Time:22nd Feb,2023

Chief editor:Fengchi Yang

Press: Higher Education Press
Publication time:September
2015 First Edition
Price: RMB 19.60
 usual performance 30% (attendance, class
discussion )

 Final exam test 70%

 Module 1: what is about psychology?
 Module 2: The subfields of psychology.
 Module 3: what is medical psychology?
 Module 4: medical model and its evolution.
 Module 5: The scientific research method.
Our goals:
u Describe the major fields of psychology.
u Describe the early schools of psychology and
explain how they contributed to its
development.
u Distinguish between the five basic methods
used by psychologists to gather information
about behavior. Identify the situations in which
each of the methods would be appropriate.
u Discuss the concerns of ethics in psychology.
 What is Psychology?

 What are psychology’s historical roots?

 What methods are the perspectives

psychologists use today?

 How do psychologists develop new knowledge?

Ø Aristotle:
psyche “mind” literally The study
-ologos “a field of study” of mind

Ø Psychology: The science of behavior and mental

processes.
研究外在行为及心理过程的科学
Ø Mental process: Private psychological activities that
include thinking, perceiving, and feeling.
Ø Behavior: Directly observable and measureable actions.

7
Philosophy biology Physiology（生理学
）

（Father） （Matchmaker） (Mother）

Psychology（Son）
Psychology’s Famous Faces
 The observable or measurable actions of people
and lower animals.

Fight Run Tough Smile Cry

 A lot of human activities occur within the
individual thinking , plan , attribution ,
creation , and doing dreams
 A lot of psychologists believe that the
Mental Process has represented the most
important side that psychology explores.
1.Pure research（基础研究）:
research conducted without
concern for immediate application.
2. Applied research（应用研
究） :research conducted in an
effort to find solution to particular
problem.
 Approach to knowledge that relies on a
systematic method of generating
hypotheses, collecting data, and
explaining data.
.
 describe behavior
 explain behavior
 predict behavior
 control “some” behavior
 how many kinds of subfields
of psychology do you know?
Ø Behavioral neuroscience
Ø Experimental psychology
Ø Cognitive psychology
Ø Developmental psychology
Ø Personality psychology
Ø Health psychology
Ø Clinical psychology(临床
心理学）
Ø Clinical neuropsychology
Ø Evolutionary psychology
Ø Social psychology
Ø Cross-cultural psychology
2023-2-23 20
 Behavioral neuroscience is the subfield of
psychology that mainly examines how
the brain and the nervous system
determine behavior.
 Neuroscientists consider how our bodies
influence our behavior.

what are the biological

foundations of behavior?
• Experimental psychology
study of sensing, perceiving, learning and thinking
（Sensation, perception, learning and thinking）

• Cognitive psychology
Emphasis on higher mental processes
• Understanding change • Developmental psychology
and individual
Changes in behavior
differences
over the life span (womb
to tomb)

• Personality psychology
Examines consistencies
(一致性）in people’s
behavior over time and
traits that differentiate us
from one another
◦ Health psychology
Explores relationship between
psychological factors and physical ailments
or disease
Physical and mental health（Psychosomatic)

◦ Clinical psychology/medical psychology

diagnosis and treatment of disorders
 ◦ Social psychology
Understanding our
social networks  Studies how people are
affected by others
◦ Cross-cultural psychology
 Focuses on the
similarities and
differences in
psychological functioning
across cultures and
ethnic groups
 New frontiers
◦ Clinical neuropsychology
Focuses on relationships
between biological factors and
psychological disorders
◦ Evolutionary psychology
Examines influence of our
genetic heritage/heritidʒ/ and
our behavior
 Others
School Academic and Applied Colleges
Ø districts
Psychologist
Psychology and medical Ø

Hospitals
Ø Private practice
schools VS.
Ø Human services Psychiatrist

Industry and
government

Human services Private practice

Ø Careers
ü Business Field

ü Education/Academic
ü Social Fields
2023-2-23 27
 Medical psychology is a branch of applied
psychology devoted to psychological
problems arising in the practice of
medicine,including psychological aspects of
pain, terminal illness(绝症）, bereavement
（丧亲）, disability, and reactions to medical
advice.
 the intent of medical psychology is to apply
knowledge from all branches of psychology and
medicine in the prevention,assessment, and
treatment of all forms of physical diseases.
 medical psychology asserts its main function in
the determination of personality styles of coping
and the examination of attitudes of an individual
in response to subjective and objective stressors.
 medical psychologists also help in the
determination of genetic,biochemical,and
physiologic factors in illnesses and reaction to
illnesses.these are joined with psychosocial
factors deemed（认为） contributory to disease
processes.specific behavioral methods are then
used to help the person match coping and
management skills to the person's
ability,character, and personality style.
 the bio-psycho-social model was developed
by Dr.George Engel who was a professsor of
psychiatry and medicine. the bio-psycho-
social model takes into account the
psychological,interpersonal and social
influences in the diagnosis and treatment of
patients.
 The components of the bio-psycho-social
model add to the purely biomedical model
of clinical care which focuses on
pathology/pəˈθɒlədʒi/(病理学） and the
mechanisms /ˈmɛkənɪzmz/ of disease and
therapeutics/ˌθerəˈpjuːtɪks/(治疗学）.
 A medical man had to pay attention to the
bio-psycho-social aspects in conjunction
with the biomedical principles in delivering
clinical care,providing education,community
service and conducting research.
 1. Harmony among Biology,Mentality and
society
 Human beings not only have natural
property,but also have social attributes. We
should not only consider disease and health
from biology, but also emphasize
psychological and social factors, and study
human’s biological, psychological
and social characteristics as a whole.
 2. Cognition Affecting Health
 (1) Cognition and loneliness
 In the social cognitive process, if people only
pay atention to the negative aspects of life, then
he is likely to experience greater loneliness.
 (2)Cognition and anxiety
 Anxiety is an inevitable thing in our life, for
example, when we go to a company for an
interview, or to see an important figure, or we
are evaluated/ɪˈvæljueɪtɪd/ by others, many of
us are likely to feel anxious. cognition and
control on the situation can make us avoid
anxiety.
 (3) Cognition and physiological disorders
 Health psychologists hold that, cognition on
our own emotions and tensions are closely
linked with disease.
 3.Disease and Client as a Whole
 Disease is a kind of life experience that every
person has to face and nobody can keep
healthy all his life. Therefore, disease and the
client are the whole and a system.
 4.Adaptation/ˌædæpˈteɪʃn/ and Adjustment
/əˈdʒʌstmənt/Affecting Health
 In the process of growth, individuals gradually
form their specific patterns for external things
and relatively stable personality
characteristics.Individuals can maintain dynamic
balance through these patterns and
characteristics when dealing with others and the
environment around. In the process above,
adaptation and adjustment are the key factors
that individuals can keep their behaviors
harmonious with external world; and they are
important force for individuals to keep healthy
and fight disease.
 Question :

 What theoretical perspectives do

psychologists take?

 and how does the biopsychosocial

approach help integrate these
perspectives?
 Ø Definition: A five-step process for empirical
[ɪmˈpɪrɪkl]investigation of a hypothesis [haɪˈpɒθəsɪs]
under conditions designed to control biases and
subjective judgments.
Ø Five steps of the Scientific Method

Developing a Performing a Gathering

hypothesis controlled test objective data

A statement predicting the outcome of a scientific

study and describing the relationship among
variables [ˈveərɪəblz] in a study.
Publishing, criticizing, Analyzing the
and replicating the results results
 study methods of medical psychology are
varying,just as the various disciplines within
psychology vary.the various methods include:
 observational method
 experimental method
 survey method
 test method and
 case study
 a research methodology [ˌmeθəˈdɒlədʒi]most
often used in certain areas of social psychology,
developmental psychology, and
ethology[ɪˈθɑlədʒi] (行为学） in which the
investigator records behavior as far as possible
without influencing it.an observational filed
study is conducted in a naturally occurring
situation,and an observational laboratory study
is carried out in an artificial laboratory
environment.
 the experimental method
 involves beginning with a theory and then
testing that theory.experiments must be
carefully planned and repeated to that
coincidence [kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns]and random phenomena
will not be misinterpreted as proof of the
hypothesis.
 the general plan of an experiment,including the
method of assigning research participants or
subjects to treatment conditions,controlling
extraneous[ɪkˈstreɪniəs] (无关）variables,manipulating
[məˈnɪpjuleɪtɪŋ]the independent variable（自变
量）,and measuring the dependent variable（因
变量）.
Experimental research
Ø The only way to establish cause-and-effect.
Ø experimental manipulation:
one variable (the independent variable 自变量)
systematically manipulated
observing
the effects on another variable (the dependent variable
因变量)
Ø usually using both an experimental group of
participants and a control group for comparison
purposes.
 research methods for investigating the
distribution of attitudes,opinions,mental
disorders ,and other characteristics of individuals
in specific sections of a population, or in a whole
population, often broken down into
demographic[ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk] (人口学） groups defined by
geographical location.ethnic
identity,age,sex,social class,marital [ˈmærɪtl]
status,education,and similar criteria [kraɪ'tɪriə].surveys
designed to compare different cultures or
subcultures are called cross-cultural survey.
 Psychological test is a method to measure
psychology with objective and standardized
measurement, for example, intelligence test,
personality test and neuropsychological test
 Rating scale is a measurement tool to observe
psychological and social phenomenon of
individuals or groups in natural life, for
example, Life Event Scale,
 Symptom Checklist.
 a research method involving a detailed
investigation of a single individual or a single
organized group,used extensively in clinical
psychology and also,though less often, in
other branches of the discipline.in case
studies of organized groups, participant
observation is often used.
 a non-experimental type of research
design,without manipulation /məˌnɪpjʊˈleɪʃən/ of an
independent variables,in which patterns of
correlations between two or more variables
are analyzed.
Correlational research （相关研究）
Ø based on the naturally occurring relationship between
two or more variables.
Ø represented by correlation coefficient[ˌkəʊɪˈfɪʃnt],
[-1.0,+1.0]
Ø Positive/negative correlation

Ø Strongly correlated cause and effect

Ø only measure the relationship between two variables .

Ø Drawback: inability[ˌɪnəˈbɪləti] to demonstrate cause-
and-effect relationships.
 It was found that there was a correlation
between the sales of ice cream and the crime
rate. The larger the sales of ice cream, the
higher the crime rate.

 Can we control the crime rate by reducing the

sales of ice cream?
 视频《棉花糖实验》
 1.The following are not the basic points of
medical psychology ( ).
A.Unity of mind and body
B. Passive regulation
C. Emotional effect
D. personality characteristics
E. Cognitive evaluation
 2. The biopsychosocial medical model
believes that( )
 A.Mind and body are unified B. Psychology
plays an active role in health and disease
 C. Psychological, social and biological factors
all affect human health and the occurrence of
diseases D. People should be considered as a
whole in terms of health and disease
 E.All of the above
 3. The research object of medical psychology
is( ).
 A.The laws of human psychological activities
 B.Scientific development of human behavior
 C.The law of disease occurrence and
development D.Related psychological problems
and behaviors affecting health
 E.Principles of disease prevention and treatment
 4. The following are not related to medical
psychology ( )
 A.Health Psychology
 B.Abnormal psychology
 C.Neuropsychology
 D.Pharmacopsychology
 E.Educational psychology
 5. Medical psychology research tasks do not
include( ).
A.Study the influence of psychological factors on
human health and its mechanism B.Study the
formation and development of personality
C.Study the role of self-regulation in disease
prevention, treatment and rehabilitation D.Study
the psychological reaction in the process of
disease E.Study the role of psychological factors
in the development of disease
 6. To understand the feelings, attitudes and
behaviors of some people about a certain
event through conversation or questionnaire
is one of the research methods of medical
psychology ( )
 A.Investigation method B. Clinical
observation method C. Case method
D.Experimental method E. Psychological test
method
 7. To study the causal relationship between
behavior or activity conditions and
psychology through strict control of
conditions, which belongs to ( )
 A.Investigation method B. Clinical
observation method C. Case method
D.Experimental method E. Psychological test
method
– Thank you for your attention