LESSON 1 - INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

Why do we do the things we do? Why do we feel the things we feel, or say the things we
say? Why do we find one person attractive and another person obnoxious? Why are some
people happy most of the time, while others seem morose? Why do some children behave
properly, or learn easily, while others do not?

Questions like these all fall within the scope of psychology, a field defined as the
scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Psychology is concerned with who each of us
is and how we came to be the way we are. The field seeks to understand each person as an
individual, but it also examines how we act in groups, including how we treat each other and feel
about each other. Psychology is concerned with what all humans have in common, but it also
looks at how each of us differs from the others in our species—in our beliefs, our personalities,
and our capabilities. And psychologists don’t merely seek to understand these various topics;
they are also interested in change: how to help people become happier or better adjusted, how
to help children learn more effectively, or how to help them get along better with their peers.

This is a wide array of topics; and, to address them all, psychologists examine a diverse
set of phenomena—including many that non-psychologists don’t expect to find within our field!
But we need this diverse coverage if we are to understand the many aspects of our thoughts,
actions, and feelings; and, in this text, we’ll cover all of these points and more.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Describe the historical roots of psychology.

2. Explain the major theoretical perspectives in the field.

3. Differentiate between basic and applied research.

4. Differentiate between the goals of descriptive, correlational, and experimental research

designs and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

COURSE MATERIALS

Introduction and History of Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of mind (mental processes) and behavior. The word
“psychology” comes from the Greek words “psyche,” meaning life, and “logos,” meaning
explanation.

Psychology is a broad field, with many specialties, but fundamentally, psychology is the
science of behavior and mental processes.
 Psychology is not

-Mere speculation about human nature

-A body of folk wisdom about people that “everybody knows” to be true

Psychology is a broad field with many specialties, grouped in three major categories:
experimental psychology, teaching of psychology and applied psychology

Modern psychology developed from several conflicting traditions, including structuralism,

functionalism, Gestalt psychology, behaviorism, and psychoanalysis.

Schools of Psychology

1. Structuralism - Devoted to uncovering basic structures that make up mind and thought

Founded by Wilhelm Wundt -- Father of Psychology; In 1879 in Leipzig, Germany--First

Psychological Laboratory

Known for ideas of Introspection – the process of looking within; Report sensations,
images, and feelings of objects.

2. Functionalism- Believed mental processes could best be understood in terms of their

adaptive purpose and function

Founded by William James in 1890’s in Harvard; Big fan of Darwin (who, by the way,
helped to kick off psychology); Disagreed with Wundt – said that sensations are only a
part of the picture.
What about emotions that are triggered? Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are
adaptive and that there is a specific function of these things.

3. Gestalt psychology - Interested in how we construct “perceptual wholes”

Prominent Gestalt Psychologists Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler; Wertheimer

was interested in visual illusions and ambiguous figures.

Kohler was interested in “a-ha” moments known as “insight learning”, which is when we
see something for being more than what it is or suddenly “get it!”.

Relied on introspection – report sensations and what you see and feel; However, the
idea is that the “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

4. Behaviorism - Argued psychology should deal solely with observable events

Led by John B. Watson in the 1920’s;

They were the ones that liked to cause controversy – they disagreed with everyone else;
They were only interested in observable behaviors because that was the only thing that
could be considered “reliable evidence.”
 5. Psychoanalysis - Asserted mental disorders arise from conflicts in the unconscious
mind.

Father of Psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud – 1930’s;

Said that all problems arise or are related to unconscious– it is the infantile source of
behavior (id, ego, superego).
Where do our hidden fears or desires come from; how is our past related to our fears
and desires and obsessions?

FIELDS AND RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY

Major branches of psychology

Abnormal Psychology- branch of psychology that looks at psychopathology and

abnormal behavior.

Behavioral Psychology- also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon

the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning.

Biopsychology- branch of psychology that is focused on the study of how the brain
influences behavior.

Cognitive Psychology- branch of psychology that focuses on internal states such as

motivation, problem-solving, decision-making, thinking, and attention.

Comparative Psychology- branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal

behavior.

Developmental Psychology- looks at development throughout the lifespan, from

prenatal period until death.

Educational Psychology- branch of psychology concerned with schools, teaching

psychology, educational issues and student concerns.

Experimental Psychology- branch of psychology that uses scientific methods to

research the brain and behavior.

Personality Psychology- branch of psychology focused on the patterns of thoughts,

feelings, and behavior that make a person unique.

Social Psychology- seeks to explain and understand social behavior and looks at
diverse topics including group behavior, social interactions, leadership, nonverbal
communication and social influences on decision-making.

Research in Psychology

 Basic Research: conducted to advance scientific knowledge

  Applied Research: designed to solve practical problems

Four key research methods:

 Experimental

 Descriptive

 Correlational

 Biological

1. Experimental Research: carefully controlled scientific procedure that manipulates variables

to determine cause & effect

 Key features of an experiment:

 Independent variable (factor that is manipulated) versus dependent variable

(factor that is measured)

Experimental group (receives treatment) versus control group (receives no treatment)

2. Descriptive Research: observes & records behavior without producing causal explanations

Three types of descriptive research:

• Naturalistic Observation (observation & recording of behavior in natural state or

habitat)

• Survey (assessment of a sample or population)

• Case Study (in-depth study of a single participant)

3. Correlational Research: observes or measures (without directly manipulating) two or more

variables to find relationships between them
 Positive Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the same direction—either up or
down

 Negative Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the opposite direction—either up or
down

 Zero Correlation: no relationship between two variables (when one variable increases,
the other can increase, decrease, or stay the same)
4. Biological Research: scientific studies of the brain & other parts of the nervous system

READINGS/REFERENCES:

Chapter 1 – What is Psychology?

Introduction to Psychology 9th ed. by James Kalat

What is Psychology? by Saul McLeod, updated on 2019 Retrieved from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/whatispsychology.html
WATCH:

What is Psychology?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3iOrvvWiLY

History of Psychology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edMMPist5rA

ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENT:

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. Can you think of a time when you used your intuition to analyze an outcome, only to be
surprised to find that your explanation was completely incorrect? Did this surprise help
you understand how intuition may sometimes lead us astray?

2. Choose two of the branches/perspectives of psychology discussed in this lesson, and

explain how they differ in their approaches to understanding behavior and mental
processes.

Assignment

1. Answer the Guide Questions above.

2. Be ready for a Quiz. The quiz will be uploaded in MS Teams.