DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (WEEK 3)

Psychology
 Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior

Psychology and mental processes. This definition has three

main aspects: science, behavior, and mental
processes.
As a science, psychology is empirical as it
employs methods to obtain objective
knowledge through observation.

Science,
Behavior includes all human actions that are Behavior,
directly observable.
and Mental
Processes
Mental processes comprise the internal activity
of our minds – the thoughts and feelings that
we experience within ourselves – which are not
directly observable.
Goals of Psychology
GOAL QUESTION BEING ADDRESSED REMARKS
The first step in understanding a problem; includes
observing and documenting behavior – what is
Description What is happening?
happening, where it happens, to whom it happens,
why it happens.
Formulating a tentative explanation of the existing
Explanation Why is it happening?
problem.
Predicting the likelihood the behavior will be
Prediction Will it happen again? repeated and the conditions under which it is likely
to occur.
Changing or modifying behavior to prevent
Control How can it be changed? unwanted outcomes to bring about desirable
behavior.
Psychology
Through the Years
Democritus
The ancient Greek philosopher
Democritus (c. 460 – 370 BCE)
believed that everything,
including the human soul and
mind, is made up of tiny
indivisible particles, which he
called atoms.
He argued that it is through the
movements of these atoms that
our minds can make decisions,
and that our mind can make
decisions, and that we can
perceive the world.
 Plato
Plato postulated that the human
soul comprises three parts:
the appetitive, which accounts for
our bodily desires for food,
comforts, pleasures, etc.;
the spirited, which accounts for
more abstract desires, such as
victory and honor; and
the rational, which allows us to
think, analyze, and distinguish
truth from falsity.
Hippocrates
and Galen
Ancient Greek physicians such
as Hippocrates (c. 460 – 375
BCE) and Galen (c. 129 – 216
CE) believed that individual
differences in behavior,
emotions, and moods were
due to four bodily fluids called
humors, and that the
dominance of one of the
humors over the other three
caused people to have one of
four fundamental types.
 • Sanguine – caused by the dominance of
blood; associated with vitality, joy, and
warmth.
• Phlegmatic – caused by the dominance of
phlegm; associated with thoughtfulness,
Four Fundamental peace and calm and lethargy.

Personality Types • Choleric – caused by the dominance of

yellow bile; associated with passion,
boldness, and aggression.
• Melancholic – caused by the dominance
of black bile; associated with prudence,
caution, and depression.
René
Descartes
In the 17th century, René
Descartes theorized that the
mind and the body are
distinct substances, and that
each does not need the other
exist.
Descartes believed that the
death of the physical body
does not necessarily lead to
the death of metaphysical
mind and that the mind and
body are metaphysically
separated.
 Johannes
Müller
In the 19th century, German
physiologist and comparative
anatomist Johannes Müller (1801
-1858) postulated that the mind is
not a metaphysically substance
separate from the body. It is
brain, working together with the
nervous system, that is
responsible for telling the body
what to do, and conscientious is a
function of the brain, the nervous
system, and the body perceiving
and reacting to external stimuli.
Wilhelm
Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt (1832 –
1858), a philosopher and
physician, is credited with
having founded
psychology as an
academic discipline.
He established the first
psychological laboratory
at the University of
Leipzig, Germany 1879.
Edward
Titchener
Edward Titchener (1867 –
1927), Wundt’s student,
founded Structuralism, a
historical approach in
psychology that sought to
examine the mind by
breaking it down into its
simplest components and
analyzing how these fit
together.
Sigmund
Freud
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939),
founded psychoanalysis, a set
of theories and therapies
designed to uncover and
examine the issues and
repressed conflicts within the
unconscious mind and bring
them to consciousness, so
that the person suffering
these issues may be treated.
Ivan Pavlov
In Russia, Ivan Pavlov (1849 –
1936) became renowned in
the field of psychology when
he conducted research on
the process of learning that
would later become known
as classical conditioning.
 William
James
William James, an American
philosopher, wrote the first
textbook in psychology,
Principles of Psychology (1890).
He is also credited with founding
Functionalism, a historical
approach in psychology that
aims to study how the mind
works to enable the organism to
adapt and function in its
environment.
American
Psychological
Association
(APA)
The American Psychological
Association (APA) was
founded in 1892, with
Granville Stanley Hall as its
first president.
Methods
Employed
 This type od experiment is conducted in a well-
Laboratory controlled environment (not necessarily a
Experiments laboratory) and accurate and
measurements are therefore possible.
objective
 This is conducted is the everyday (i.e.
Field Experiment natural) environment of the participants
but the situations are set up or
manipulated.
Case Study This is an in-depth investigation of a single
person, group, event, or community.
 Two types of observation:
Covert observation – require the observer to participate
Observation in the group and conduct his study in secret.
Overt observation – require the researcher to disclose to
the subjects that he or she is conducting research.
 This is an initial run-through of the
Pilot Study procedures to be used in an investigation; it
involves selecting a few people and
implementing the study to them.
 Research Psychology – deals with the
interpretation and investigation of

Two Main psychological phenomena, with the end

goal of describing issues and trends.

Branches of
Psychology Applied Psychology – is the application
of psychological research in applied
settings to help individuals overcome
practical problems.
 • Abnormal Psychology: the study of behavior considered
outside the normal range, covering a broad range of
disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive
disorder.
• Biological Psychology: the study of the biological bases
of behavior and mental states.
Research • Cognitive Psychology: the study of cognition – mental

Psychology
processes such as thought, memory, intelligence,
creativity and language.
• Comparative Psychology: the study of the behavior and
mental life of animals other than human beings.
• Cross-cultural Psychology: the study of similarities and
differences in psychological functioning across various
cultures and social groups.
 • Developmental Psychology: the study of human
development throughout life, from conception to death.
• Environmental Psychology: the study of the relationship
between people and their physical environment.
• Evolutionary Psychology: the study of behavior and
how it is influences by evolution and genetics.
Research • Personality Psychology: the study of personality and its

Psychology
variations from person to person.
• Psychology of Women: the study of issues and
phenomena such as discrimination against women,
structural differences in men’s and women’s brains, and
causes of violence against women.
• Social Psychology: the study of the nature and causes of
human social behavior, with an emphasis on social
interaction
 • Clinical Psychology: the evaluation, diagnosis, and
treatment of psychological problems and disorders.
• Counselling Psychology: the facilitation of personal and
interpersonal functioning across the human lifespan.
• Educational Psychology: the study of how human
Applied beings learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of
educational interventions, and the psychology of
Psychology teaching.
• Experimental Psychology: the study of how people (and
animals) react to sensory stimuli and perceive the world
through the use of experimental methods.
• Health Psychology: the application of psychology to
healthcare, well-being, and illness
 • Human Factor Psychology: the study of how cognitive
and psychological processes affect our interaction with
tools and objects in the environment.
• Industrial/Organizational Psychology: the application of
psychology to improve, evaluate, and predict job

Applied
performance of employees; the study of how work
organizations impact and interact with individuals.

Psychology • Legal Psychology: the application of psychology to the

legal system and the people involved in it.
• School Psychology: the use of psychology to diagnose
and address the needs of the youth in the context of
education system.
• Sports Psychology: the application of psychology to
athletic activities and exercise/