Module 1
Case study: Autism
especially abnormal or impaired
development in social
interactions, such as hiding to
avoid people, not making eye
contact, and not wanting to be
touched marked by difficulties in
communicating, such as grave
problems in developing spoken
language or in initiating
conversations
DEFINITION OF PSYCHOLOGY
 What do psychologists study?
 the systematic, scientific study of behaviors and
mental processes
 Behaviors
 refers to observable actions or responses in
both humans and animals
 Mental processes
 not directly observable, refer to a wide range of
complex mental processes, such as thinking,
imagining, studying, and dreaming
GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY
 Describe
 first goal of psychology is to describe the
different ways that organisms behave
 Explain
 second goal of psychology is to explain
the cause of behavior
GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY (CONT.)
 Predict
 third goal of psychology is to predict how
organisms will behave in certain situations
 Control
 the fourth goal of psychology is to control
an organism’s behavior
MORE APPROACHES, MORE ANSWERS
 How do psychologists answer questions?
 Approaches to understanding behavior include:
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Biological
Cognitive
Behavioral
Psychoanalytic
Humanistic
Cross cultural
Evolutionary
Discovering Psychology: Approaches
 Read the case study below and then answer the questions that follow:
“He was bitter and cruel, an alcoholic and drug addict who almost killed himself several
times. Today he serves a life sentence in prison for the murder of a liquor store cashier
who “got in his way”. He has two sons, born a mere eleven months apart, one of whom
grew up to be “just like Dad”: a drug addict who lived by stealing and threatening others
until he, too, was put in jail for attempted murder. His brother, however, is a different
story: a man who’s raising three kids, enjoys his marriage, and appears to be truly happy.
As regional manager for a major national concern, he finds his work both challenging
and rewarding. He is physically fit, and has no alcohol or drug addictions! How could
these two young men have turned out so differently, having grown up in virtually the
same environment? Both were asked privately, unbeknownst, to the other, “Why has your
life turned out this way?” Surprisingly, they both provided the exact same answer: “What
else could I have become having grown up with a father like that?”
Fill in the approach your group has been given: ________________________________
If you were a psychologist or a person who believed in the above approach, what reasons would
be given for how the different sons turned out?
What are the strengths of this approach?
What are the weaknesses of this approach?
Rate how accurate or creditable you think this approach is out of 10 (1- low
accuracy/credibility: not likely, 10- high: absolutely the reason why)
Positive Psychology
 Eclectic Practice in Psychology
 An emerging approach…
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv6xYmh4Y-w
Cultural Diversity
 Women in Psychology
 Mary Calkins-Established a laboratory in psychology at Wellesley
College in 1891 where she was a faculty member
 Not until 1908 was a woman, Margaret Washburn, awarded a PhD
in psychology
 Minorities in Psychology
 Inez Prosser- first African American women 1933, Educator
 George Sanchez- Hispanic-intelligence test bias
Psychology and Psychiatry
 What is the difference between a Psychologist and a
Psychiatrist?
 Psychologists- Masters level or PhD/PsyD in psychology.
 Psychiatrists are medical doctors (MDs) who have spent
several years in clinical training, which includes
diagnosing possible physical and neurological causes of
abnormal behaviors and treating these behaviors, often
with prescription drugs
RESEARCH AREAS
 Areas of Specialization
 Social and Personality
 Developmental
 Experimental
 Biological
 Cognitive
 Psychometrics
 Industrial/Organizational