Psychology’s
Big Issues
&
Approaches
Philosophical Developments
• THE
Question: Nature vs. Nurture
• Inherited vs. Environment
• Are our physical and mental abilities
determined by our genes or our
experiences?
• What has the biggest effect on behavior?
• What are the interactions between genetics
and environment?
• NURTURE WORKS ON WHAT
NATURE ENDOWS
Psychology’s Three Main
Levels of Analysis
Psychology’s Three Main
Levels of Analysis
Psychology’s Three Main
Levels of Analysis
Bio-Psycho-Social Model
Analysis
Psychological
Approaches
Psychological Perspectives
• Each view behavior from a particular
perspective
• Method of classifying a collection of ideas
• Also called “schools of thought”
• Also called “psychological approaches”
Cognitive
Perspective
• Focus: On how people think and process
information
• Behavior is explained by how a person interprets
the situation
• How is knowledge acquired, organized,
remembered, and used to guide behavior?
• Influences include
– Piaget – studied intellectual development
– Chomsky – studied language
– Cybernetics – science of information processing
Biological
Perspective
• Focus: How our biological structures and
substances underlie a given behavior,
thought, or emotion
• Behavior is explained by brain chemistry,
genetics, glands, etc.
• Focus may be at various levels
– individual neurons
– areas of the brain
– specific functions like eating, emotion, or learning
• Interest in behavior distinguishes biological
psychology from many other biological sciences
Social-Cultural Perspective
• Focus: How thinking and behavior change
depending on the setting, situation or culture
• Behavior is explained by the influence of other
people present
Behavioral
Perspective
• Focus: How we learn through rewards,
punishments, and observation
• View of behavior based on experience or learning
– Classical conditioning - Pavlov
– Operant conditioning – Skinner
– Founded by James Watson
Humanistic Perspective
• Focus: How healthy people strive to reach
their full potential
• Behavior is explained as being motivated
by satisfying needs (safety, hunger, thirst,
etc.), with the goal of reaching one’s full
potential once basic needs are met.
• Developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers
– behavior reflects innate ‘actualization’
– focus on conscious forces and self perception
– more positive view of basic forces than Freud’s
Positive Psychology
• Modern “Humanistic Psychology”
• Focus: To study and promote optimal human
functioning
– Help people discover their human potential and
fullfillment
• Martin E.P. Seligman is a major advocate
• Should promote building positive qualities of
people rather than focus on what’s wrong
with people
Psychodynamic
Perspective
• Focus: How behavior is affected by unconscious
drives and conflicts
• Behavior is explained through unconscious
motivation and unresolved inner conflicts from
one’s childhood.
• Modern version of psychoanalytic perspective
(Sigmund Freud)
Evolution
• Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution with the process
of Natural Selection
influenced Psychology.
• The most adaptive traits will
survive due to natural selection
• Focused on how one’s
environment might cause one to
adapt physically, behaviorally &
psychologically to insure the
success of future generations.
Evolutionary Psychology
• Influenced by Darwin and the emphasis on
innate, adaptive behavior patterns
• Combines aspects of biological,
psychological, and social perspectives
• Behavior is explained by how the behavior
may have helped our ancestors survive
long enough to reproduce successfully.
Perspectives Timeline
Psychology’s
Subfields
Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist
• Counseling Psychologist – help
people with crises & life
problems (academic, job related,
family)
• Clinical Psychologist – treats
disorders
• Psychiatrist – medical doctor that
can prescribe drugs to treat
physical causes of disorders
Basic vs. Applied
Research
– Basic Research –
Discovering concepts and
processes
–
–
–
–
–
–
Biological psychologists
Developmental psychologists
Cognitive psychologists
Educational psychologists
Personality psychologists
Social psychologists
Applied Research – Providing
solutions to problems
– Industrial/organizational
psychologists
– Human factors psychologists
– Counseling psychologists
– Clinical psychologists
– Psychiatrists
– Positive psychology
– Community psychologists
Definition
Slides
Biological Psychology
= the scientific study of the links between
biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and
psychological processes.
• Some biological psychologists call themselves
– behavioral neuroscientists,
– neuropsychologists,
– behavior geneticists,
– physiological psychologists, or
– biopsychologists.
Cognitive Psychology
= the scientific study of all the mental
activities associated with thinking,
knowing, remembering, and
communicating.
Evolutionary Psychology
= the study of the evolution of behavior
and mind, using principles of natural
selection.
Psychodynamic Psychology
= a branch of psychology that studies how
unconscious drives and conflicts
influence behavior, and uses that
information to treat people with
psychological disorders.
Social-Cultural Psychology
= the study of how situations and cultures
affect our behavior and thinking.
Psychometrics
= the scientific study of the measurement
of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.
Developmental Psychology
= a branch of psychology that studies
physical, cognitive, and social change
throughout the life span.
Educational Psychology
= the study of how psychological
processes affect and can enhance
teaching and learning.
Personality Psychology
= the study of an individual’s
characteristic pattern of thinking,
feeling, and acting.
Social Psychology
= the scientific study of how we think
about, influence, and relate to one
another.
Industrial-Organizational (I/O)
Psychologists
= the application of psychological
concepts and methods to optimizing
human behavior in workplaces.
Human Factors Psychologists
= an I/O subfield that explores how
people and machines interact and how
machines and physical environments
can be made safe and easy to use.
Counseling Psychology
= a branch of psychology that assists
people with problems in living (often
related to school, work, and marriage)
and in achieving greater well-being.
Clinical Psychology
= a branch of psychology that studies,
assesses, and treat people with
psychological disorders.
Community Psychology
= a branch of psychology that studies how
people interact with their social
environments and how social
institutions affect individuals and
groups.