AP PSYCHOLOGY

THE BASICS

TO KNOW AND REMEMBER

Prescientific History

• Rene Descartes :1596-1605– 1. Dualism – mind & body viewed as interactive

machines– 2. Two kinds of ideas of the human mind-innate

( inborn) and derived – acquired through experience.

*John Locke-1632 – 1704

1. Tabula Rasa

2. Empiricist approach – knowledge should be acquired by careful observation

Historical Approaches

• A. Structuralism: • 1. study of the most basic elements, primarily sensations

and perceptions that make up our conscious mental experiences.

• 2. Wilhelm Wundt: Father of Psychology• 3. Introspection – method of exploring conscious mental

processes.

• 4. Criticism – too narrow and subjective – unscientific,

solely dependent on self-reports.

• B. Functionalism– 1. Study of the function rather that the structure of

consciousness were interested in how our minds adapt to our changing environment.

– 2. William James: first textbook – Principle of Psychology.

– Why did mental activities develop?C. Gestalt Approach: 1. Emphasizes that perception is more that the sum of

its parts2. Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka3. Phi phenomenon – when a fixed light appears to

move, because of how they flash.D. Behaviorism: Emphasizes the objective, scientific

analysis of observable behavior.

Early Milestones in Scientific Psychology

• A. G. Stanley Hall– 1. Founded the first psych. Lab in the US. Started first

American psych. Journal.– 2. Founded APA – 1892B. Herman Ebbinghaus – 1st experiments on memoryC. Edward Titchener- Wundt student- became one of the first

psychologists in the USD. Sigmund Freud- Interpretation of Dreams – psychoanalytic

theoryE. E. Margaret Floy Washburn: First woman to receive Ph.D.F. May Whiton Calkins: First woman elected president of APAG. Ivan Pavlov: Study of reflexes – influence on learningH. John D. Watson – Leader of behaviorism – psychology should

study observable behavior not consciousnessI. Francis Cecil Sumner: First African-American PH.D. in psych

CONTEMPORARY THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS

• 1. Psychoanalytical approach: Based on the belief that childhood experiences greatly influence the development of later personality traits and psychological problems

• Sigmund Freud: developed this approach – a physician• Why do we have anxiety or psychological problems?• Criticism: not based on experimental evidence –

untestable– Influence- extremely influential on American Psychology– Neo- Freudians – accepted the broad features of Freud, but

revised some of it – Carl Jung, Karen Horney, Anna Freud

Behaviorist Perspective

• Analyzes how organisms learn new behaviors or modify existing ones, depending on whether events in their environment reward or punish these behaviors.

• John Watson – psycho. should be considered an objective, experimental science, whose goal should be the analysis of observable behaviors and the prediction and control of those behaviors.

• Albert Bandura: social learning approach – our behaviors are influenced not only by environmental events and reinforcers but also by observation, imitation and thought processes.

HAUMANISTIC APPROACH

• Emphasizes that each individual has great freedom in driving his or her future, a large capacity for achieving personal growth, a considerable amount of intrinsic worth and enormous potential for self-improvement.

• Humanism emphasizes – positive side of human nature, creative tendencies, and its inclination to build caring relationships.

• Self-determination – behavior is the product of free-will, opposed determinism of behaviorism and psychoanalysis.

• Abraham Maslow – (hierarchy of needs) Carl Rogers – a minister turned psychologist, Gordon Allport

BIOLOGICAL APPROACH – AKANEUROBIOLOGICAL

• Examines how our genes, hormones, and nervous system interact with our environments to influence.

• Roger Sperry – won Nobel Prize

• Technology – advancements have helped in growth

• Led to medicine to treat disorders

COGNITIVE APPROACH

• Aims to investigate the mind and how one acquires, stores, and processes information

• Jean Piaget – Noam Chomsky –Herbert Simon

• Advocates of cognitive psychology point out that people’s manipulations of mental images surely influence how they behave.

CROSS-CULTURAL OR SOCIO-CULTURAL APPROACH

• Studies the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences

• Behavior is heavily influenced by culture, by social norms and expectations, and by social learning.

• The conditions in which the social and cultural situation predict behavior.

EVOLUTIONARY/SOCIOBIOLOGICAL

• Behavior has developed and adapted over time.

• Connects contemporary psychology with central ideas of live sciences, Darwin’s theory of natural selection – mental abilities evolved just as physical abilities.

• Behavior is determined by natural selection

• How do behaviors change over time?

TRAIT APPROACH

• Individual differences result from differences in our underlying patterns of stable characteristics (traits)

• Behavior results from each person’s unique combination of traits.

• Can we predict behavior?

TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS

• Practitioners: therapy, counseling, consulting, may conduct research.

• Academic: Colleges, teaching, research, writing, may consult, practice.

• Researchers: employed by industry, business, and the government

• Examine diverse phenomena:– The effects of coffee breaks on work productivity– Optimal training procedures for a specific job.– Ways to change behaviors that would prevent the

spread of HIV

SUBFIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS

• Clinical: largest group of practitioners– Diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders.– Psychological testing, interviewing, therapy

Counseling Psychologists:

Moderate problems

marital or family counseling

School Psychologist: Concerned with social, intellectual, emotional development of students.

Work with children, parents, teachers

Test students for special programs

MORE SUBFIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS

• Educational psychologists: teacher training, curriculum design, other

• Industrial/Organizational Psychologist– Work in business and industry– Attempt to improve productivity– Works with advertisers, study consumer behavior,

design equipment

Experimental Psychologist: Broad classification for lab researchers

Work in specific areas of research – like memory

MORE SUBFIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS

• Social psychologist:– Experimental who study social situations– Conformity, obedience, leadership

Psychometric psychologist:

Measures behavior

Skilled at using statistical procedures to develop reliable and valid test

PSYCHIATRIST : MD’s