History and Scope of Psychology

1
History and Scope of Psychology

• Module 1

2
The Roots of Psychology

• Psychology grew out of both philosophy and
  biology.
• Most agree that psychology as we know it began
  with Wilhelm Wundt in 1879, when he began
  studying reaction time. This is the first
  recorded psychological experiment.
• In 1890, William James, an American, wrote the
  first well-known textbook of Psychology.

3
Definition of Psychology

• Psychology science of behavior and mental
  processes.
• Behavior anything an organism does that is
  observable. Behaviorists, like Watson, believed
  psychology should only study that which is
  observable.
• Mental processes internal experiences
  subjective and inferred from observable behaviors.

4
Psychologys Big Issues

• Stability vs. Changehow consistent are
  individual traits?
• Rationality vs. Irrationalitywe believe we
  function from rationality, but do we?

• Nature vs. Nurturewhat are the relative
  contributions of biology (nature) and environment
  (nurture)?

5
Natural Selection

• Natural selection helps to explain how animal
  (including human) behaviors have evolved over the
  generations
• What kinds of behaviors may have been affected by
  natural selection?

6
Psychologys Different Perspectives

• Evolutionary perspective
• Neuroscience perspective
• Cognitive perspective

• Psychodynamic perspective
• Behavioral perspective
• Social-cultural perspective

7
Psychologys Subfields

• Some psychologists conduct basic research that
  builds our knowledge base.
• Others work on applied research, which is working
  to find answers to specific problems.
• Clinical and counseling psychologists assess,
  diagnose, and treat individuals with mental
  illness or adjustment problems.

8
Studying Psychology

• Think critically while you read try to connect
  information to yourself in some way. Focus on
  application of material.
• Spaced practice improves retention.
• Listen actively in class ask questions!
• Overlearning improves retention.
• Dont assume that a multiple-choice test will be
  easy!