Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
John B. Watson
- Study of consciousness abandoned
- Ignored emotional (feelings and cognition) aspect
- Said to study psychological, had to be able to be observed
- Nurture, Not nature (He didn’t believe in biological aspect, just how you were raised (environment))
- (“Give me a dozen infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- a doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief…”Behavior
-Overt (observable) response or activity by an organism
Sigmund Freud
1856-1939
out of efforts to treat mental disorders
-Developed psychoanalytic theory
Cognition
Mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge
-1950s and 60s: Major progress in the study of cognitive development, memory, language, and problem solving (these three are probably most important)
Pshyiology
Biological bases of behavior
1950s in Psychology
-WWII just ended, so VA funded for more people to study psychology
Modern Definition of Psychology?
The science that studies behavior and the physiological and cognitive processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems
Clinical Psychology
Themes Related to Psychology as a Field of Study
Research Methods
Experimental Research
Experiments
-Experimental Group: subjects who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable
-Extraneous and Confounding Variables
Schacter’s Experiment
Descriptive/Correlational Methods
Correlation
Positive vs. Negative Correlation
Three possible relations between correlated variables?
-We don’t know if X causes Y, or if Y causes X.
Naturalistic Observation
Case Studies
Survey Research
Advantages and Disadvantages of Descriptive/Correlational Research?
Possible flaws in research? (Will definitely be on test)