SLK110
CHAPTER 1 NOTES
Please note that these notes have been sourced
from Wayne Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and
Variations. I do not take credit for the information
in this document.
Goodluck! J
Taneil Thompson
University of Pretoria, 2020
, Taneil Thompson
Psychology- SLK110
Chapter 1
*Please note that I have worked directly from the module outcomes as well
as the module textbook*
1. Define the core components of psychology
Psychology= ‘Psyche’ meaning soul and ‘logos’ referring to the study of a
subject. This term gained popularity in the early eighteenth century.
What is psychology?
Scientific study of the mind, mental processes and behaviour.
The Mind Mental Processes Behaviour
Originates in the Refer to activities in the brain that Any response
brain and fosters are required to produce a carried out by an
human sequence of systematic actions, organism
consciousness changes and functions.
Produces mental Since the mind produces mental Behaviour is an
processes processes, when one of the action which is
(thoughts, processes are disrupted it means either a reaction
memory, there is a disorder of the mind. As (response to input
perception, a result of this disorder, one’s stimuli) or a
reasoning) which behaviour is also disturbed. functional pattern
affect behaviour. in a system
Conscious and unconscious (action pattern in
processes make us sentient (being a system under
able to perceive or feel things) normal
beings. conditions)
- In Psychology we use systematic methods to identify, analyze and
describe phenomena.
2. Understand how psychology was not ‘created’.
The framework of Psychology:
- Psychology is classic, but its framework is contemporary. This means that
it is historical, but also progressive and fluidity is central to the
development and survival of psychology.
- The framework centers on mental and behavioural processes
University of Pretoria 2020
CHAPTER 1 NOTES
Please note that these notes have been sourced
from Wayne Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and
Variations. I do not take credit for the information
in this document.
Goodluck! J
Taneil Thompson
University of Pretoria, 2020
, Taneil Thompson
Psychology- SLK110
Chapter 1
*Please note that I have worked directly from the module outcomes as well
as the module textbook*
1. Define the core components of psychology
Psychology= ‘Psyche’ meaning soul and ‘logos’ referring to the study of a
subject. This term gained popularity in the early eighteenth century.
What is psychology?
Scientific study of the mind, mental processes and behaviour.
The Mind Mental Processes Behaviour
Originates in the Refer to activities in the brain that Any response
brain and fosters are required to produce a carried out by an
human sequence of systematic actions, organism
consciousness changes and functions.
Produces mental Since the mind produces mental Behaviour is an
processes processes, when one of the action which is
(thoughts, processes are disrupted it means either a reaction
memory, there is a disorder of the mind. As (response to input
perception, a result of this disorder, one’s stimuli) or a
reasoning) which behaviour is also disturbed. functional pattern
affect behaviour. in a system
Conscious and unconscious (action pattern in
processes make us sentient (being a system under
able to perceive or feel things) normal
beings. conditions)
- In Psychology we use systematic methods to identify, analyze and
describe phenomena.
2. Understand how psychology was not ‘created’.
The framework of Psychology:
- Psychology is classic, but its framework is contemporary. This means that
it is historical, but also progressive and fluidity is central to the
development and survival of psychology.
- The framework centers on mental and behavioural processes
University of Pretoria 2020
