Introduction to
Psychology
Studying the mind of the individual
Psychological Test
• A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy
whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing.
She believed him to be her dream, she fell in love with him
right there but did not ask for his number, and no matter how
hard she tried, she could not find him. A few days later, she
killed her sister.
Are you a psychopath?
• What is her motive in killing her sister?
• Answer: She was hoping that the guy would appear at the funeral
again.
• This test was used by an American Psychologist to test if one has
the same mentality as a killer.
• Serial killers who have taken the test, all answered the question
correctly.
• IF you answered incorrectly – GOOD!!
• IF you answered correctly – Let me know so I can ask you to be
removed from my class or I’ll just be extra nice to you from now
on!!!
What does Psychology Focus
on?
• Instead of studying how humans function in cultures or societies,
psychologists focus on the individual, and the personal and unique
experiences that influence how the individual feels, acts and
thinks
Psycho-analysis:
Unconscious Minds
Social/
Humanistic/
Behavioural: We can only
study what we can
observe
Cultural: Focuses on
unique qualities of
human beings
Branches of
Psychology
Biological/Functionalism:
Studies the development
of children and the
differences of the
genders
Structuralism: Asks
people to examaine their
thoughts
Cognitive: Studies mental
processes (i.e. memory,
intelligence tests)
Branch of Psychology
Topics of Study in the Psychology Unit
EXPERIMENTAL/STRU The Bystander Effect
CTURALISM
CLINICAL
Mental Illness
BEHAVIOURAL
Developmental Theories - how people develop throughout their lives
COGNITIVE
Learning and Memory, Autism
PSYCHO-ANALYTIC
How events in our lives impact our personality (especially in
childhood), conscious and subconscious mind – nature vs. nurture
BIOLOGICAL
Nature vs. Nurture, Serial Killers, How drugs effect your brain,
What is Psychology?
study of how and why
humans act as they do
 focuses on the
individual, (not groups)
and the personal and unique
experiences that influence
how/why the individual
acts, behaves and thinks
the way they do

History of Psychology
• Ancient Native Tribes – those who behaved strongly were
possessed by evil spirits. Dreams were a sign of a person’s
deepest wishes.
• Ancient Greeks- abnormal behaviour caused by disease, a
blow to the head, or chemical imbalances. Identified witches
and warlocks.
• Phrenology – late 1700s, read personalities by feeling the
bumps on people’s heads.
• Freud – 1800s, Psychoanalysis, examine memories of past
experiences to find the origins of their problems
• 20th Century - Behaviourism
Uses of Psychology
• To study our work habits in order to improve our job efficiency
• To study our buying patterns to make us better consumers
• Study how we perceive things in order to find out why we
make mistakes
Psychology: A Human Process
• Cognitive Process: Interpreting and manipulating mental ideas
and images to obtain information, to reason, and to solve
problems
Encounter
Problem
Encode or
Store
Information
Infer possible
relationships
Map
Information
Apply
possible
responses
Does Answer
Work?
Respond
Cognitive Process
• Unique to Humans: sets us apart from other species (problem
solving, abstract thinking, inductive and deductive reasoning)
Deductive Reasoning
• Applying general to assumptions to specific cases
• All humans have brains. Sonia is human, therefore Sonia has a
brain.
• More accurate/precise. Based on facts.
Inductive Reasoning
•
•
•
•
Collecting specific information to form a general assumption
Most men enjoy sports. I am a man. I enjoy sports.
Based on assumptions/opinions
(i.e. Sam is rude. Sam is American. All Americans must be
rude.)
Dot Test
• Connect the 9 dots, using four straight lines, without lifting
your pencil from the paper.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Show all your attempts at solving the problem to see your brain work!!
Broad Example of Psychology:
Example of human behaviour
and response to a situation:
The Case of Kitty Genovese
The Case of Kitty Genovese

The Case of Kitty Genovese - Kitty
was murdered on the street outside
her New York City apartment after
loud shouting was heard - 38 people
witnessed the murder but did
nothing to stop it

Psychologists have long been
interested in our unwillingness to get
involved in uncomfortable situations
even if someone’s personal safety is
at risk

People have a tendency see themselves
as bystanders in such situations rather
than as ACTORS

ACTORS are people who become
active participants in a situation

The Bystander Effect - Kitty Genovese
When Bystanders Join In

4 years after Genovese was murdered,
two psychologists, John Darley and Bibb
Latane, wanted to identify the factors that
influence bystanders’ decisions to get
involved in public situations
When Bystanders Join In
Conclusions?
Whether or not we intervene in a
situation depends on the cues that we
get from the participants and other
bystanders
Relation to Genovese case?
It suggests that if one bystander had
joined in to try to help her, others might
well have come forward too
What Would You Do?
Bystander Effect:
Look at these examples:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIvGI
wLcIuw&feature=related
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNuWZdHzaA
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvA9jT
3Scfk&feature=related
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJcAy
mTu-CE&feature=relmfu
Bystander Effect
• Bystander – person who is not an active participant in a situation –
they are standing by and witnessing
What do we know about the
bystander effect?
• Diffusion of Responsibility = the more people in the group,
the less likely individuals are to act b/c they think that the
responsibility rests with all other bystanders as opposed to
when they are the only ones witnessing the situation
• People will act differently in various situations…
Factors that Cause People to
Act
• Morals – parents taught you the right thing to do – i.e. damaging
someone’s property
• Damage done in their community
• Fear – don’t want to get in trouble for not helping
• Personal – if you were in that situation, you would want help
• Stereotypes – racial profiling, gender, age
• Pressure from others - conformity
Factors that Cause People NOT to
Act
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fear – personal safety, mistake (hurting someone…, judgment)
“Not my business” – i.e. conflict in a family
Lack information on the situation
Don’t know people involved
Assume someone else will do it – diffusion of responsibility
Inconvenient – busy, don’t want to get involved, don’t have time…
Extreme Example of Bystander
Effect
• The Holocaust – Memories of the Camp (15:00-17:30)
• http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/memory-of-the-camps/