Lecture 1: Psychology

Psychology
The term has Greek origins psyche which means "soul" or "mind"
logos which means "to study"

So translated: psyche + logos = study of the mind 

Psychology is a science. This is a very important point, one we need to keep in mind throughout the
semester.  We will be discussing behaviours that are part of our every day lives - behaviours that we
have a lot of "explanations" for already.

But the thing is... those "explanations" are not scientific. And the ones Psychology provide are research
backed.  So that's a big difference.

Think about how you would explain the group member who does not do his/her assigned part....
Have an answer? Trying to make sense of this? Keep reading....

When we have group work, and a member does not contribute - we may say it's just being lazy, or
maybe they are poor at organizing (which may be true!)

But, from a Social Psych perspective, we'd explore the research - we might say that studies have found
that when an individual is in a group there may be social loafing. But we don't just make an
assumption. Instead, studies are done before this was proposed as a way of understanding what
happens when there is a group work. 

So now, we can move to a definition....

Psychology is a SCIENTIFIC discipline concerned with behaviour and mental processes, with

the influence of organisms’ physical and mental states and external environments while relying
on empirical evidence gathered using scientific methodology.

First things first, science means knowledge.  But it isn't just knowing things...it's a bit more
structured than that.

So for instance, it requires information, data.... It's gathering data, gaining knowledge, applying
knowledge, and of course understanding. The data, the knowledge isn't just randomly selected, it's
gathered using scientific methodology - we can say methods (ways) that are objective.  So researchers
would use measurement and observation to collect data on a specific topic, area, question.  

Then, researchers try to make sense of their information, their results.  They have to be objective in
understanding what the results mean - not what they want it to mean. When interpreting what was
observed, the data collected, one has to be objective, bias free.

This is a brief background on what psychologists do to present their theories  to us.

We haven't yet discussed anything specific in Psychology, but throughout the semester, you will discuss
theories and concepts that are supported through information gathered following the process on the
left.  

It is important to keep in mind these are not just ideas or things we personally think make good
explanations. These are scientific theories.  

These theories are explanations that can be used in many observations, and make predictions.  But the
thing is, these theories are expected to have enough evidence  (see left) to support it. 

And, the theory should be falsifiable.  So it isn't just presenting an explanation, but developing an
explanation that we can say "ok _____ would show the theory to be incorrect".  The idea is that we
should be able to test theories, and be able to identify what evidence would support and which would
not.
Wundt – The father of Psychology

Wundt is credited with establishing Psychology as a science when he opened the first
experimental lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig.
Wundt believed that our experiences (any, all) could be broken down into elements or
structures - smaller pieces that make up the whole.  Think of the periodic table of elements - our
human experiences could all be broken down into elements.   He wanted to identify all the
elements, which combine in unique ways to make up our experiences.  Wundt believed
that introspection would help him break down the experiences into the elements or structures
behind/under it all.
 These future psychologists were all trained in introspection.  This was basically how to look
within yourself.  But, in Wundt's lab, it was a very structured process.  It was an intense
analysis of one's own thoughts, a self-observation of one's thoughts and experiences.  
refer to required readings (Pg 15)

Edward Titchener – Structuralism

Titchener was a student at Wundt's school of psychology at the University of Leipzig.

He too was trained in introspection. When he returned to the States, he spread the word and
further popularized this approach to psychology.    
Titchener brought with him Structuralism, the attempt to describes the structures that make up
the mind. He spent much time carrying out research in this area. Titchener expanded the reach of
Wundt, and is credited with popularizing this theory through numerous publications.
required reading: pg 15

William James – Functionalism

A response to Structuralism - 1890

James was influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin's discussions
on the finches' adaptation in response to environmental pressures was acceptable to James.  He
applied this to human behaviours as well.
William James proposed that a behaviour exists because it has a function, a purpose- it
helps us to exist in our environments.  
So psychologists were to study the purpose of the behaviour, rather than trying to identify the
structures. Functionalism is the school of thought that examines behaviours to understand their
purposes
required readings: pg 16

Sigmund Freud – The Unconscious

(1900) Freud is a very common name - he is perhaps one of the more famed person's in
psychology's history.  OF course, Freud was actually a psychiatrist (this is a medical field, not
under psychology).
Psychoanalysis was introduced to us by Sigmund Freud.  He shaped the psychodynamic
perspective with his...interesting... approaches.
Freud developed psychoanalysis, a talk therapy, to treat hysteria in women.  Hysteria can be
looked at as a term that covers both physical and emotional symptoms - for Freud, the physical
was caused by the emotional - the unconscious mind.  The unconscious is a part of our mind that
we are unaware of.  The unconscious mind became popular, and is often linked to Freud (but he
wasn't the first or only to discuss it).
Freud "treated" a patient by using talk therapy and this led to his development of psychoanalysis.
This is an actual approach, with specific techniques and methods.  
Freud's work included the idea that childhood experiences, the unconscious mind, conflict,
psychosexual development - these are all driving forces behind our behaviour.  
 
required reading: pg 20
John B Watson & Behaviorism

And the Rise of Behaviourism...

(1919) Behaviourism is credited to John B Watson.  However, it's important to note that he was
not the first behaviourist.   Watson did make behaviourism a systematic field, and made it
popular. 
This is a branch in psychology that focuses on observable behaviours, and the influence of
external, observable factors.  In this approach, there is learning through conditioning.
Conditioning understands behaviours by examining the relationship between the environment
and a person's actions.  
Behaviourism uses terms such as associations (between stimuli and responses, or
stimuli), reinforcements and punishments.  The idea (a very simplified one!!) is that our
experiences allow us to associate (link) certain things - the stimuli and responses, the behavior
and reinforcements, for example. 
Behaviorism did not consider mental processes - those things we can't see, that happen in our
heads.  Watson and other behaviourists believed this made the approach more objective and
measureable.  Experiences (not just the present event) are important here, but those that can be
seen and measured.  

Charles Darwin
(1859)
Darwin published his book Origin of Species discussing his theory of adaptation and natural
selection.  Darwin had set sail across the world earlier in 1831, and had observed and collected
much data.  One of the things he documented was the differences in finches (birds) depending on
where he saw them.  
Darwin noted that on different islands, the finches had different characteristics - but they were
still finches.  Through his research, he interpreted this as support for the theory of natural
selection.  Darwin concluded that the environmental demands of the different island caused
the finches to have different characteristics - one island demanded certain things, the other did
not. So as a result, for example, it was more useful to finches to have short beaks on one
island, and long beaks on another.
 In trying to understand certain characteristics that humans have, we can look at its purpose
- how does it help us function better/more efficiently in our environments.  which would
help to understand if/why it's more or less universal. We can also consider this by looking
across species.   This was a key factor in James' work in functionalism.
This idea was of course controversial, and it was not specifically made for Psychology.  But it
influences many fields, and of course Psychology is one of them. It is important in James'
functionalism, current fields of BioPscyh, Evolutionary Psych, and of course influences many
theories. 

required reading pgs 17 - 18

Intelligence
Intelligence
(1870s) Galton attempted to measure intelligence, and heredity's influence.   Galton was
influenced by Darwin's work, and suggested that intelligence was inherited - we get genes from
our parents, which determines our intelligence.  This didn't really work out that well..
(1905) Binet - introduced the first intelligence test in France.  This was developed to help the
French government in organizing the school systems. Binet's test helped to identify abilities of
students.  It was later revised in the US and continued to gain popularity.  Have you heard of IQ
tests? This is where it came from...
required reading: pg 18

In conclusion...
Psychology was influenced by philosophers, medical doctors,
biologists, and other world events. The history of psychology
is dotted with many proposed theories, ideas and questions.
Some have been discarded, criticized and answers still
sought for some questions.
Wundt opened the first experimental lab, but many
psychologists and philosophers further developed the field.
Wundt, Titchener, James, Watson and Freud, to name a few.
Currently, Psychology is the systematic study of human
behaviours.  We rely on scientific methodology, and
Psychology has various perspectives and areas of
specialization.