What is Psychology
The scientific investigation of mental processes, (such as thinking, remembering and feeling), the investigation of behaviour and the investigation of the interaction between mental processes and behaviour
Two processes that interact and constraints within which people think, feel and act
Biology and Culture
What is Biopsychology
- Biological boundary of psychology
* Examines the physical basis of motivation, emotion and stress
Localisation of function
discrete brain regions play a significant role in discrete of mental functioning
Cultural influences and psychology
influence of a membership in a larger group
Types of Cultural Psychologists
PSYCHOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGISTS: study psychological phenomenon through naturalistic observation
CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGISTS: investigate psychological hypothesis in other cultures
Philosophical Issues of Psychology
- free will vs determination
- nature (biology) vs nurture (environment)
- rationalism vs empiricism
- reason vs emotion
- continuity vs discontinuity with other animals
- individualism vs relationality
- conscious vs unconscious
- mental vs physical (mind/body)
Wilhelm Wundt
- moved from philosophy to scientific approach
* established first experimental psychological labratory
Edward Titchner
- proponent of structuralism (the structure of conscious function)
- used introspection to understand structure
William James
- proponent of functionalism (the structure of what is done)
- attempt to explain, not merely describe
- psychological processes directing peoples behaviour
Paradigms of Psychology
- Psychodynamic - Freud
- Behaviourist - Pavlov, Watson, Skinner
- Humanistic - Rodgers, Maslow
- Cognitive - Gestalt
- Evolutionary - Darwin ideas
Psychodynamic Perspective
*Freud
*Conscious and unconscious forces
mental processes can conflict causing anxiety
*uses speech and dream analysis
Behaviourist Perspective
- Pavlov, Watson, Skinner
- Environmental stimuli control behaviour through learning
- behaviour can be understood without reference to internal states
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
- consequences: positive = reinforcing; negative = punishing
- relations between stimuli and behaviour
Humanistic Perspective
- Rodgers, Maslow
- uniqueness of the individual
- self-actualisation
- person-centred
- unconditional positive regard
Cognitive Perspective
- based on Wundt’s ideas; Gestalt
- the way people perceive, process and retrieve information
- mental processes (people are like a computer)
Evolutionary Perspective
- human behaviours evolved because they helped our ancestors survive
- some behaviours biologically determined (sex, eating)
- eugenics - aims at improving genetic quality
Contributions of the different perspectives
PSYCHODYNAMIC - unconscious processes, conflict, early experiences
BEHAVIOURAL - learning (modified by consequences)
HUMANISTIC - unique individual and motivation to achieve goals
COGNITIVE - thought and memory
EVOLUTIONARY - why we feel, think or behave
