ap - history and approaches

8/22/2019 AP - History and Approaches

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History and Approachesof Psychology

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History of Psychology:

People have beenstudying human behaviorfor thousands of years.(Examples: Romans,Egyptians, Indians)

This was good, but wasnot done in an organizedmanner.

Psychology as a sciencehas a very short history.

Some scientists (like Mr.

Lark) still call psychologya soft science.

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Roots of Psychology:

Psychology: The scientific study of behavior andmental processes.

Lets break down the definition

Behavior Anything that you do that can be

observed. Mental Processes Internal experiences such as:

thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions.

Systematic Study: Systematic collection andexamination of data (empirical evidence) to supportor disprove hypotheses (predictions) rather thandepending on common sense.

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Key Players in the History of

Psychology:

Roots of psychology can betraced back 2000 years agoto the early philosophers,biologists, and physiologistsof ancient Greece.

Hippocrates Greek

Physiologist that thought the

mind or soul resided in thebrain.

He believed that it was notcomposed of a physicalsubstance.

This is called mind-body-dualism seeing mind andbody as two different thingsthat interact.

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Psychology:

Plato (350 B.C.) Greek philosopher that believed

that who we are and what we know are innate

(inborn).

AristotlePlatos student believed that who we are

and what we know are acquired from experience.

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Psychology:

About 2000 yrs. later John Lockeand Rene Descartes had asimilar argument.

John Locke Believed thatknowledge comes fromobservation, and what we knowcomes from experience.

He coined the term tabula rasa blank slate.

The mind is like a blank slate inwhich the environment writesupon.

Rene Descartes Believed thatwhat we know is innate.

Focused much of his researchon how the nervous systemresponds

I think therefore I am.

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Nature vs. Nurture Controversy:

The debate about the

extent to which ourbehavior is inborn orlearned throughexperience is called thenature vs. nurturecontroversy.

Nature: Certainelementary ideas areinnate to the human mind;not gained throughexperience

Men are born, not made

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Nature vs. Nurture (cont.)

Nurture: Anythingthat we know, we

have learned through

experience.

Our mind is like ablank slate (tabula

rasa; Locke) that the

environment writes

upon Men are made, not

born

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Where do the Spartans fall

into this nature vs. nurturecontroversy?


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Lesson Two: Approaches and

Schools of Psychology: Not all psychologists look atpsychology the same way.

Some believe that you arewho you are purely becauseof your genetics.

Some believe thatexperiences play a muchbigger factor.

Psychology is a broad fieldthat aims to answerquestions from manydifferent perspectives.

We are going to look at the

different schools andapproaches to psychology.

But first.. A quick poll towake you up!

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Lesson 2: Approaches and

Schools of Psychology: By the late 1800s,

psychology was beginningto emerge as a separatescientific discipline.

Biologist Charles Darwincame up with the theory ofnatural selection.

Psychology branched intotwo schools of psychology(structuralism andfunctionalism) and from

there several approachesto psychology.

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Structuralism: Wilhelm Wundt

Wilhelm Wundt Credited asthe founder of scientificpsychology because in 1879 heset up a research laboratory inGermany.

The lab was dedicated to thescientific study of consciousexperiences and sensations.

Introspection the process oflooking inward to identify howone feels, thinks, or acts.

he replicated his studies indifferent conditions with similarresults.

Wundt helped found the School

of Structuralism which aimed tofocus on the structure of themind and indentify the basicelements of consciousness.

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Functionalism: William James:

William James was apsychologist that felt thatWundt was asking thewrong questions.

James was moreinterested in the function

or purpose of behavioralacts.

School of Functionalism Researchers thatfocused on how we adaptto our environments.(stream of consciousness)

Main Goal: Explainhuman behavior

Also wrote firstpsychology textbook

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Gestalt Psychology:

Max Wertheimer founded GestaltPsychology

The whole is more than the sum of its parts

Example: A beautiful painting

A painting is more than just colors and line its an experience

So, each person has a completely different

experience when viewing the world mustbe sensitive to this during therapy.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology:

Behavioral Behavioral Approach

Focuses on measuringand recording observablebehavior. (behavior resultsfrom learning)

Pavlov and his dogs,Watson and Baby Albert,Skinner and his rats.(rewards, punishments,and associations)

All these men believed

that psychology should bethe science of behavior.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Psychoanalytic /

Psychodynamic

PsychoanalyticApproach Focuses onunconscious internalconflicts to explain mentaldisorders, personality, andmotivation.

Sigmund Freuddeveloped this approachand focused onunconscious desires(Freudian slips, life anddeath instincts, libido,early life experiences.

PsychodynamicApproach Those thatvaried Freuds ideas butkept with the roots ofpsychoanalysis.

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Humanistic Humanistic Approach

Emphases the importanceof peoples feelings andview human nature asnaturally positive andgrowth seeking.

Abraham Maslow(Hierarchy of Needs) andCarl Rogers(Unconditional PositiveRegard) led the charge.

This approach came outthe 60s and 70s.

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Biological

Biological Approach Examines howcomplex chemicaland biologicalprocesses within the

nervous andendocrine systemsare related to thebehavior oforganisms.

Much research isbeing done todayusing this approachBrain based research.

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Cognitive Cognitive Approach

Emphasizes theimportance ofreceiving, storing, andprocessing

information. It also focuses on

thinking, reasoning,and using languageto understand humanbehavior.

Cognition thinkingand memory.

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Evolutionary Evolutionary

ApproachAttemptsto explain behaviorpatterns asadaptations naturally

selected to increasereproductive success.

This approach usesDarwins theory ofnatural selection as abasis.

Darwin wrote Originof Species.

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Eight Approaches to Psychology: Socio-cultural

As time progressed morepeople were traveling andvisiting other cultures.

Psychologists soonrecognized the differencein cultural gestures, body

language, and spokenlanguage.

Socio-cultural Approach Examines the culturaldifferences in an attemptto understand, predict,

and control behavior.

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Eclectic

The most widely used psychologicalapproach today is eclectic

Eclectic No one perspective can

best explain all human behavior SoEclectic psychologists use a

combination of all the approaches

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Lesson 3: Subfields of

Psychology: Psychology is a broad field There are many jobs

available with a psychologydegree

Historically though, thiswasnt always the case.

Psychology saw a hugeboom after World War II.

Many opportunities arose inclinical and counselingpsychology.

In addition, schoolpsychology started tobecome more popular asresearchers data indicatedthat children perform betterwhen they are taught usingtheir respective learning

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Subfields of Psychology: Clinical Psychologists

Evaluate and treat mental,emotional, and behavioraldisorders. (OCD, Schizophrenia)

Counseling PsychologistsHelp people adapt to change ormake changes in their lifestyle.

(Analyze This) Developmental Psychologists

Study psychologicaldevelopment throughout alifespan. (Piaget)

Engineering Psychologists

Do research on how peoplefunction best with machines.(assembly lines)

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Subfields of Psychology: Educational

Psychologists Focus onhow effective teaching andlearning take place.(consultants)

Forensic PsychologistsApply psychological

principles to legal issues.(crimes)

Health PsychologistsConcentrate on biological,psychological, and socialfactors associated withhealth and illness.(hospitals)

Industrial/OrganizationalPsychologists Aim toimprove productivity andthe quality of work life byapplying psychological

principles and methods tothe workplace. (Panera)

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Subfields of Psychology:

Neuro-psychologistsExplore the relationshipbetween brain/nervoussystems and behavior.(Laboratory research)

Psychometricians Focus

on methods for acquiring andanalyzing psychological data.(research based)

Rehabilitation Psychologists Help clients with mentalretardation, developmentaldisabilities, and disabilitiesresulting from neurologicalinjury. (stroke)

School PsychologistsAssess and counsel students,consult with educators andparents, and perform

behavioral intervention whennecessary. (Mrs. Waikem)

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Subfields of Psychology:

Social PsychologistsFocus on how a personsmental life and behavior areshaped by interactions withother people. (can beworkplace related)

Sports PsychologistsHelp athletes refine theirfocus on competition goals,increase motivation, anddeal with anxiety and fear offailure. (ProfessionalAthletes)

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ap - history and approaches

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