What Makes Psychology Unique?

Definitions

Chapter 1

Psychology
Scientific study of the
Psychology and Life behavior of individuals and
their mental processes

What Makes Psychology Unique? What Makes Psychology Unique?

Definitions Definitions
Scientific Method

Set of procedures used for gathering The observable actions by

Behavior

and interpreting objective information

in a way that minimizes error and
which an organism adjusts
yields dependable generalizations to its environment

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 Goals of Psychology Describing What Happens

• Behavioral data are reports of observations

about behavior and conditions under which
Controlling they occur
Predicting What • Researchers choose an appropriate level of
Happens analysis
What Will
Explaining
What
Happen • Causal Behavioral Data • Measures of behavioral data must be objective
Describing What
Happens predictions
Happens • Scientific
predictions
• Behavioral data • Synthesis of
information
• Levels of
analysis
• Objectivity vs.
Subjectivity

Explaining What Will Happen Explaining What Will Happen

• Internal factors
• Describe what happened
• Genetic makeup, motivation,
Descriptions
intelligence
• External factors
• Seek to explain “how” behavior works
• Internal factors
Explanations • Situational factors
• Genetic makeup, motivation, intelligence
• External factors
Explanations • Situational factors

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 Predicting What Will Happen Controlling What Will Happen

• Based on an understanding of the ways events relate to one

• Control means making
another
A Closer Look at
Scientific Prediction
• Suggests what mechanisms link those events to certain predictors behavior happen or not
happen
Control • Interventions
• Specifies conditions under which behaviors will change
A Closer Look at
Causal Prediction

Evolution of Modern Psychology Evolution of Modern Psychology

Hermann Ebbinghaus René Descartes

Psychology’s Historical Foundations

Psychology’s Historical Foundations

One of first experimental Human body can be scientifically

psychologists understood

Wilhelm Wundt
Plato and Aristotle
First formal experimental psychology
Opposing views of how mind works
lab

Edward Tichener
John Locke
Founded one of first U.S. psychology
Nativist view
labs

Immanuel Kant William James

Mental structures influence world Wrote Principles of Psychology
experiences

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Evolution of Modern Psychology Evolution of Modern Psychology

School of
Structuralism • Elements of mind
• Introspection
• Max Wertheimer
Gestalt • Organized wholes
All human mental
experience can
• Wilhelm Wundt Psychology • Alternative to
be understood as Structuralism
• Edward
combination of
Titchener
simple elements
or events

Evolution of Modern Psychology Legacy of These Approaches

• Minds with a
School of
purpose and a
Functionalism
property
• William James
Similarities of • Both created intellectual

• John Dewey Structuralism and context in which

Function of mind
psychology can flourish
and behavior in • American Functionalism
organism’s Functionalism
interactions with and Progressive
environment Education

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 Comparison of Seven Perspectives on
Women as Pioneering Researchers Psychology

Today more
women than men
are receiving
PhDs in
psychology

Diversity, Diversity, Diversity.

Perspectives on Psychology Perspectives on Psychology

Key Figures: John

Psychodynamic perspective Key Figure: Sigmund Freud Behavioral perspective
Watson, B.F. Skinner

Behavior is explained in Primarily concerned with

terms of inherited instincts, observable behavior that
Focus is on the unconscious
biological drive, and can be objectively
attempts to resolve conflicts recorded

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 Perspectives on Psychology Perspectives on Psychology

Key Figures: Noam

Humanistic Key Figures: Carl Rogers, Cognitive
perspective Abraham Maslow
Chomsky, Jean
perspective
Piaget

Emphasizes an individual’s People act, or Human thought and

inherent capacity for making
Self-actualization
rational choices and developing
behavior occurs, the processes of
to maximum potential because people think knowing

Perspectives on Psychology Perspectives on Psychology

Focuses on the
functioning of the genes, Evolutionary Key Figures: Charles
Biological perspective
brain, nervous system, perspective Darwin
and endocrine system

Behavior is explained in
Importance of
terms of underlying
Natural selection behavioral and
physical structures and
biochemical processes mental adaptiveness

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 Perspectives on Psychology What Psychologists Do
Engage in
psychological
inquiry

Cross-cultural differences
Apply Formulate
in the causes and
Sociocultural perspective psychological questions to be
consequences of principles researched

behavior

Conduct various
forms of research

Distribution of Degrees to Subfields of

Psychology
Work Settings of Psychologists