Chapter Introduction
Section 1: Why Study
Psychology?
Section 2: A Brief History of
Psychology
Section 3: Psychology as a
Profession
Chapter Objectives ·
Section 1
Why Study Psychology?
Describe how, through the study of
human and animal behavior, people
can discover psychological principles
that have the potential to enrich the
lives of humans.
Chapter Objectives ·
Section 2
A Brief History of Psychology
Discuss the set of questions, theories,
methods, and possible answers in
psychology that have been passed
on, studied, and changed over time.
Objectives ·
Section 3
Psychology as a Profession
Summarize how psychologists are
trained to observe, analyze, and
evaluate behavior patterns, and to
apply what they have learned.
Main Idea
Through the study of human and animal
behavior, people can discover psychological
principles that have the potential to enrich
the lives of humans.
Vocabulary
• physiological
• applied science
• cognitive
• scientific method
• psychology
• hypothesis
• theory
• basic science
Objectives
• Describe the range of topics that are
covered in an introductory psychology
course.
• Cite the goals and scientific basis of
psychology.
How can learning about psychology
help you?
A. You gain a better
understanding of
your own behavior
B. Gives you knowledge
about how psychologists
study human behavior
C. Practical applications
for enriching your life
D. All of the above
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A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
Why Study Psychology?
• physiological—physical, needs such as
sleep and hunger
• cognitive—private, unobservable mental,
reasons
Which category would the digestive
system would be considered part of ?
A. Physiological
B. Cognitive
C. Physiological and
cognitive
D. Neither physiological
or cognitive
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A
A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
Gaining Insight into Behavior
• Psychology can provide useful insight into
one’s self and into the behavior of others.
Do you agree that reflecting on your
feelings can help with confidence?
A. Agree
B. Disagree
A. A
B. B
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B
A
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Acquiring Practical Information
• Each chapter introduces material that has
practical applications to your life.
What do you call the systematic way of
dispensing rewards and punishments?
A. Breakdown
B. Shaping
C. Memory aids
D. Disturbance
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A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
Overview of Psychology
• Psychology is the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes.
• Both animals and humans are studied.
Overview of Psychology (cont.)
• Psychologists seek to do four things:
– Describe—they describe or gather
information about the behavior being
studied.
– Explain—these explanations are also
called psychological principles—
generally valid ideas about behavior.
Overview of Psychology (cont.)
– Propose a hypothesis—an educated
guess about some phenomenon.
– Form a theory—a complex explanation
based on findings from a large number
of experimental studies.
Overview of Psychology (cont.)
• Predict—by studying descriptive and
theoretical accounts of past behavior, they
can predict future behaviors.
• Influence behavior—Scientists who
conduct studies with a long-term goal of
finding out more about human or animal
behavior are conducting basic science.
Overview of Psychology (cont.)
• Scientist who use what we already know
about people to benefit others view
psychology as an applied science.
Which is NOT a goal of
psychologists?
A. Explanation
B. Prediction
C. Medicate
D. Influence
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A
A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
The Scientific Basis of Psychology
• Scientist rely on the scientific method—a
general approach to gathering information
and answering questions so that errors
and biases are minimized.
• Wilhelm Wundt pioneered
the scientific method.
Test Your Intuitions
The Scientific Basis of Psychology (cont.)
• Psychologists reach their conclusions by:
– identifying a specific problem or question
– formulating a hypothesis
– collecting data through observation and
experimentation
– analyzing the data
The Scientific Method
According to Wundt, what are the two
elements of psychology?
A. hypothesis and theory
B. Sensation and feelings
C. Science and data
D. Review and revise
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A
A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
Main Idea
Psychology involves sets of questions,
theories, methods, and possible answers
that have been passed on and changed from
generation to generation.
Vocabulary
• structuralist
• cognitivist
• introspection
• psychobiologist
• functionalist
• psychoanalyst
• behaviorist
• humanist
Objectives
• Explain important trends in the history of
psychology.
• Identify various approaches to the study of
psychology.
What is phrenology?
A. The study of the shape and
protuberances of the skull
B. The study of the brain
0%
D
A
0%
A
B
C0%
D
C
D. None of the above
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
C. The study of eyes and
nose
The Origins of Psychology
• The study of psychology has come a long
way since the study of bumps on skulls, or
phrenology.
• In a time when many natural scientists
were studying complex phenomena by
reducing them to simpler parts, the
science of psychology was also born.
Which philosopher proposed a link
existing between mind and body in
the 1700’s?
A. Copernicus
B. Galileo
C. Descartes
D. Hilgard
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A
A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
Historical Approaches
• Wilhelm Wundt was a structuralist—a
scientist who studies the basic elements
that make up conscious mental
experiences.
• He developed a method of self observation
called introspection to collect information
about the mind.
Historical Approaches (cont.)
• Participants reported their thoughts and
feelings.
• Wundt tried to map out the basic structure
of thought processes.
Historical Approaches (cont.)
• William James, the “father of psychology,”
believed that all activities of the mind serve
one major function: to help us survive as a
species.
• Functionalists study how animals and
people adapt to their environments, or the
function rather than the structure of
consciousness.
Historical Approaches (cont.)
• Sir Francis Galton wanted to understand
how heredity influences a person’s
abilities, character, and behavior.
• He believed that genius
or eminence is
hereditary, but later
scientists recognized
his theory as flawed.
Historical Approaches (cont.)
• Galton also developed tests that the
forerunners to current personality and
intelligence tests.
• He raised the issue of
whether behavior is
determined by heredity
or environment as well.
Historical Approaches (cont.)
• A group of German psychologists argued
that perception is more than the sum of its
parts—it involves a “whole pattern,” or
Gestalt.
• These scientists studied how sensations
are assembled into perceptual
experiences.
The idea of ‘Survival of the Fittest’
would fall under which approach?
A. Structuralism
B. Functionalism
C. Inheritable Traits
D. Gestalt Psychology
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Contemporary Approaches
• Psychoanalytical Psychology—Sigmund
Freud was interested in studying the
unconscious mind.
• A psychoanalyst is a psychologist who
studies how unconscious motives and
conflicts determine human behavior,
feelings, and thoughts.
Contemporary Approaches (cont.)
• Freud used a method of indirectly studying
unconscious processes, known as free
association.
• He also used dream analysis to study his
patients.
Contemporary Approaches (cont.)
• Behaviorists are psychologists that
analyzes how organisms learn or modify
their behavior based on their response to
events in the environment.
• Ivan Pavlov pioneered this concept and
B.F. Skinner introduced the idea of
reinforcement (a response to behavior that
increases the likelihood the behavior will
be repeated).
Contemporary Approaches (cont.)
• Humanists—this type of psychologist
believes that each person has freedom in
directing his or her future and achieving
personal growth.
• Cognitivists—this type of psychologist
studies how we process, store, retrieve,
and use information and how thought
processes influence our behavior.
Mary Whiton Calkins
Contemporary Approaches (cont.)
• Biological Psychology—a psychobiologist
studies how physical and chemical changes
in our bodies influence our behavior.
• Sociocultural Psychology—this approach
involves studying the influence of cultural
and ethnic similarities and differences on
behavior and social functioning.
Contemporary Approaches
to Psychology
A study of how caffeine affects a
person’s memory would fall under
which approach?
A. Humanistic
B. Cognitive
C. Sociocultural
D. Biological
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A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Main Idea
Psychologists are trained to observe, analyze,
and evaluate behavior patterns, to develop
theories of behavior, and to apply what they
have learned to influence behavior.
Vocabulary
• psychologist
• psychiatry
• educational
psychologist
• clinical psychologist
• community
psychologist
• counseling
psychologist
• industrial/organized
psychologist
• developmental
psychologist
• experimental
psychologist
Objectives
• Explain the work of a psychologist.
• Summarize the careers and specialized
fields in psychology.
Which type is NOT a phychologist?
A. Psychiatrist
B. Clinical
C. Behavioral
D. Counseling
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A
A.
B.
C.
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D.
B
A
B
C
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D
C
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D
What is a Psychologist?
• Psychologist are people who have been
trained to observe, analyze and evaluate
behavior.
• Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that
deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral
disorders.
What is a Psychologist? (cont.)
• A clinical psychologist diagnoses and
treats people with emotional disturbances.
• Counseling psychologists usually help
people deal with problems of everyday life.
What is a Psychologist? (cont.)
• Other kinds of psychologists:
– Developmental psychologist
– Educational psychologist
– Community psychologist
– Industrial/Organizational
psychologist
– Experimental psychologist
What is a Psychologist? (cont.)
– Environmental
– Psychobiologists
– Forensic
– Health
– Personality
– Social
Where Psychologists
Work
What is a Psychologist? (cont.)
• The American Psychological Association
(APA) is a scientific and professional
society of psychologists and educators.
Divisions of the APA
What kind of psychologist investigate
how stress or depression leads to
physical ailments such as ulcers, cancer,
or the common cold
A. Educational
B. Health
C. Forensic
D. Community
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Test Your Intuitions
Test your intuitions about behavior by answering true or false to the statements below.
The Scientific Method
Scientists investigate a question they have by using the scientific method.
Contemporary Approaches to Psychology
Modern psychologists use many different approaches to study the same behavior.
Each viewpoint offers additional information to understanding behavior and reflects a
different view of human nature.
Where Psychologists Work
Most psychologists in the United
States are engaged in clinical
psychology.
Divisions of the APA
The divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) represent the many
areas in which a psychologist may specialize.
Mary Whiton Calkins
1863–1930
“What we most need to
know about any man is
surely this: whether he
is good or bad.”
Chapter Concepts
Transparencies
The Scientific Method
Major Developments in Psychology
Select a transparency to view.
physiological: having to do with an
organism’s physical processes
cognitive: having to do with an
organism’s thinking and understanding
psychology: the scientific study of
behavior that is tested through scientific
research
hypothesis: an assumption or prediction
about behavior that is tested through
scientific research
theory: a set of assumptions used to
explain phenomena and offered for
scientific study
basic science: the pursuit of knowledge
about natural phenomena for its own
sake
applied science: discovering ways to
use scientific findings to accomplish
practical goals
scientific method: a general approach
to gathering information and answering
questions so that errors and biases are
minimized
structuralist: a psychologist who studied
the basic elements that make up
conscious mental experiences
introspection: a method of selfobservation in which participants report
their thoughts and feelings
functionalist: a psychologist who
studied the function (rather than the
structure) of consciousness
psychoanalyst: a psychologist who
studied how unconscious motives and
conflicts determine human behavior,
feelings, and thoughts
behaviorist: a psychologist who
analyzes how organisms learn or modify
their behavior based on their response to
events in the environment
humanist: a psychologist who believes
that each person has freedom in
directing his or her future and achieving
personal growth
cognitivist: a psychologist who studies
how we process, store, retrieve, and use
information and how thought processes
influence our behavior
psychobiologist: a psychologist who
studies how physical and chemical
changes in our bodies influence our
behavior
psychologist: a scientist who studies
the mind and behavior of humans and
animals
psychiatry: a branch of medicine that
deals with mental emotional, or
behavioral disorders
clinical psychologist: a psychologist
who diagnoses and treats people with
emotional disturbances
counseling psychologist: a
psychologist who usually helps people
deal with problems of everyday life
developmental psychologist: a
psychologist who studies the emotional,
cognitive, biological, personal, and social
changes that occur as an individual
matures
educational psychologist: a
psychologist who is concerned with
helping students learn
community psychologist: a
psychologist who may work in a mental
health or social welfare agency
industrial/organizational psychologist:
a psychologist who uses psychological
concepts to make the workplace a more
satisfying environment for employees
and managers
experimental psychologist: a
psychologist who studies sensation,
perception, learning, motivation and/or
emotion in carefully controlled laboratory
conditions
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