Lesson1

Intro to psych prelim

What is Psychology?
? The word Psychology was derived from 2
Greek words psyche(soul) and
logos(discourse)
? Mental philosophers began to translate
psyche as mind and psychology was then
defined as a study of the mind
? And was replaced as the science of
behavior
Psychology is a science
? Because it is systematic and empirical
and is dependent upon measurement.
? Systematic- involving a system method or
plan
? Empirical –verifiable by observation rather
than theory
Misconceptions?
? page2
Psychology

? Is a science and the properly trained

psychologist is a scientist or atleast a
practitioner who uses scientific methods
and information resulting from scientific
investigation.
? Sensation refers to the process of sensing our
environment through touch, taste, sight sound and
smell.
? This information is sent to our brains in raw form
where perception comes into play.
? Perception is the way we interpret these sensations
and therefore make sense of everything around us.
? Structuralism could be considered as the
first formal theory in psychology that
separated it from biology and philosophy
into its own discipline It was described by
Titchener a student of Wilhelm Wundt. Wundt
created the first psychological laboratory, so
Titchener’s idea were highly influenced by
the work done there (Goodwin, 2008)
 FUNCTIONALISM
? Headed by William James
? James Angell and John Dewey
? They focused on the operations or functions of
conscious activity
? Ex. Thinking and learning
? While structuralists studied ideas and sensation.
? Functionalists redifined psychology as the study
of man’s adjustments to his environment.
Associationism
? Concerned with the factors of learning
such as remembering and thinking.
? The primary exponent of this system is
Aristotle
? In the modern world, the exponents of this
school are Edward Thorndike, John Locke
and Thomas Hobbes. They proposed that
everything around can be explained by
association.
Behaviorism
? 2 categories to classify behaviors
? Covert- which go inside the skin such as thinking
and imagining

? Overt-directly observable behavior such as talking

and running
? Psychology is the science of behavior not of
consciousness
? John B. Watson, who expressed skepticism about
studying any aspect of behavior that cannot be
objectively observed. He proposed that
psychologists study the behavior of organism, an
approach that led to the movement that has been
called “behaviorism”
? Edward Thorndike
? It denies the existense of instinct or of
inborn tendencies, but insists on learned
behavior.
? Behaviorism also studies animal behavior
and emphasizes the objective method in
observing responses.
Gestalt School
This school of thought that looks the human mind
and behaviour as a whole. Instead our minds tend
to perceive objects as part of a greater whole and
as elements of more complex systems.
Max Wertheimer founded the Gestalt school which
maintains that psychology should study the whole
pattern of behavior or experience or the
perception of organized configuration.
? Aside from Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler
and Kurt Koffka advocaated the Gestalt Idea
PSYCHOANALYTIC SCHOOL
? Psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler and
Carl Jung were the advocators of
Psychoanalysis. They insist on human desires
and primitive impulses as the central factors of
behavior
? Repression of desires which remain submerged
in his subconscious
? Freud’s method of treatment called
psychoanalysis”, emphasizes “free association”
which is done by having the patient freely
associate his thoughts and experiences
? Carl Jung- people either extroverts or
introverts and his school is sometimes called
“analytical school”
? To Alfred Adler, the prime mover of people
is their desire for superiority.
Purposivism
William Mcdougall conducted researches in
the field of psychology. He believed that
objects. Movements and behavior have a
definite purpose.
Purposivism was called “hormic”