Aug 27, 2025 Week 1, class 1
Psychology : the scientific study of behavior and mental
processes
◦ Behavior
◦ Mental processes
◦ scientific study
• Goals of psychology
◦ Description
‣ observing a behavior and noting everything about
it (who?, what?, when?, where?)
◦ Explanation
‣ Theory: general explanation for the set of
observations or facts
‣ Why?
◦ Prediction
‣ when will it happen again?
‣ Can be tested
◦ Control
‣ How can behavior be changed?
(which of these goals are being focused on depends on the
research being conducted/ style of the researcher)
Psychological Professionals and Areas of
Specialization
• Areas of specialization:
◦ 34% Clinical
◦ 13% Counseling
◦ 12% Developmental
◦ 8% Experimental & other research
areas
◦ 6% cognitive • Places of work:
◦ 6% social & personality ◦ university
◦ 6% General ◦ social & other educational setting
◦ 5% industrial ◦ self employed
◦ 4% school ◦ private for profit
◦ 4% other ◦ private for non profit
◦ 2% educational
,The history of psychology
• Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
◦ connection between soul and body
• Plato (427-347 B.C.)
◦ dualism: body and soul separate but interrelated
• Descartes (1596-1650)
◦ mind and body have reciprocal interaction via pineal
gland
• Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) – “Father of Psychology”
◦ Dropped out of school
◦ medical school
◦ First psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany
(1879)
‣ mind consists of basic elements analyzed via
objective introspection (Process of examining and
measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities)
◦ Contributions:
‣ Studied nonphysical structure (Thoughts,
experiences, emotions, etc.)
‣ used Objective Introspection to study processes
that were the result of physical sensations
‣ Brought objectivity and measurement to psychology
‣ Trained other people, spreading the word (Wrote a
lot about psychology, research. 54k pgs of scholarly
work)
**How?
• Structuralism – Edward Titchener (1867 -1927)
◦ Focus is the structure, or basic elements, of the mind.
◦ Introspect about physical objects (''tell me about bananas") and thoughts (''tell
me about things that are yellow'')
**why?
• Functionalism – focus of study is how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work,
and play (William James (1842-1910))
◦ ''Streams of thoughts'' vs elements of mind
◦ Focusing on adaptation, living, working, playing - functioning in the real world
◦ Influenced by Darwin's natural selections (Behavioral traits)
,• Gestalt Psychology – early perspective; focus on perception and sensation,
particularly patterns and whole figures
◦ ''An organized whole''
◦ ''the whole is greater that the sum of its parts''
◦ Gestalt psychologists: People naturally seek out patterns (''wholes'') in
available sensory information
◦ Max Wertheimer E.g: computer example, breaking it down to
pieces
1. Why is Wundt ◦ Functionalists and Gestalt psychologists
father of would say: Structuralists are trying to
psychology? break everything down , but its only
2. what are the 2 valuable while its whole
perspectives that
developed
structuralism, and
what are its two
oppositions
7 Modern Perspectives
• Psychodynamic
‣ Freud’s Psychoanalysis – theory and therapy based on Freud’s work
• Sigmund Freud
◦ Neurologist in Australia
◦ Patients with ''nervous disorders'' - No physical cause
◦ Focus on unconscious and early childhood (how your childhood is connected to
how you are in adulthood)
◦ he argued that there's another part we cant access - unconscious mind
◦ Psychoanalysis is the theory and therapy based on Freud's work
• Modern psychodynamic perspective:
◦ Continued focus on the unconscious & early development
◦ Development of sense of self and inter-personal relationships
, • Behavioral
◦ Ivan Pavlov - Conditioning (‘Pavlov’s dogs’)
‣ developed opposition for structuralism
‣ people thought they were moving backwards, cause it was not
connected w science, so it was not helping the development of
science
‣ Focus on observable behavior
◦ John B. Watson - All behavior is learned (compare to Freud)
‣ He was concerned abut pavlov's study not being scientific and
wanted to bring psych back to a focus on science
‣ “Little Albert”
• He believed fears are learned via experience
• Fear is learned when neutral stimulus is paired with an
aversive stimulus like a loud noise ( Example: Snake + his
sister's friend)
• It just happens, you don't really have time to process
things
◦ B. F. Skinner
‣ Operant conditioning
• Focus = to explain how voluntary behavior is learned
• Punishment and reinforcement
• Learning but also learning NOT to learn things.
• Humanistic
◦ Developed as a reaction to psychoanalysis and
behaviorism
◦ People have the freedom to choose their own destiny
◦ Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers
• Cognitive
◦ Process of thoughts • Sociocultural
◦ Includes: ◦ Relationships between social behavior and culture
‣ Memories ◦ Effect that people have on one another
‣ Intelligence ◦ E.g: The way people explain things to each other
‣ Perception vary based on where these people are from
‣ Learning
‣ Cognitive Neuroscience (fMRI) • Biopsychological
◦ Attributes Human & animal behavior and
mental events to biological factors
◦ Hormones, Heredity, Brain chemicals, etc.
◦ AKA: Physiological psychology
• Evolutionary
◦ Explain useful mental/psychological traits (e.g.,
memory, perception, language)
◦ traits that help u survive and adapt
Psychology : the scientific study of behavior and mental
processes
◦ Behavior
◦ Mental processes
◦ scientific study
• Goals of psychology
◦ Description
‣ observing a behavior and noting everything about
it (who?, what?, when?, where?)
◦ Explanation
‣ Theory: general explanation for the set of
observations or facts
‣ Why?
◦ Prediction
‣ when will it happen again?
‣ Can be tested
◦ Control
‣ How can behavior be changed?
(which of these goals are being focused on depends on the
research being conducted/ style of the researcher)
Psychological Professionals and Areas of
Specialization
• Areas of specialization:
◦ 34% Clinical
◦ 13% Counseling
◦ 12% Developmental
◦ 8% Experimental & other research
areas
◦ 6% cognitive • Places of work:
◦ 6% social & personality ◦ university
◦ 6% General ◦ social & other educational setting
◦ 5% industrial ◦ self employed
◦ 4% school ◦ private for profit
◦ 4% other ◦ private for non profit
◦ 2% educational
,The history of psychology
• Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
◦ connection between soul and body
• Plato (427-347 B.C.)
◦ dualism: body and soul separate but interrelated
• Descartes (1596-1650)
◦ mind and body have reciprocal interaction via pineal
gland
• Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) – “Father of Psychology”
◦ Dropped out of school
◦ medical school
◦ First psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany
(1879)
‣ mind consists of basic elements analyzed via
objective introspection (Process of examining and
measuring one's own thoughts and mental activities)
◦ Contributions:
‣ Studied nonphysical structure (Thoughts,
experiences, emotions, etc.)
‣ used Objective Introspection to study processes
that were the result of physical sensations
‣ Brought objectivity and measurement to psychology
‣ Trained other people, spreading the word (Wrote a
lot about psychology, research. 54k pgs of scholarly
work)
**How?
• Structuralism – Edward Titchener (1867 -1927)
◦ Focus is the structure, or basic elements, of the mind.
◦ Introspect about physical objects (''tell me about bananas") and thoughts (''tell
me about things that are yellow'')
**why?
• Functionalism – focus of study is how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work,
and play (William James (1842-1910))
◦ ''Streams of thoughts'' vs elements of mind
◦ Focusing on adaptation, living, working, playing - functioning in the real world
◦ Influenced by Darwin's natural selections (Behavioral traits)
,• Gestalt Psychology – early perspective; focus on perception and sensation,
particularly patterns and whole figures
◦ ''An organized whole''
◦ ''the whole is greater that the sum of its parts''
◦ Gestalt psychologists: People naturally seek out patterns (''wholes'') in
available sensory information
◦ Max Wertheimer E.g: computer example, breaking it down to
pieces
1. Why is Wundt ◦ Functionalists and Gestalt psychologists
father of would say: Structuralists are trying to
psychology? break everything down , but its only
2. what are the 2 valuable while its whole
perspectives that
developed
structuralism, and
what are its two
oppositions
7 Modern Perspectives
• Psychodynamic
‣ Freud’s Psychoanalysis – theory and therapy based on Freud’s work
• Sigmund Freud
◦ Neurologist in Australia
◦ Patients with ''nervous disorders'' - No physical cause
◦ Focus on unconscious and early childhood (how your childhood is connected to
how you are in adulthood)
◦ he argued that there's another part we cant access - unconscious mind
◦ Psychoanalysis is the theory and therapy based on Freud's work
• Modern psychodynamic perspective:
◦ Continued focus on the unconscious & early development
◦ Development of sense of self and inter-personal relationships
, • Behavioral
◦ Ivan Pavlov - Conditioning (‘Pavlov’s dogs’)
‣ developed opposition for structuralism
‣ people thought they were moving backwards, cause it was not
connected w science, so it was not helping the development of
science
‣ Focus on observable behavior
◦ John B. Watson - All behavior is learned (compare to Freud)
‣ He was concerned abut pavlov's study not being scientific and
wanted to bring psych back to a focus on science
‣ “Little Albert”
• He believed fears are learned via experience
• Fear is learned when neutral stimulus is paired with an
aversive stimulus like a loud noise ( Example: Snake + his
sister's friend)
• It just happens, you don't really have time to process
things
◦ B. F. Skinner
‣ Operant conditioning
• Focus = to explain how voluntary behavior is learned
• Punishment and reinforcement
• Learning but also learning NOT to learn things.
• Humanistic
◦ Developed as a reaction to psychoanalysis and
behaviorism
◦ People have the freedom to choose their own destiny
◦ Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers
• Cognitive
◦ Process of thoughts • Sociocultural
◦ Includes: ◦ Relationships between social behavior and culture
‣ Memories ◦ Effect that people have on one another
‣ Intelligence ◦ E.g: The way people explain things to each other
‣ Perception vary based on where these people are from
‣ Learning
‣ Cognitive Neuroscience (fMRI) • Biopsychological
◦ Attributes Human & animal behavior and
mental events to biological factors
◦ Hormones, Heredity, Brain chemicals, etc.
◦ AKA: Physiological psychology
• Evolutionary
◦ Explain useful mental/psychological traits (e.g.,
memory, perception, language)
◦ traits that help u survive and adapt
