Objectives

 To be able to understand the scientific

nature of Psychology
 To enumerate the goals of Psychology
 To briefly trace the historical
development of Psychology
 To describe the different schools of
thought and contemporary approaches
in psychology
Objectives
 To be familiar with the different methods
used by psychologists
 To identify different issues tackled by
the different subfields of psychology.
Definition

Psychology – A scientific study of human behavior

and mental processes.
Etymologically, it came from the Greek words,
Psyche which means “soul” or “mind”, and Logos
which means “the study of.”
Definition
 Behavior - Any response or activity of an
organism. It can either be simple or complex;
overt or covert; conscious or unconscious;
voluntary or involuntary; rational or irrational.
Goals of Psychology
 To Describe
 To Explain
 To Predict
 To Control

 They use scientific methods to find

answers that are far more valid and
legitimate than those resulting from
intuition and speculation
Activity
 To test your knowledge of psychology, try
answering the following questions – True or False?
1. Infants love their mothers primarily because their
mothers fulfill their basic biological needs such as
providing food.
2. Geniuses generally have poor social adjustment
3. The best way to ensure that a desired behavior will
continue after training is completed is to reward that
behavior every single time it occurs during training
rather than rewarding it only periodically.
4. People with schizophrenia have at least two distinct
personalities.
5. If you are having trouble sleeping. the best way to
get to sleep is to take a sleeping pill.
Activity
 To test your knowledge of psychology. try answering
the following questions:

6. Children's IQ scores have little to do with how well

they do in school.
7. Frequent masturbation can lead to mental illness.
8. Once people reach old age, their leisure activities
change radically.
9. Most people would refuse to give painful electric
shocks to other people.
10. One of the least important factors affecting how
much we like another person is that person‘s
physical attractiveness
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
Aristotle (384 –322 BC) – He made assumptions
out of observation regarding human behavior. He
believed that all beings, humans included, have
souls, which animate them. Humans, however,
compared to other animal, have rational souls.
Thus, humans are not only, physical, but also
rational. He also theorized about learning,
memory, motivation, emotion, perception and
personality.
 Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
Rene Descartes
(1596 – 1650) - supported the
view that humans enter the
world with an inborn store of
knowledge. He argued that
some ideas (such as God, the
self, perfection and infinity) are
innate. He is also notable for
his conception of the body as
a machine that can be studied.
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
John Locke
(1632–1704) - Believed
that at birth the human
mind is a “tabula rasa”
or a blank slate, on
which experience
“writes” knowledge.
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology

Charles Darwin
(1809 – 1882) - He is the
author of the Law of
Natural Selection or
Theory of Evolution;
inspired the Psychological
school of thought,
Functionalism.
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology

Francis Galton
(1822–1911) - He was
concerned with the study
of individual differences.
He was considered as the
“Father of Mental tests”
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
Ernst Weber (1795–1878); Gustav Fechner;
Herman von Helmholtz (1821–1894) German
Physicians who started experimenting with behavior
through scientific methodologies.
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt – Considered as the “Father of
Modern Psychology.” He established the first
experimental laboratory for the study of Psychology,
in Leipzig, Germany, 1879. He created a machine
that measured the time lag between people’s
hearing a ball hit the platform and their pressing a
telegraph key. Wundt has seeking to measure the
“atoms of the mind” – the fastest and simplest
mental processes.
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt - in his laboratory in Leipzig,
Germany
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology

G. Stanley Hall
A student of Wundt’s
who established what
many consider as the
first American
psychology laboratory
at Johns Hopkins
University in 1883.
Important People in the
Dev’t. of Psychology

Hermann Ebbinghaus
- A German who reported
on the first experiments
on memory, 1885.
Schools of Thought

1. Structuralism (Edward Titchener) – Study of the

parts of conscious experiences through
introspection.
Conscious experiences are composed of sensations,
feelings, and images.
Introspection is a process of studying the self, or self-
examination. Introduced by St. Thomas of Aquinas.
Schools of Thought

2. Functionalism
(William James) – Defines
behavior or the mental
phenomena in terms of their
functions in man’s adjustment
to his environment. It is very
much influenced by Darwin’s
Theory of Evolution.
 Schools of Thought
3. Gestalt Psychology
(Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Koffka)
Believed that the human mind imposes meaning to
related experiences. It advocates that the study of
human behavior should be wholistic. “The whole is
greater than the sum of its parts.”
Schools of Thought

4. Behaviorism
(John B. Watson)
Emphasized the need to
study what is observable.
Its objective was to predict
and control behavior.
S-R Psychology.
Schools of Thought

5. Psychoanalysis
(Sigmund Freud) – Much of
our behavior is governed by
unconscious motive and
primitive biological instincts. It
considered all humans
basically would like to gain
pleasure and avoid pain.
Contemporary Approaches
 Neuroscience - Views behavior from the
perspective of biological functioning

 Psychodynamic - Believes behavior is

motivated by inner, unconscious force
over which a person has little control
Contemporary Approaches
 Behavioral - Focuses on observable
behavior

 Cognitive - Examines how people

understand and think about the world

 Humanistic – Contends that people can

control their behavior and that they
naturally try to reach their full potential
The Scientific Method
 The approach used by psychologists to
systematically acquire knowledge and
understanding about behavior and other
phenomena of interest.
1. Identifying questions of interest,
2. Formulating an explanation, (Theories and
Hypotheses)
3. Carrying out research designed to support
or refute the explanation.
Methods Used in Psychology
1. Descriptive Research – An approach to
research designed to systematically
investigate a person, group, or patterns of
behavior.
a. Naturalistic Observation - Research in
which an investigator simply observes some
naturally occurring behavior and does not
make a change in the situation
b. Directed Observation (Survey) - Research
in which people chosen to represent a larger
population are asked a series of questions
about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes.
Methods Used in Psychology
1. Descriptive Research – An approach to
research designed to systematically
investigate a person, group, or patterns of
behavior.
c. Archival Research - Research in which
existing data, such as census documents,
college records, and newspaper clippings, are
examined to test a hypothesis.
d. Case Study - An in-depth, intensive
investigation of an individual or small group of
people.
Methods Used in Psychology
2. Correlational Method - The correlational
method involves systematically measuring
the relationship between two or more
variables

Correlation Coefficient : +1.00 to -1.00

Positive Correlation
Negative Correlation
Methods Used in Psychology

Correlational Method
Methods Used in Psychology
3. Experimental Method - Considered as
the most scientific of all methods. The
researcher investigate a phenomenon by
preparing 2 identical groups and altering the
conditions of one of the groups; afterwards,
measuring the difference.
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Methods used in Psychology

Experimental Method
Fields in Psychology

1. Developmental Psychology – The study of

human development and the factors that shape
behavior form birth to old age.
Fields in Psychology

2. Social Psychology – The study of how people

think about, influence, relate with one another, and
the ways interaction with other people influence
attitudes and behavior.

3. Personality Psychology – The study of

individual differences.
Fields in Psychology

4. Clinical Psychology – The study of the

diagnosis and treatment of emotional and
behavioral problems (mental illness, drug addiction,
marital and family conflict).
Fields in Psychology

5. Counseling Psychology – The study that deals

with personal problems such as academics, social
or vocational problems; counseling psychologists
deal with less serious problems compared to clinical
psychologists.
Fields in Psychology

6. School and Educational Psychology – The

study that deals with the evaluation of learning and
emotional problems of individual in school.
Fields in Psychology

7. Industrial/Organizational Psychology – The

study involving the selection of people most suitable
for particular jobs, the development of training
programs in organization, and the identification of
determinants of consumer behavior.
Fields in Psychology

8. Environmental Psychology – The study that deals

with the relationship between humans and the
environment.
Fields in Psychology

9. Behavioral Neuroscience – The study that

employs the biological perspective, seeking to
discover the relationships between biological
processes and behavior.
Fields in Psychology

10. Experimental Psychology – The study that

employs the behavioral and cognitive perspective
as well as the experimental method in studying how
people react to sensory stimuli, perceive the world,
learn and remember, and respond.
Fields in Psychology

11. Forensic Psychology – the study that applies

psychology to the law and legal proceedings.
Fields in Psychology
12. Sports Psychology – The study that applies
theories and knowledge in psychology to enhance
athletes’ and coaches’ performance.
Fields in Psychology

15. Health Psychology – The study of the cognitive,

affective, behavioral, and interpersonal factors
affecting health and illness.
Fields in Psychology
16. Cross-Cultural Psychology -
investigates the similarities and
differences in psychological functioning
in and across various cultures and
ethnic groups.
17. Behavioral Genetics - studies the
inheritance o f traits related to behavior
Fields in Psychology
18. Cognitive psychology - focuses on
the study of higher mental processes
19. Evolutionary psychology - considers
how behavior is influenced by our
genetic inheritance from our ancestors.
20. Psychology of Women - focuses on
issues such as discrimination against
women and the causes of violence
against women
Activity
 Identify which subfield of psychology is
related to the issues or questions posed
below:
1. Joan, a college freshman, is worried about
her grades. She needs to learn better
organizational skills and study habits to
cope with the demands of college.
2. At what age do children generally begin to
acquire an emotional attachment to their
fathers?
Activity
3. It is thought that pornographic films that depict
violence against women may prompt aggressive
behavior in some men.
4. What chemicals are released in the human body
as a result of a stressful event? What are their
effects on behavior?
5. Luis is unique in his manner of responding
to crisis situations, with an even
temperament and a positive outlook
6. Jeanette's job is demanding and stressful. She
wonders if her lifestyle is making her more
prone to certain illnesses, such as cancer and
heart disease.
Activity
7. A psychologist is intrigued by the fact that
some people are much more sensitive to
painful stimuli than others are.
8. A strong fear of crowds leads a young
woman to seek treatment for her problem.
9. What mental strategies are involved in
solving complex word problems?
10. Jessica is asked to develop a management
strategy that will encourage safer work
practices in an assembly plant.