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1 of 26 1 of 26 1 of 26
PSYC 1010: Lecture 1 Week 1 Notes
- Psychology is the study of the mind, brain, and behaviour.
o More than a collection of knowledge, it is a way of gathering knowledge.
- Levels of Analysis
o Like a ladder, moving from biological to psychological to social/cultural.
o Can’t fully explain psychological phenomenon if we only focus on one level (we
need to understand the basic makeup of our brain in order to conceptualize).
Social Culture Influences
Social or Behavioural Level (involves relating to others and
personal relationships)
How we shape the world and how the world shapes us.
Psychological
Mental or Neurological Level (involves thoughts, feelings, and
emotions)
Biological
Molecular or Neurochemical (involves molecules and brain
structure)
- 7 Key Themes -some will be elaborated on later on (i.e. week two)
- Themes related to psychology as a field of study:
1. Psychology is empirical.
2. Psychology is theoretically diverse.
3. Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context.
- Themes related to psychology’s subject matter:
4. Behaviour is determined by multiple causes.
5. Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage.
6. Behaviour is influenced jointly by heredity and environment (never nature vs
nurture, it’s both).
- 7. Finally, people’s experience of the world is highly subjective (we all view the world
differently or in other words we all have a biased lens).
- Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
o Pushed for psychology as independent discipline.
o Established the first Psychology lab in 1879
o Psychology was born!
- Structuralism
o Led by Wundt and Titchener
o Conscious mental processes are made up of basic element (sensations and
feelings).
o Psychology should ONLY focus on identifying these basic elements and on
immediate experience.
o Method: systematic observation (introspection).
E.g. observing one’s reactions to lights, sounds, colours.
- Margaret Floy Washburn
o 1st woman in the U.S. to receive a Ph.D.
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1 of 26 1 of 26 1 of 26
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2 of 26 2 of 26 2 of 26
o Wrote, “The Animal Mind,” compilation of experimental studies exploring the
conscious processes such as learning and attention in animals.
o Considered one of the most important publications in comparative psychology.
- Functionalism
o Led by William James, influenced by Charles Darwin
o Higher mental processes developed over time because of adaptive value.
o Identify states of mind and the functions they perform for humans.
o Psychology = focus on the description and explanation of reasoning, memory,
feelings, attention, etc.
- Behaviourism
o Led by John Watson
o Psychology = scientific study of ONLY observable behaviour.
No study of higher mental processes (rejects idea of mind outright).
o Psychology is about prediction and control of human behaviour.
o All human behaviour explained by external variables (stimulus-response).
- Radical Behaviourism
o Led by B. F. Skinner, who argued:
Environmental factors determine behaviour
Responses that lead to positive outcomes are repeated.
Responses that lead to negative outcomes are nor repeated.
Can be argued by the fact that there are repeat offenders in terms
of the prison and judiciary system or when children are scolded
and repeat the same action.
Free will is an illusion – we are all controlled by our environments.
Can be argued with the fact that wind doesn’t blow us where it
may. We are our own conscious beings that experience thoughts
and feelings which are affected by a plethora of different life
experiences.
His influence still felt in factories, schools, prisons, hospitals.
- Psychoanalytic
o Led by Freud, an Austrian physician
o Opposite of behaviourism
Proposed that rather than look at external factors/environment and how
they affect us to instead look at the internal factors.
o Behaviour is the result of powerful unconscious forces or what he called “drives”.
E.g., thoughts, memories, desires we aren’t aware of.
Instead of tabula rasa babies are instead born with problematic drives that
society has to than curb.
o Unconscious conflict around sexuality plays a central role in behaviour.
Id, ego, superego
Oedipus complex and penis envy
- The Humanists Revolt
- Growing opposition to Psychoanalysis and Behaviourism.
o Argued it was dehumanizing and mechanistic.
o Brought humanity back to psychology.
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2 of 26 2 of 26 2 of 26
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1 Week 1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
3 of 26 3 of 26 3 of 26
- New school of thought – Humanitarian
o Led by Maslow and Rogers
o Adopted optimistic view of human nature (rather than just viewing dark sexual
drives they looked at way makes being a human positive).
o Emphasized unique qualities of humans, free will, and potential for personal
growth.
o Studied experiences like love, grief, caring.
- What is a scientific theory?
- Explanation for a large number of findings or observations that ties multiple findings
together.
o E.g., Attachment theory
- Good theory generates predictions that can be tested (hypotheses).
o E.g., Children of Neglectful, absent parents are more likely to develop insecure
attachments in future relationships.
- Scientific Skepticism
- Key ingredients:
o An open mind to all claims
o Accept only claims that have been subjected to stringent scientific tests.
o Unwillingness to accept claims based on only one authority alone.
o Willingness to change your mind with new evidence.
- Pseudoscience
o Claims that appear scientific. But aren’t.
- Signs of Pseudoscience
o Exaggerated claims, overreliance on anecdotes, absence of connectivity to other
research, absence of peer review and replications, lack of self-correction, use of
psychobabble or jargon, talk of “proof” instead of evidence.
- Dangers of Pseudoscience
o Opportunity cost
Waste time, money, on useless treatments
Miss out on useful, evidence-based treatments
o Direct harm
Treatments can cause real harm, even death
o Impaired scientific/ critical thinking skills
Impair decision making on crucial issues
Fall victim to political ads, marketing
- Six Principles of Scientific Thinking
1. Ruling out rival hypotheses
a) Presentations of only one explanation for a behaviour (we know
most behaviours are multiply determined).
b) What are other potential explanations for a given behaviour? (why
aren’t they being presented or tested?)
i. Why aren’t these findings being tested or ruled out?
2. Correlation vs. Causation
a) Two variables cam be correlated, but we cannot say for certain that
one CAUSES the other.
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3 of 26 3 of 26 3 of 26
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1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
1 Week 1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
1 of 26 1 of 26 1 of 26
PSYC 1010: Lecture 1 Week 1 Notes
- Psychology is the study of the mind, brain, and behaviour.
o More than a collection of knowledge, it is a way of gathering knowledge.
- Levels of Analysis
o Like a ladder, moving from biological to psychological to social/cultural.
o Can’t fully explain psychological phenomenon if we only focus on one level (we
need to understand the basic makeup of our brain in order to conceptualize).
Social Culture Influences
Social or Behavioural Level (involves relating to others and
personal relationships)
How we shape the world and how the world shapes us.
Psychological
Mental or Neurological Level (involves thoughts, feelings, and
emotions)
Biological
Molecular or Neurochemical (involves molecules and brain
structure)
- 7 Key Themes -some will be elaborated on later on (i.e. week two)
- Themes related to psychology as a field of study:
1. Psychology is empirical.
2. Psychology is theoretically diverse.
3. Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context.
- Themes related to psychology’s subject matter:
4. Behaviour is determined by multiple causes.
5. Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage.
6. Behaviour is influenced jointly by heredity and environment (never nature vs
nurture, it’s both).
- 7. Finally, people’s experience of the world is highly subjective (we all view the world
differently or in other words we all have a biased lens).
- Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
o Pushed for psychology as independent discipline.
o Established the first Psychology lab in 1879
o Psychology was born!
- Structuralism
o Led by Wundt and Titchener
o Conscious mental processes are made up of basic element (sensations and
feelings).
o Psychology should ONLY focus on identifying these basic elements and on
immediate experience.
o Method: systematic observation (introspection).
E.g. observing one’s reactions to lights, sounds, colours.
- Margaret Floy Washburn
o 1st woman in the U.S. to receive a Ph.D.
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1 Week 1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
1 of 26 1 of 26 1 of 26
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1 Week
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1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
1 Week 1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
2 of 26 2 of 26 2 of 26
o Wrote, “The Animal Mind,” compilation of experimental studies exploring the
conscious processes such as learning and attention in animals.
o Considered one of the most important publications in comparative psychology.
- Functionalism
o Led by William James, influenced by Charles Darwin
o Higher mental processes developed over time because of adaptive value.
o Identify states of mind and the functions they perform for humans.
o Psychology = focus on the description and explanation of reasoning, memory,
feelings, attention, etc.
- Behaviourism
o Led by John Watson
o Psychology = scientific study of ONLY observable behaviour.
No study of higher mental processes (rejects idea of mind outright).
o Psychology is about prediction and control of human behaviour.
o All human behaviour explained by external variables (stimulus-response).
- Radical Behaviourism
o Led by B. F. Skinner, who argued:
Environmental factors determine behaviour
Responses that lead to positive outcomes are repeated.
Responses that lead to negative outcomes are nor repeated.
Can be argued by the fact that there are repeat offenders in terms
of the prison and judiciary system or when children are scolded
and repeat the same action.
Free will is an illusion – we are all controlled by our environments.
Can be argued with the fact that wind doesn’t blow us where it
may. We are our own conscious beings that experience thoughts
and feelings which are affected by a plethora of different life
experiences.
His influence still felt in factories, schools, prisons, hospitals.
- Psychoanalytic
o Led by Freud, an Austrian physician
o Opposite of behaviourism
Proposed that rather than look at external factors/environment and how
they affect us to instead look at the internal factors.
o Behaviour is the result of powerful unconscious forces or what he called “drives”.
E.g., thoughts, memories, desires we aren’t aware of.
Instead of tabula rasa babies are instead born with problematic drives that
society has to than curb.
o Unconscious conflict around sexuality plays a central role in behaviour.
Id, ego, superego
Oedipus complex and penis envy
- The Humanists Revolt
- Growing opposition to Psychoanalysis and Behaviourism.
o Argued it was dehumanizing and mechanistic.
o Brought humanity back to psychology.
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2 of 26 2 of 26 2 of 26
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1 Week
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1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
1 Week 1 Notes.pdf2026/10/23Page
3 of 26 3 of 26 3 of 26
- New school of thought – Humanitarian
o Led by Maslow and Rogers
o Adopted optimistic view of human nature (rather than just viewing dark sexual
drives they looked at way makes being a human positive).
o Emphasized unique qualities of humans, free will, and potential for personal
growth.
o Studied experiences like love, grief, caring.
- What is a scientific theory?
- Explanation for a large number of findings or observations that ties multiple findings
together.
o E.g., Attachment theory
- Good theory generates predictions that can be tested (hypotheses).
o E.g., Children of Neglectful, absent parents are more likely to develop insecure
attachments in future relationships.
- Scientific Skepticism
- Key ingredients:
o An open mind to all claims
o Accept only claims that have been subjected to stringent scientific tests.
o Unwillingness to accept claims based on only one authority alone.
o Willingness to change your mind with new evidence.
- Pseudoscience
o Claims that appear scientific. But aren’t.
- Signs of Pseudoscience
o Exaggerated claims, overreliance on anecdotes, absence of connectivity to other
research, absence of peer review and replications, lack of self-correction, use of
psychobabble or jargon, talk of “proof” instead of evidence.
- Dangers of Pseudoscience
o Opportunity cost
Waste time, money, on useless treatments
Miss out on useful, evidence-based treatments
o Direct harm
Treatments can cause real harm, even death
o Impaired scientific/ critical thinking skills
Impair decision making on crucial issues
Fall victim to political ads, marketing
- Six Principles of Scientific Thinking
1. Ruling out rival hypotheses
a) Presentations of only one explanation for a behaviour (we know
most behaviours are multiply determined).
b) What are other potential explanations for a given behaviour? (why
aren’t they being presented or tested?)
i. Why aren’t these findings being tested or ruled out?
2. Correlation vs. Causation
a) Two variables cam be correlated, but we cannot say for certain that
one CAUSES the other.
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3 of 26 3 of 26 3 of 26
