PowerPoint Presentations for
Psychology
The Science of
Behavior
Seventh Edition
Neil R. Carlson,
Harold Miller, C. Donald Heth,
John W. Donahoe, and
G. Neil Martin
Prepared by Linda Fayard
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
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Copyright © 2010 Allyn & Bacon
Chapter 1
The Science of Psychology
Copyright © 2010 Allyn & Bacon
Lecture Preview
1. What Is Psychology?
2. The Growth of Psychology as a
Science
3. Major Trends in the Development
of Psychology
Copyright © 2010 Allyn & Bacon
What Is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of the causes of
behavior.
 Why Behavior Is Studied?
 To understand human behavior
 To explain what people do what they
do
 Fields of Psychology
 Scientists
 Practitioners
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Areas of Psychological Research
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Physiological
Comparative
Behavior Genetics
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive
Neuroscience
 Developmental
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Social
Personality
Evolutionary
Cross-cultural
Clinical
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Question: Why Do People Play
Games?
 Physiological
 What events happen in the brain when people
play games?
 Comparative Psychology
 Do animals other than people play games?
 Cognitive Psychology
 What types of strategies do people use when
playing games?
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Question: Why Do People Play
Games?
 Cognitive Neuroscience
 What brain injuries interfere with game playing?
 Developmental Psychology
 How does play change across the lifespan?
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Question: Why Do People Play
Games?
 Social
 What kinds of cues affect the types of games
that people will play with each other?
 Personality
 Are there certain types of people who are more
or less likely to play games?
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Question: Why Do People Play
Games?
 Cross-cultural
 Do people raised in different cultures play
similar games?
 Clinical
 What effects does play have upon our mental
health?
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Applied Psychology
 Clinical neuropsychologist
 What behavioral consequences result from a
disease or trauma, and how can they be
remedied?
 Health Psychologist
 What behavior and lifestyle choices maintain
health and prevent illness?
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Applied Psychology
 School Psychologist
 What strategies can be used to treat
problems (e.g., poor learning, violence,
substance abuse, shyness) in schools?
 Consumer Psychologist
 What motivates the consumer to purchase
products?
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Applied Psychology
 Community Psychologist
 How can social systems be improved in a
way that is beneficial?
 Organizational Psychologist
 What interventions will improve
productivity and job satisfaction?
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Applied Psychology
 Engineering Psychologist
 What features will facilitate the useability of a
computer or digital camera?
 Forensic Psychologist
 Was the accused mentally competent at the time
of the crime?
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How is Psychology Used?
 Law Enforcement
 Constructing facial drawings from
eyewitness reports
 Rehabilitative Medicine
 Design of artificial limbs for amputees
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The Growth of Psychology as
a Science
 Philosophical Roots of Psychology
 Biological Roots of Psychology
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The Rise of Psychology as a Science
Philosophical roots of psychology:
 René Descartes (1596-1650): Dualist
 Rationalist
 John Locke (1632-1704): Monist
 Empiricist
 James Mill (1773-1836): Materialist
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The Growth of Psychology as a
Science
Biological roots of psychology:
 Johannes Müller (1801-1858): doctrine of
specific nerve energies
 Pierre Flourens (1774-1867): experimental
ablation
 Paul Broca (1824-1880): localization of speech
production
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Applications in Education and
Therapy
 Producing Change through Education (early
1800’s) : emphasis on causal factors that
produce change
 Thorndike’s “Law of Effect”: universal
principle by which habits might be learned
 Montessori Method: children mature
through stages
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Applications in Education and
Therapy
 Producing Change through Psychotherapy
 Pinel – Father of psychiatry
 Mental Illness
Social Causes
Therapies
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Major Trends in the
Development of Psychology
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Structuralism
Functionalism
Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory
Psychology in Transition
Behaviorism
Humanistic Psychology
Reaction against Behaviorism: The Emphasis on
Cognition
 Reaction against Behaviorism: The Emphasis on
Neurobiology
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Major Trends in the Development of
Psychology
Early years:
 Structuralism: Wundt
 Father of Psychology, Introspection
 Functionalism: Darwin, James
 Biological emphasis
 Psychodynamic theory: Freud
 Emphasis on unconscious and biological drives
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Major Trends in the Development of
Psychology
Psychology in transition:
 Experimental emphasis: Baldwin, Calkins
 Behaviorism: Thorndike, Pavlov, Watson,
Skinner, Washburn
 Emphasis on observable behavior
 Humanistic psychology: Rogers
 Reaction against behaviorism and Freud
 Emphasis on choice and positive growth
Copyright © 2010 Allyn & Bacon
Major Trends in the Development of
Psychology
Reaction against Behaviorism: The Emphasis
on Cognition
 Gestalt psychology: Wertheimer
 Emphasis on organization of cognitive
processes
 Cognitive psychology: Kosslyn
 Emphasis on information processing
The Emphasis on Neurobiology: Hebb
 Biologists who study the nervous system
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