Mr. Bandy Psychology Fall 2015

1. Prologue: The Story of Psychology “The [brain is the] most complex physical object… in the entire cosmos” Owen Gingerich, astronomer Mr. Bandy Psychology Fall 2015

3. From speculation to science: The Birth of Modern Psychology Aristotle (4th century BCE) asked questions to understand the relationship between body and psyche. His way of answering those questions was to observe… and make guesses. Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) added two key elements to help make psychology a science: • carefully measured observations • experiments

4. Edward Titchener’s Structuralism • Titchener, like his teacher Wilhelm Wundt, relied on “self-report” data. He had people engage in introspection, reporting on sensationsand other elements of experience, in reaction to stimuli such as the smell or feel of a flower. • Titchener tried to use these introspective reports to build a view of the mind’s structure. He called this view structuralism.

5. Psychology Pioneers The approach of functionalism is very closely related to evolutionary thinking and sometimes presented as the EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH. Examples: Anxiety may have helped ancestors avoid dangers and plan to prevent future dangers. Getting conditioned to phobically avoid food after one experience is good for not getting poisoned. • William James (1842-1910) developed functionalism. He studied human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and asked: What function might they serve? How might they have helped our ancestors survive? • He wrote Principles of Psychology. • James mentored another pioneer William James

6. Gestalt Psychology • Gestalt psychology (Max Wertheimer)did not believe psychological events could be broken down into smaller parts; could only be understood as a whole. • (Gestalt Grouping Principles) • Influence can be seen in present day cognitive psychology. • We are wired to see patterns . . .Gestalt is the study of why we all see the same things. • Examples:

7. Face or Vase? • When we see an image, according to Gestalt theory, we separate a dominant shape, or figure with a definite contour, from the background, or ground. This image is a version of the ambiguous figure devised by Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin.

8. Trends in Psychology: Freudian/Psychoanalytic Psychology • Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, (late 1800’s): • He studied and helped people with a variety of mental disorders. • His school of study and treatment focused on the role of unconscious drives, wishes, and needs, and emphasized the importance of childhood experiences. You may have heard of “Freudian Lips, or Slips” Freud helped psychology start to help individuals by tracing events back to their root cause; somewhere in the unconscious. Sigmund Freud

9. Trends in Psychological Science: Behaviorism By pairing a bunny with a loud noise, Watson taught a baby (“Little Albert”) to fear rabbits. This is called classical ccnditioning. John B. Watson Skinner used operant conditioning to teach pigeons to do amazing things to get rewards. He later wrote about how human communities could be shaped by this method . B. F. Skinner

10. Trends in Psychology: Humanism • Humanists: Abraham Maslowand Carl Rogers(1960s): • studied people who were thriving rather than those who had psychological problems. • developed theories and treatments to help people to feel accepted and to reach their full potential. • Focus on the question: WHO AM I? Abraham Maslow Carl Rogers

11. Shifting definitions of “psychology” Now we combine these definitions: “The science of behavior and mental processes.” Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener, around 1900: “The science of mental life.” John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, behaviorists, 1920’s: “The scientific study of observable behavior.” Cognitive psychologists, 1960’s, studied internal mental processes, helped by neuroscience.

12. The three levels as influences on some psychological phenomenon Example: Depression Example: Enjoying Soccer Example: Intelligence Example: Shyness Assignment: Pick one activity you engage in. Provide an explanation for each of the three levels to help explain why you engage in that activity.

13. There are many perspectives for describing psychological phenomena: From different angles, you ask different questions: How reliable is memory? How can we improve our thinking? Could our behavior, skills, and attitudes be “downloads” from our culture? Could our behavior, skills, and attitudes be genetically programmed instincts? What role do our bodies and brains play in emotions? How is pain inhibited? Can we trust our senses? Do inner childhood conflicts still plague me and affect my behavior? How are our problematic behaviors reinforced? How do our fears become conditioned? What can we do to change these fears and behaviors? Why are humans prone to panic, anger, and making irrational judgments?

14. Biology Plus Environment.. are part of psychology’s three “biopsychosocial” levels of analysis. The outer level, Environment: socialInfluences, culture, education, relationships The deep level, Biology: genes, brain, neuro-transmitters, survival, reflexes, sensation In the middle, Psychology: thoughts, emotions, moods, choices, behaviors, traits, motivations, knowledge, perceptions

15. “Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a problem in the orbital cortex.” “Compulsions start as habits and are rewarded by the anxiety relief they bring.” Let’s play: “What’s my perspective?” “No, it’s a sign of unresolved childhood issues.” “OCD comes from our natural instinct to control our environment.” “No, OCD is an inherited condition.” “OCD thinking and behavior is a reaction to our fast-paced, out-of-control lifestyles.” “No, OCD is a matter of mental habits and errors that can be corrected.”

16. Which one is Correct? • Imagine a Poem • Describe it! • Physical terms – ink marks • Chemical analysis of the ink and paper • Collection of English letters • Collection of English words • Literary creation

17. Complimentary Perspectives • Each account is accurate and potentially useful! • The perspectives addressed in this class are complementary. Each contributes to our understanding of how organisms think, feel, and act. • As you work to think critically about psychology, understanding the different perspectives and their respective limits and strengths will help you make accurate judgments about what you are reading and learning.

18. The Growth of Psychology • Psychology’s pioneers have come from many fields: physiology, philosophy, medicine, and biology. • Advances in psychology also have been made in many countries • Psychology has spread rapidly; there are 71 member nations in the IUPS (International Union of Psychological Science). The subjects studied in psychology have multiplied too… as we shall see in this course.

19. The Big Issue in Psychology: N-N The Nature-Nurture Question: To what extent are our traits already set in place at birth (our “Nature”)? And to what extent do our traits develop in response to our environment/ experience (our “Nurture”)?

20. Aristotle: All knowledge comes through the senses. Plato: Ideas such as “the good” and “beauty” are inborn. vs. Descartes: Some ideas are innate. Nature Nurture John Locke: The mind is a blank slate (blank chalkboard or screen) “written on” by experience. Charles Darwin: Some traits, behaviors, and instincts are part of the nature of the species.

21. + We share a common origin that gives us an inborn human nature in common. We have differences that are shaped by our environment Nature Nurture

22. “Nurture works on what Nature endows.”

23. Russian Proverb: No matter how much you feed a wolf, he will always return to the forest. • Sociocultural • Biological • Behavioral • Cognitive • Psychoanalytic • Humanistic

24. Answer • Despite many food reinforcements for its attention to humans, this creature went back to the niche in which it was born, where its species evolved. • Saying reveals a bias for the biological perspective.

25. An apple never falls far from the tree. • Sociocultural • Biological • Behavioral • Cognitive • Psychoanalytic • Humanistic

26. Answer • Proverb suggests that a child will b e much like his or her parents. • Genetic link --- Biological perspective (specifically behavioral genetics) • Children and parents also share many environmental influences, might have clicked Behavioral perspective

27. Spare the rod, spoil the child • Sociocultural • Biological • Behavioral • Cognitive • Psychoanalytic • Humanistic

28. Answer • Punishment is essential for child-rearing. • Psychologists disagree with this, the emphasis on the consequence of behavior in this saying show a strong bias for the Behavioral perspective. • Focus here is on the effects of the ENVIRONMENT.

29. Custom determines what is agreeable. Pascal, Pensees 1670 • Sociocultural • Biological • Behavioral • Cognitive • Psychoanalytic • Humanistic

30. The social and cultural context of behavior is the key ingredient to Pascal’s thoughtful remark. • Much variability in human behavior and what is considered normal in one culture might be completely unacceptable in another. (Socio-cultural)

31. Psychology’s Subfields Type of research Applied Biological Clinical Psychology Developmental Counseling Psychology Cognitive Educational Psychology Personality Industrial-Organizational Social Community Psychology Positive Psychology Clinical Psychology

32. Psychology’s SubfieldsResearch Examples Type of research Clarify the difficulties autistic children have with understanding sarcasm Decide whether traits like neuroticism need to be measured differently in autism Study how the stages of cognitive and emotional development vary in autism Find how autistic children can learn social skills as procedures if not by intuition Explore what motivates people and contributes to life satisfaction Explore the structural problems in the brain that may be part of autism Biological Developmental Cognitive Personality Social Positive Psychology

33. Psychology’s SubfieldsApplied Applied Evaluate aptitudes and achievement to plan for a student with learning problems Figure out how a factory can improve coordination of tasks, roles, and personalities Help someone achieve career goals despite family conflict and self-doubt Help coordinate a city’s efforts to understand and prevent elder abuse Use exposure therapy to decrease phobic reactions in a traumatized client Use exposure therapy to decrease phobic reactions in a traumatized client Clinical Psychology Counseling Psychology Educational Psychology Industrial-Organizational Community Psychology Clinical Psychology

34. Psychology in context with other professions Psychiatrists are physicians, M.D.s or D.O.s. They can prescribe medication. In addition to psychologists, professionals in social work, counseling, and marriage and family therapy may be trained to do psychotherapy.

35. First Application of Psychology:Improving your test performance testing yourself boosts retention of material. Scientific studies show us that: • The retrieval practice effect/testing effect actively processing material helps master it. • Put it in your own words, make connections spaced rehearsal, interspaced with other subjects, is more efficient than cramming. • Spread studying over multiple days people tend to overestimate their mastery. • If the concept looks familiar… not good enough

36. Applying this knowledge: Use SQ3R to master a textbook Survey • Scan/Skim what you are about to read, especially chapter outlines and section heads. Question • Ask questions that the text might answer; write guesses. Read • Look for the answer to your questions, reading a manageable amount at a time. Rehearse • Recall what you’ve read in your own words. Test yourself with quizzes. Review • Look over text and notes and quickly review the main ideas of the whole chapter.