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Week 1

1. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of mind, behavior, and mental processes. It involves using the scientific method to collect and analyze data to understand how biological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors influence behavior. 2. There are several subfields of psychology, including developmental psychology which studies human development across the lifespan, social psychology which examines interpersonal behavior and social influences, and clinical psychology which focuses on evaluating and treating psychological disorders. 3. Most psychologists work in applied settings rather than research, in places like hospitals, schools, business, and private practice. They conduct activities like counseling, psychological testing, and psychotherapy. The field was traditionally dominated by white males but is now becoming more diverse in terms of

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115 views

Week 1

1. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of mind, behavior, and mental processes. It involves using the scientific method to collect and analyze data to understand how biological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors influence behavior. 2. There are several subfields of psychology, including developmental psychology which studies human development across the lifespan, social psychology which examines interpersonal behavior and social influences, and clinical psychology which focuses on evaluating and treating psychological disorders. 3. Most psychologists work in applied settings rather than research, in places like hospitals, schools, business, and private practice. They conduct activities like counseling, psychological testing, and psychotherapy. The field was traditionally dominated by white males but is now becoming more diverse in terms of

Uploaded by

ASAD MEHMOOD
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© © All Rights Reserved
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UNDERSTANDING

PSYCHOLOGY
What is Psychology?
Psychology as Study of Soul:
The soul is immortal whereas body is mortal (Socrates,
Plato). Psychology is knowledge of soul (Aristotle)
What is Psychology?
Psychology as Study of Mind:
Mind is function of body processes and experience.
Psychology is scientific study of mind and consciousness.
(Wandt, James etc.)
Psychology as Study of Behavior
Mind and soul can’t be sensed. Psychology is the scientific study of
experience and behavior (Watson)
Psychology Defined
• Psychology:
1. Scientific study of Mind and Behavior

2. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes


and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state,
mental state, and environment.
Science and Problem of Intuition
• Psychologist don’t rely on common sense but on
scientific method………….. Why?
• Often, when one explanation for an event seems “right,”
we adopt that explanation as the truth.
• There are a variety of biases that can influence our
perceptions which leads us to faulty conclusions.
Scientific method
• All scientists use empirical research to find truth.
• Scientific method as the set of assumptions, rules, and
procedures that scientists use to conduct empirical
research.
• Empirical research methods include collecting, analyzing,
and interpreting data, reaching conclusions, and sharing
information.
• However, not all questions can be answered using
scientific method.
Levels of Interpretation

• Lower Level
Biological Perspective – emphasizes the role of biology
(physiology, genetics) on behavior and mental processes
• Middle Level
Cognitive Perspective – emphasizes the role of individual’s
thinking processes on behavior and mental processes
• Higher Level
Sociocultural Perspective – emphasizes the role of
society/culture on behavior and mental processes
Psycho-centric view
Challenges for Psychologist
• Making predictions is difficult in part because people vary
and respond differently in different situations. Individual
differences are the variations among people on physical
or psychological dimensions.
• Because of individual differences, we cannot always
predict who will become aggressive or who will perform
best on the job in stressful situation.
• Human behavior is influenced by more than one variable
at a time. And these factors occur at different levels of
explanation.
Research and Professional
Areas in Psychology

• Developmental • Personality
Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

• Social Psychology • Counseling Psychology

• Experimental Psychology • Educational and School


Psychology
• Physiological Psychology • Industrial and
Organizational
• Cognitive Psychology Psychology
• Developmental: Looks at human development across the life span.
Developmental psychology once focused primarily on child development
but today devotes a great deal of research to adolescence, adulthood, and
old age.

• Social: Focuses on interpersonal behavior and the role of social forces in


governing behavior. Typical topics include attitude formation, attitude
change, prejudice, conformity, attraction, aggression, intimate relationships,
and behavior in groups.

• Experimental: Encompasses the traditional core of topics such as


sensation, perception, learning, conditioning, motivation and emotion.

• Physiological: Examines the influence of genetic factors on behavior and


the role of the brain, nervous system, endocrine system, and bodily
chemicals in the regulation of behavior.

• Cognitive: Focuses on “higher” mental processes such as memory,


reasoning, information processing, language, problem solving, decision
making, and creativity.

• Personality: Interested in describing and understanding individuals’


consistency in behavior, which represents their personality. This area is
interested in factors that shape personality and with personality
assessment.
• Clinical: Concerned with evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of
individuals with psychological disorders, as well as treatment of individuals
with psychological disorders, as well as treatment of less severe behavioral
and emotional problems. Principal activities include interviewing clients,
psychological testing, and providing group and individual psychotherapy.

• Counseling: Overlaps with clinical psychology in that specialists in both


areas engage in similar activities – interviewing, testing, and providing
therapy. Counseling psychologists usually work with a somewhat different
clientele, providing assistance to people struggling with everyday problems
of moderate severity – they specialize in family, marital, or career
counseling.

• Educational: Work to improve curriculum design, achievement testing,


teacher training, and other aspects of the educational process. School
psychologists usually work in elementary or secondary schools, where they
test and counsel children having difficulties in school and aid parents and
teachers in solving school-related problems.

• I/O: Perform a wide variety of tasks in the world of business and industry.
These tasks include running human resources departments, working to
improve staff morale and attitudes, striving to increase job satisfaction and
productivity, examining organizational structures and procedures, and
making recommendations for improvements.
EXPERIMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGISTS
(USUALLY RESEARCHERS AND
PROFESSORS)

About 1/4th of American Psychologists


work in colleges and universities.
APPLIED PSYCHOLOGISTS
(SERVICE PROVIDERS)
The remaining 3/4ths work in hospitals, clinics,
police departments, research institutes,
government agencies, business and industry,
schools, nursing homes, counseling centers, and
private practice.
Psychology Today
• Until the 1960s, psychology was principally a
profession made up of white males, this is
changing.

• Today, women earn 73% of bachelor’s


degrees in psychology, and 66% of new
doctorate

• Hispanic & African-Americans each receive


only about 5% of new Ph.D.’s

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