Psychology Unit 1 Ms Mena WIKI You should have received the invitation to join our wiki via email. O http://psychatwrsc2011.wikispaces.com/ DEFINING PSYCHOLOGY O The study of psychology involves the investigation of human behaviour and mental processes using scientific research methods. The main goals of psychology are to describe, predict, control and explain thoughts, feelings and behaviour. That is, psychologists seek to understand thoughts, feelings and behaviour and the factors that both underlie their development and influence them. BEHAVIOUR & MENTAL PROCESS DISTINCTION BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY O A psychologist completes the equivalent of four years of full-time study in a recognised psychology course at a university and an additional two years of full-time (or equivalent) post-graduate study in psychology at a university, or two years full-time (or equivalent) training under the supervision of a qualified and registered psychologist. O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQf7O3GeHV k O A psychiatrist is a qualified medical doctor who has obtained additional qualifications to become a specialist in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illness and emotional problems (RANZCP, 2009). Psychiatrists first undertake six years of university study and training to gain their basic medical qualifications as a doctor. They then work as an intern in a general hospital for a further 12 months to gain practical experience in medicine and surgery. This enables them to become fully registered as medical practitioners. Following their internship, they must complete at least one further year as a Resident Medical Officer. This year must include experience in psychiatry, during which their suitability to train as a psychiatrist is assessed. Post-graduate training in psychiatry takes a further five years, sometimes more. PSYCHOLOGY AS A PROFESSION O The study of psychology can lead to opportunities in a range of careers that involve working with children, adolescents, adults, families and communities in a variety of work settings. For example, opportunities exist in industry, community mental health services, within government departments in the public service, in schools, correctional services, the defence forces, emergency services, with sports teams or in a university as a lecturer and/or researcher. Some psychologists work by themselves; for example, in a private practice. Others choose to work as part of a team in a bigger organisation. A psychologist's clients may be individuals, a couple, a family or a large group. ORIGINS OF CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY O The desire to understand ourselves and others has probably existed since our early ancestors developed the ability to reflect on human nature, or ‘what makes people tick’. It is possible that they were just as curious as we are today about why people think, feel and behave as they do. However, the earliest origins of psychology are usually traced back to the writings of the great philosophers in ancient Greece. This is primarily because many issues relating to human behaviour and mental processes that have been and continue to be important and controversial in psychology, have their roots in questions first debated by philosophers. We consider two key issues prominent in psychology that originated in philosophy. O Philosophical roots of psychology O One important question was whether we are born with our thoughts, feelings and behaviour (via our genes), or whether they are acquired through life experiences. For example, are we born with a set of personality characteristics that remain relatively unchanged throughout our entire lives, or does our personality gradually develop after birth through the experiences we have when we interact with others? Still not fully resolved, this question on the influence of the genes we inherit from our biological parents compared with that of our various life experiences is referred to by psychologists as the nature versus nurture or heredity versus environment debate. O The mind–brain problem essentially involves questions about the relationship between brain activity and conscious experience; that is, the relationship between what our brain does and our awareness of our own existence and activities, and of objects and events in the external world. For instance, is our mind separate from our brain? Is our mind basically brain activity or is it our inner, personal experience of what our brain does? Is consciousness just one aspect of our mind? Does our mind become aware of what our brain does? If so, is our mind dependent on brain activity in order to become aware? Does our brain trigger conscious experience? Is conscious experience a byproduct of brain activity? What comes first, brain activity or conscious experience? Although there is no universally accepted solution to the mind–brain problem, it is likely that the rapidly advancing discipline of neuroscience will eventually lead psychologists to a better understanding of the relationship between conscious experience and brain activity. O Scientific roots of psychology O By the nineteenth century, scientists were making progress in answering questions about human behaviour and mental processes that philosophers could not. Some philosophers were sceptical (very doubtful) that scientific methods were relevant to the study of mental processes. They believed that the mind was not a physical object and could therefore not be directly observed, measured or manipulated scientifically, for example, in the way that physicists study the nature of light or gravity through systematic observation and experimentation. However, other philosophers began to look more and more to science for guidance in the study of psychological topics. CLASSIC PERSPECTIVES AND THEORIES IN PSYCHOLOGY O Structuralism – Wilhelm Wundt O Wundt defined psychology as the study of consciousness. He also promoted his belief that psychology should be established as a separate scientific discipline that used experimental methods to study mental processes. Look at this object and try to ignore what it is. Instead, try to describe your conscious experience, such as redness, brightness and roundness, and how intense and clear the sensations and images are. If you can do this, you would have been an excellent research assistant in Wundt's laboratory. O Functionalism – William James O Like Wundt, James defined psychology as the study of consciousness. However, he disagreed with Wundt's approach to separating consciousness into its different elements. James believed this approach misrepresented the ‘wholeness’ of consciousness and its role (functions) in our lives. Instead, he stressed the importance of the adaptability of consciousness and our ability to change our behaviour when necessary to function effectively in a constantly changing environment. O Psychoanalysis – Sigmund Freud O Psychoanalysis focuses on the roles of unconscious conflicts and motivations in understanding and explaining behaviour and mental processes. According to Freud, our unconscious is a part of the mind below our level of normal conscious awareness. We are not usually aware of what is going on inside our unconscious because it is hidden from our conscious awareness. Freud believed that the unconscious contained instinctive sexual and aggressive needs. These instincts are accompanied by urges and impulses to behave in a way that enables the needs to be met. In this sense, the instinctive needs are motivators or ‘triggers’ of behaviour. However, if we acted on the urges and impulses created by the instinctive needs, our behaviour would be socially unacceptable. Consequently, conflicts arise between our attempts to satisfy our impulses and urges, and what is acceptable in the real world. O Behaviourism – John B. Watson O Behaviourists believe that almost everything a person (or animal) does is influenced by rewards and punishments in everyday life. According to behaviourists, we tend to repeat behaviours that we find rewarding in some way and avoid or not repeat behaviours we associate with punishment. In this sense, we are controlled by our environment because this is the source of rewards and punishments. O Humanism – Carl Rogers O Humanism, also called humanistic psychology, is an approach to understanding and explaining behaviour and mental processes that focuses on the uniqueness of each individual person and the positive qualities and potential of all human beings to fulfil their lives. Drawing on the meaning of the term ‘humane’, humanism is based on the assumption that all people are born good and that, throughout their life, each individual strives to reach their full potential, whatever that might be. O Maslow’s theory of self-actualisation CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES AND THEORIES IN PSYCHOLOGY O Biological perspective O The biological perspective focuses on the biological (physiological) influences on behaviour and mental processes, including the brain and the rest of the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, the immune system and genetics. A major assumption of the biological perspective is that all our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are associated with underlying bodily activities and processes. For example, when you think, a specific area of your brain is active, and the area differs, depending on what you think about. O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMLzP1VCANo O Behavioural perspective O Contemporary psychologists who take the behavioural perspective emphasise the importance of studying environmental influences on observable behaviour. More specifically, the behavioural perspective focuses on how behaviour is acquired or modified by environmental consequences such as rewards and punishments. A key assumption of the behavioural perspective is that all behaviour can be explained in terms of learning processes. O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlr HA O Cognitive perspective O Generally, the main subject matter of cognitive psychology has not changed greatly since the first cognitive theories were proposed. Cognitive psychologists still focus on mental processes that take place inside our brain. In contemporary psychology, the cognitive perspective focuses on how we acquire, process, remember and use information about ourselves and the world around us. Basically, the emphasis is on understanding how we take in information and how we treat the information in order to think, feel and behave as we do. A major assumption of the cognitive perspective is that internal mental processes are important in their own right, as well as important influences on observable behaviour. That is, in order to understand what makes people ‘tick’ and do what they do, it is essential to know what is actually going on inside their brains. O Memory as an information process system. The information processing approach explains mental processes by making comparisons between the human brain and a computer. O Socio-cultural perspective O The socio-cultural perspective focuses on the roles of social and cultural influences on human behaviour and mental processes. It is assumed that sociocultural factors such as sex, race, age, income level and the culture in which people grow up are important influences. The socio part of the term refers to the study of influences within a society or culture; for example, how sex, race, age or income level can affect how we think, feel or behave. The cultural part refers to the study of similarities and differences in how people think, feel and behave across different cultures. O Culture is the way of life of a particular group of people; for example, the beliefs, values, attitudes, customs, ways of behaving, forms of expression and so on, which are shared by most members of a group of people. It is passed from one generation to the next by tradition, example and stories rather than by genes. A culture is often associated with a particular country. SCIENTIFIC NATURE OF PSYCHOLOGY O The term scientific method refers to the systematic approach for planning, conducting and reporting research which involves collecting empirical evidence. Empirical evidence is data (information) collected directly by observation, or, more frequently in psychology, through experimentation. Collecting data through empirically based research allows psychologists to draw accurate conclusions, which are more likely to be free from personal biases. CHECKLIST AND REVISION O Checklist of what you should have completed for chapter 1: O 1. Holiday Homework: Learning Activities 1.1, 1.4 (qs1), 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 1.10. 2. Homework and classwork: Learning Activities 1.15, worksheet “Major perspectives in psychology”, Learning Activity 1.17 Revision: O 1. Complete the True/False Quiz on page 45 O 2. Complete Chapter Test on page 46-48
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