Transcript Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to
Psychology
5 Approaches to Psychology
Definition & Goals
• Definition:
– psyche = mind
– ology = the study of
– psychology is the scientific study of
behavior & mental processes
• Goals
– describe,
– explain,
– predict,
– control…behavior & mental
processes
Structuralism (Early Approach)
• William Wundt = “father of psychology”;
first lab 1879
– first formal school of psychology
– emphasis on analyzing the basic elements
or structure of conscious mental experience
through the use of introspection (looking
inward)
• Example: report sensations, feelings, etc.
when looking at a photograph of a
deceased relative
• Problem: requires smart people
• Problem: unreliable (varies from person
to person/situation to situation)
Functionalism (Early Approach)
• William James
– Concerned with how mental
processes are used by humans &
animals in adapting to their environment
– broadened psychology to include behavior
as well as mental processes
– studied children, animals, and mentally
impaired (structuralists didn’t use these
subjects because they couldn’t use
introspection)
Cognitive (Current Approach)
• focuses on how we encode, process, store,
& retrieve information.
• how does our interpretation of a situation
affect our emotions and how do those
emotions affect our thinking?
• experiments center on how we perceive,
think, & solve problems
• “self-talk”: tell yourself that you can/can’t &
you will/won’t
Physiological/Neurobiological/Biological (Current
Approach)
• Focuses on how the body and brain enable
emotions, memories, & sensory experiences
• Analyzes internal physical responses to
situations (ex. Blushing, hives, blood
pressure, etc.)
• Explores the link between
biology & behavior
• Topics: anxiety, depression,
hunger, sex, stress, etc.
Behavioral (Current Approach)
• John Watson
– study of behavior because it is
observable & measurable, & therefore
objective & scientific
– behavior is determined primarily by
environment (no free will)
• B.F. Skinner
– operant conditioning = behavior that is
reinforced is more likely to occur again (no
free will)
– positive reinforcement = add
something good
– negative reinforcement = take away
something bad
Psychoanalytical (Current Approach)
• Sigmund Freud
– emphasizes the role of unconscious mental
forces & conflicts in determining behavior
– importance of repressed sexual & aggressive
impulses (current & past)
Humanistic (Current Approach)
• Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers
– focuses on the uniqueness of
human beings & their capacity for
choice, growth/betterment, &
psychological health
– 3rd force in psych.; based on free
will
– reaction against behaviorism and
psychoanalysis = 2 main forces