AP Psychology Chapter 1 Notes Ms. Walker 20-­‐Jan-­‐12 1 Objectives of chapter 1
Provide a definition of psychology.
Discriminate from among the different subfields of psychology and provide some
examples.
Provide examples of the relevant enduring issues in the field.
Match the historical figures in the field with their theories.
Identify the three main stages in the historical development of psychology.
Describe the major paradigms (theories) in the field.
Differentiate between the terms "race" and "ethnicity."
Describe and provide examples for the various research methods.
Explain the strengths and weaknesses for the various research methods.
Compare and contrast the educational backgrounds from among the various clinicians.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I. Definition of psychology.
§
The science of behavior and mental processes
II. Psychology’s 3 subfields
1. Basic research
a. Biological psychologists
b. Developmental psychologists
c. Cognitive psychologists
d. Educational psychologists
e. Personality psychologists
f. Social psychologists
2. Applied research - Industrial and organizational psychology, human factors
psychology
3. Clinical psychology – helping people directly by assessing and treating their
disorders. Psychiatrists go one step further in that they can prescribe drugs.
Walker_Maryann
Friday, January 20, 2012 1:50:49 PM ET
AP Psychology Chapter 1 Notes Ms. Walker 20-­‐Jan-­‐12 III. Psychological approaches
Psychologies
Focus
approaches
Biological
Cognitive
Behavioral
Questions you might encounter
2 Theorists
on the AP exam.
How the brain and body
The brain, the spinal cord, the
process emotions,
endocrine system.
memories and sensory
Neurotransmitters and hormones.
experiences; genetics;
Biology’s affect on intelligence,
the nature part of Nature
personality, sexual orientation,
vs. nurture.
depression
How we encode,
How do we use information in
process, store and
remembering, reasoning, solving
retrieve information
problems?
How we learn
Classical and operant
John B.Watson
observable responses
conditioning. How we learn fear.
Rosalie Rayner
What is the best way to change
Ivan Pavlov
behaviors, such as overeating or
B.F.Skinner
smoking?
Evolutionary
Natural selection of traits How is our behavior influenced
Charles Darwin
promotes the survival of
by evolutionary forces; the
Jared Diamond
genes
selfish gene
Steven Pinker
Sexual and aggressive drives;
Sigmund Freud
Psychodynamic Behavior stems from he
Humanistic
Socio-cultural
unconscious mind and
unfulfilled wishes, childhood
conflicts within it
traumas
Love, acceptance, self-
Fulfilling our potential; personal
fulfillment
growth
How behavior and
How are we alike; how are we
thinking vary across
different? The nurture part of
cultures and situations
nature vs. nurture
IV. Provide examples of the relevant enduring issues in the field.
Walker_Maryann
Friday, January 20, 2012 1:50:49 PM ET
AP Psychology Chapter 1 Notes Ms. Walker 20-­‐Jan-­‐12 3 1. Nature (genes) vs. nurture (environment, home, family) – the relative contributions of
biology and experience; today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the
interaction of nature and nurture.
2. Person-situation
3. Diversity-universality
4.
Stability-change - Does our early personality stay the same?
1. Life requires both stability and change
2. This is generally a question about personality traits and developmental
psychology.
3. Researchers agree that:
1. People change in childhood. A troubled adolescent often matures
into a very productive adult.
2. Personality stabilizes as we age. Temperament and emotionality
are fairly consistent over time.
3. We all change as a group – the older you become, the more
reliable, etc…
5. Mind-body
6. Other possibilities – is development continuous or is it done in stages?
V. Match the historical figures in the field with their theories.
1. Wundt helped to define psychology as a science of the mind.
2. James thought that sensation and perception alone couldn’t explain behavior.
3. Freud’s theory of the unconscious was shocking at the turn of the 20th century.
VI. Identify the three main stages in the historical development of psychology.
1. Prescientific Psychology
2. Psychology as a science
3. Psychology since 1920
VII.
Describe the major paradigms (theories) in the field.
VIII.
Differentiate between the terms "race" and "ethnicity."
IX. Describe and provide examples for the various research methods.
X. Explain the strengths and weaknesses for the various research methods.
Walker_Maryann
Friday, January 20, 2012 1:50:49 PM ET
AP Psychology Chapter 1 Notes Ms. Walker 20-­‐Jan-­‐12 XI. Compare and contrast the educational backgrounds from among the various clinicians.
Walker_Maryann
Friday, January 20, 2012 1:50:49 PM ET
4 AP Psychology Chapter 1 Notes Ms. Walker 20-­‐Jan-­‐12 Sample questions for this chapter
A.
5 An important difference between humanistic and psychoanalytic
approaches is that humanistic psychologists believe in the importance of
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
B.
Learning
Free will
Determinism
Biological instincts
Unconscious processes
Sandy seems to be a smart student, but she has been failing in school.
Sandy sees a psychologist, who says that her problems stem from internal
processes such as unrealistic expectations and negative thinking. Which
psychological model is the psychologist using?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
C.
Psychoanalytic
Humanistic
Cognitive
Sociobiological
Behavioral
The first area of psychology to be studies as a science is known as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Psychoanalysis
Phrenology
Classical conditioning
Mesmerism
Psychophysics
Carolineisinterestedinthequestionofwhetherourpersonalitycharacteristicsare determined for life by genetics or if they
can be changed as a result of the experiences of our lives. Which of the enduring issues discussed in this chapter
best describes Carolineʼs interests?
a. mind–body b. diversity–universality c. nature–nurture d. tastes great–less filling.
2. Dakotaspendsmostofhisworktimeinhisofficehelpingclientswithadjustment problems, such as troubled marriages,
and coping with career changes, such as retirement. Dakota is most likely a(n) __________ psychologist.
a. industrial b. organizational c. clinical d. counseling
Walker_Maryann
Friday, January 20, 2012 1:50:49 PM ET
AP Psychology Chapter 1 Notes Ms. Walker 20-­‐Jan-­‐12 6 Field of Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Physiological Psychology
Experimental Psychology
Personality Psychology
Clinical and Counseling Psychology
Social Psychology
Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology
© The New Yorker Collection, 1999, Donald Reilly from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
THE FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Description
The study of how people grow and change physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially, from the prenatal period
through death. Subfields include: child, adolescent, and life-span psychology.
Investigates the biological basis of behavior. Subfields include neuroscience, biological psychology, and behavior
genetics.
Investigates basic psychological processes such as sensation and perception, memory, intelligence, learning, and
motivation.
Studies the differences between individuals on such traits as sociability, emotional stability, conscientiousness, and
self-esteem.
Applies the principles of psychology to mental health and adjustment. Clinical psychology focuses on the diagnosis
and treatment of mental disorders while counseling psychology is more concerned with “normal” adjustment issues
such as making difficult choices or coping with a troubled relationship.
Explores how society influences the individual including such topics as interpersonal attraction, persuasion, attitude
formation, obedience, conformity, and group behavior.
Applies the principles of psychology to the workplace focusing on the practical issues of personnel selection and
training, working conditions, workplace morale, and leadership.
Walker_Maryann
Friday, January 20, 2012 1:50:49 PM ET