cerebral cortex control?
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Source:
http://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu/labs/Miller/npb
165-pics/right_vs_left.jpg
How do we interpret and
manipulate information to make
sense of the world around us?
See a problem  Encode/Store information
Infer relationships Map information
Apply possible Responses Respond
Trace the cognitive process through a
problem that you solved today.
Birth of Psychology
• Beginning in the late 19th century in Germany,
people began to formally study human behaviour
• Early studies in experimental psychology included
reaction time of different parts of the body, attention
span, perception of sensory experiences
• Shift from folk wisdom about the reasons behind
human behaviour to scientific experiments that study
our mental processes
Fields of Psychology
Psychoanalysis
•
•
•
•
A largely individualized examination of patients’ inner mind, often focusing
on thoughts, feelings, emotions, fantasies, and dreams.
Psychoanalysis attempts to understand a person’s unconscious and
subconscious mind.
Studies the role of unconscious motivation and early childhood experiences
in determining behaviour and thought
Used to treat trauma and anxiety
Fields of Psychology
Behavioural Psychology
•
•
•
•
•
A study of people’s and animals’ observable behaviour, often in relation to
stimuli and responses.
Behavioural psychologists often either ignore or discount the inner mind - the
mind is an unknowable black box
Studies the role of the environment in shaping and controlling behaviour
Deduces principles for the prediction and control of behaviour
Principles are consistent across species
Fields of Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
•
•
•
A blend of the two above-mentioned schools whereby psychologists attempt
to understand the mind through scientific methods, often utilizing technology
as a means to perceive the mind’s biological inner workings.
Studies the mental processes that underlie behaviour
Areas of study include:
– perception
– memory and learning
– language use and acquisition
– reasoning and decision-making