Psychology
Introduction
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Prof. BARAKAT
Summer Term
1
• The scientific study of behavior,
processes, mind and cognitive activities
mental
• Research leads to the development of theories
about Behavior and Cognition
• The Greek word means
– Psycho = mind or soul
– Logo = study of
• Psychologists are interested in every aspect of
human thought and behavior
What do we hope to gain from
studying psychology?
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Gain insight into the mind
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Understanding of people
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Understanding ourselves
• Philosophy
• Physiology
• Psychology
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Any action that others can observe and
measure:
–Walking
–Talking (cognition)
–Physical movements
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Emotion
Behavior or mental process
Feelings
Thoughts
Dreams
Brain waves or privates thoughts
Perception
Memories
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Observe
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Describe
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Explain
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Predict
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Control
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A Social Science (Studies the structure of
human society and the nature of the
individual in the society)
Studies the nature of the physical world
(Brain or mind)
Follows scientific principles (hypothesis,
experimentation, data collection and
analysis, and drawing conclusions)
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Developmental
Physiological
Clinical and Counseling
Industrial and Organizational
Cognitive Psychology
Comparative Psychology
Forensic Psychology
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Educational Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology
Health Psychology
Social Psychology
Positive Psychology
Engineering Psychology
Experimental Psychology
History of Psychology
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Gods and nature
Pseudopsychology and the
fallacy of positive instances
(Phrenology,
Graphology,
Astrology)
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Thoughts and dreams
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Mind centered in the heart
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“Know
Thyself”
(Learn
about
ourselves
by
examining ones’ thoughts
and feelings
Introspection (modern term
meaning “looking within”)
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Student of Plato who wrote
“Peri Psyches” (about the
Mind)
Human behavior is subject
to laws
Man seeks pleasure, not
pain
Addressed modern issues
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Father of Medicine
Suggested the brain was
root
of
behavioral
problems
Thoughts, and
cause behavior
feelings
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John Locke (philosopher)
– “The mind is a blank slate”
– Theorized that knowledge is not
inborn
but
is
learned
from
experiences
Human behavior and mental processes
should be supported by evidence
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In 1800s, psychological laboratories were
established in Europe and United States
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Investigates the biological basis of human
behavior:
– Neuropsychologists: brain vs nervous
system, i.e. strokes, no taste when sick
– Psycho-biologists: body chemistry or
hormones, i.e., how they interact with
drugs; how stress influences behavior
– Behavioral geneticists: heredity factors,
i.e., how alcoholism runs in families
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Personality
psychologists
study
differences among individuals
How personality traits
males and females
differ
the
between
Behavior as a stable personality trait or a
response to a social reaction or stressful
situation
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Father of Modern Psychology
First
psychology
laboratory
(Germany, 1879)
Studied simplest mental process
(used measures of reaction time)
Objective sensation reflects the
outside world
– Example: Sight/ taste
Subjective
feeling,
emotion,
response and mental images
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The study of the most basic elements
(sensations and perceptions) that make
up our conscious mental experiences
Involves Introspection
– “What are the elements of
Psychological processes?”
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Study of the function rather than the
structure of consciousness
How our minds adapt to our changing
environment
Behavioral observations conducted in a
laboratory
– “What do certain behaviors and
mental processes accomplish for the
person?”
Adaptive behavior patterns are learned
because they are successful
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1st American born psychologist
Wrote
“The
Psychology”
Principles
of
Experience is a fluid and an everchanging flow of images and
sensations
Adaptive Action (Darwinism):
– Behavior + success = Habit
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Emphasized the objective, scientific
analysis of observable behaviors
Interested in behavior and its precise
measurement rather than “consciousness”
of Wundt and James
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Stimulus/Response theory
Adopted Ivan Pavlov’s concept
of Conditioning
Psychology as an objective,
experimental
science
that
analyzes observable behavior,
predicts
and
attempts
to
control behavior
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Environmental
behaviour
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Mental events do
behavior (radicalism)
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factors
not
mould
explain
Behavior is reinforced:
- Positive reinforcement
- Reward & Punishment
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Misguided rewards (punishment)
lead to destructive actions
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A view that combines cognition (thinking)
and conditioning to explain behaviour
Case study: Watching streaming videos
Radical B.: Agent is rewarded by the
pleasure of watching interesting videos
Cognitive B.: Agent expects to find good
videos at the Website
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Gestalt means « form, pattern, or whole »
Emphasized that perception is more than
the sum of its parts
The study of thinking, learning and
perception as whole units instead of the
small units of structuralism
Studied how sensations are assembled into
meaningful perceptual experiences
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“The whole is greater than the
sum of its parts”
Deals with perceptions
– How we see and understand
things
– Enables the individual to solve
problems
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Childhood
experiences
influence
the
development of later personality traits and
psychological problems
– This perspective is associated with the
psychodynamic view (internal forces and
impulses that are hidden)
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Emphasizes unconscious (conflict & past
events. i.e., early childhood traumas)
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Studied the unconscious
understand behavior
to
– The Interpretation of Dreams
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Developed Ideas:
– Therapy
– Internal conflict
– Study of impulses
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Focuses on subjective human experience
- Unconscious forces and behavioral emphasis
on conditioning have a strong undercurrent of
determinism
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Stresses free will
Humanists are interested in psychological
needs for love, self-esteem, belonging and
spirituality
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The
Biological
(Evolutionary view)
Perspective
The
Psychological
Perspective
(Cognitive & Psychodynamic)
The
Socio-cultural
Perspective
(interactionism and relativity)