Section 1

 Psychology= the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes
 Behavior= actions that can be measured and observed
 Cognitive Activities= mental processes (dreams, perceptions, thoughts and memories)
 Psychological Constructs= used to talk about something we cannot see, touch or measure directly

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 Surveys= method of collecting data that involves asking questions
 Experimentation= controlled environment with subjects
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 Theory= statement that attempts to explain why things are the way they are and why they happen the way they do
 Principle= basic truth or law that governs behavior and mental processes

Section 2

 1. Clinical Psychology
 Largest group
 Interviews and psychological tests
 Try to change ineffective and harmful behavior
 Psychiatrists= medical doctors who can prescribe medications
 2. Counseling Psychology
 Interviews and tests
 Treat people with adjustment disorders (not as serious)
 Help clarify goals, overcome adjustment problems and meet challenges

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3. School Psychology
 Identify and help students who have problems that interfere with learning
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Talk to teacher, student, administer tests and observe them in the classroom
Make recommendations for class placement
4. Educational Psychology
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Focus on course planning and instructional methods for all students
Learning is affected by:
 Psychological factors: motivation, emotions, creativity and intelligence
 Cultural factors: religious beliefs and language
 Economic factors: level of family income
 Instructional methods used in the classroom

 5. Developmental Psychology
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 Study changes throughout the life span
 Physical= height and weight, adolescent growth, sexual maturity and physical aspects of aging
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Emotional= development of concept and self esteem
 Cognitive= changes from childhood to adulthood mental image of outside world and how children learn right from wrong
 Social= bonds between parents and children, relationships with peers or intimate relationships between adults
6.
Personality Psychology
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Identify human characteristics or traits
 Look for trait development

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7. Social Psychology
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Concerned with people’s behavior in social situations
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Focus on external influences:
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Ways women and men typically behave
 Physical and psychological factors of attraction
 Reasons people conform to group standards/expectations
 How behavior changes when a member of a group
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Reasons for and effects of prejudice and discrimination
 Situations in which people are hostile/help each other
8. Experimental Psychology
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Explore the biological/psychological reasons for cognitive behavior
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Basic research= has no immediate application and is done for its own sake

What Psychologists Do-
Applied Fields in Psychology
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1. Industrial and Organizational
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Focus on people and work
Improve working conditions and worker output
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May assist in HR
 2. Human Factors Psychology
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Find best ways to design products for use
 How people will use it
 How it affects daily life
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Physical characteristics
 Safe and comfortable to use

What Psychologists Do-
Applied Fields in Psychology
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3. Community Psychology
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Study and create social systems; promote individual well-being
Promote change in social environment
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Help powerless social groups
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Prevents threats to mental health
4. Forensic Psychology
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Work with criminal justice system
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Identify competence of defendants
 Explain how psych problems give rise to criminal behavior
 Police: select officers, job stress and train for dangerous situations

What Psychologists Do-
Applied Fields in Psychology
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5. Health Psychology
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Examine the ways in which behavior and mental processes are related to physical health
Work with healthcare professionals
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Study the effects of stress on health problems
 6. Rehabilitation Psychology
 Work with patients who are struggling with a disability
 Help patients develop strategies to compensate for the disability and live a meaningful life
 7. Cross-Cultural Psychology
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Study behavior and mental processes under different cultural conditions
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Examine depression and anxiety to gauge differences in cultures

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Ancient Greece:
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Socrates- “Know Thyself”
Introspection = learn about ourselves by examining our own thoughts and feelings
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Associationism = experiences remind us of past
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Aristotle= Human behavior is guided by principle “seek pleasure and avoid pain”
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Gods punished people by causing them confusion and madness
 Hippocrates= problems caused by abnormalities in the brain
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Middle Ages:
 Problems caused by demons
 Possession was punishment

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Wilhelm Wundt (Structuralism):
 Focus: discover the basic elements of consciousness
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Objective sensations= reflect the outside world
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Subjective feelings= emotional responses and mental images
 Introspection= look inside oneself
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William James (Functionalism):
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Focus: relationship between experience and behavior
Functionalism= concerned with how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment
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Adaptive behaviors maintained because they are successful

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Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalysis):
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Focus: emphasizes the importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts in determining and understanding behavior
People are driven by hidden impulses (verbal slips and dreams)
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“Talking cure”
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Psychodynamic Thinking= most of mind is unconscious and consists of conflicting impulses, urges and wishes (sexual and aggressive)

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John B. Watson (Behaviorism):
 Focus: Psychology must be limited to observable and measureable events
 Agreed with Functionalism about importance of learning
 Conscious can be known only to the individual
 B.F. Skinner (Reinforcement):
 Focus: People learn because of positive and negative reinforcement
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Same ideas as Behaviorism but added reinforcement
 Looked at external causes of behavior

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Gestalt School (Wertheimer, Koffka and Kohler)
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Focus: our perceptions of objects are more than the sum of their parts
Principles:
 Similarity= when objects look similar, people recognize a pattern and see them as a whole
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 Closure= people fill in missing information when enough of the shape of an object is indicated
Reject Behaviorist ideas:
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 Psychologists should focus on observable behavior
 Learning is mechanical
Gestalt beliefs:
 Learning is accomplished through insight
 Reorganization of perceptions that enables individual to solve problems http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/illusion
/illusions.htm
http://faculty.uca.edu/lglenn/g estaltimages.htm

Perspective
Biological
Evolutionary
Physical traits, social behavior
Cognitive
Humanistic
Subject Matter
Nervous system, glands and hormones, genetic factors
Interpretation of mental images, thinking and language
Self-concept
Psychoanalytic
Learning
Unconscious processes, early childhood experiences
Environmental influences, learning, observational learning
Sociocultural
Ethnicity, gender, culture, religion and socioeconomic status
Biopsychosocial
Biology, psychology and social factors
Key Belief
Biological processes influence behavior and mental processes
Adaptive organisms survive and transmit their genes to future generations
Perceptions and thoughts influence behavior
People make free and conscious choices based on their unique experiences
Unconscious motives influence behavior
Personal experiences and reinforcement guide development
Sociocultural, biological and psychological factors create individual differences
Mental processes are influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological and social factors
Influenced By
Associationism and neuroscience
Charles Darwin and evolution
Structuralism, functionalism and
Gestalt psychology
Introspection and free will
Sigmund Freud
John B. Watson and behaviorism
Social, environmental and cross-cultural psychology
Holistic health and social psychology