Psychology 1.01

1.03 First Psychology Laboratory

In the 1870's in Germany, Wilhelm Wundt set up and organized a laboratory dedicated to the study of human behavior. He believed that the study of human behavior could be looked at as any study in the natural sciences. The most important thing that Wundt did was to apply the scientific method to the study of behavior. The specific method that he used is called introspection, which is the examination of one's thoughts and feelings and then the recording and measurement of them. This was a turning point for psychology which led to the acceptance of psychology as a science in 1879. To be accepted as a science, psychology had to overcome the influences of religion and astrology. These influences have been and are important belief systems in people's lives, and it was not easy to say that they are had no place in explaining behavior. Since beliefs in these areas can not be proven, they fall into the realm of pseudopsychology, a non-scientific approach to explain behavior that cannot be tested or when tested does not appear valid. Wundt's efforts in making psychology a science had led to the definition of psychology as the study of behavior and the mental processes behind it. Assignment 1-1 Record your horoscope for 3 to 4 days. Compare and contrast its description of you to the "real" you. Write a short essay about the messages that astrology gives people and why they would "believe" in them. Your essay should be about 150 to 200 words.

1.02 Early Attempts to Understand Behavior

Psychology as a formal study had its roots in philosophy and biology. Early philosophers, such as Aristotle and Socrates, sought to find out the answers of psychology in the assumption that some knowledge and behavior is innate. Empiricism, coming on the scene in the 17th century, looked to explain behavior as coming through experience. Philosophers such as John Locke believed that we are born empty slates and the experiences of our senses shape us. In 1879, Psychology was looked at and evaluated as a science and since that time several theories and methods have evolved to explain behavior. So get ready to learn about yourself and others and try to answer the "why" questions of psychology. The recognized beginning of the science of psychology is said to be the year 1879. If we understand that interest in psychology dates back to ancient Greece, why did it take so long for it to be recognized as a scientific study? There was no way to "prove" the reasons for behavior and people could only guess at reasons. Religion and astrology guided the thinking about the reasons for behavior. This led to the reasons for behavior to get explained in religious and astrological terms which did not lend themselves to proof. There was no formal approach to the study of behavior.

Transcript (Video)

Screen 1 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: The title "Approaches: Structuralism," "Tries to break behavior into elements." appears at the top. In the center is a photograph of a teen boy sitting with his legs propped up on a railing. Along the bottom is the text, "Key Terms," followed by the text "Introspection: Looking into yourself to find elements of behavior." Male Narrator: Have you ever tried to dissect your thoughts? Structuralism was the first formal approach in psychology. It was started by Wilhelm Wundt, in his laboratory in Germany and brought to the United States by a student, Edward Titchener. Structuralism tried to break consciousness down into elements that could be measured and studied using a process called introspection. The person looked into himself and identified and isolated the elements of their thoughts. While modern psychology has rejected this theory, structuralism was the first attempt to study behavior using a systematic method. Screen 2 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: The title Approaches: Structuralism" appears at the top of the screen. Below this are the silhouettes of 3 men. The man on the left is lean and he is tagged "Ectomorph." The man in the middle is of average height and build and he is tagged "Mesomorph." The man on the right is heavy and stocky, and he is tagged "Endomorph." Male Narrator: William Sheldon developed a modern-day version of structuralism that was popular in the 1960s. He broke behavior down based on body types. He classified people as Ectomorphs, tall thin people, Mesomorphs, muscular, average height people, and Endomorphs, shorter, heavier people. He believed that body types help determine a person's personality. His classification system is widely disregarded today, although some fitness instructors use it to describe body types before and after training. Screen 3 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: The title "Approaches: Functionalism" appears at the top. Below it are the lines "Survival of the fittest' and 'Changing environment." Below this is a photograph of a teen boy sitting at his desk and doing his homework. Below this photograph is the text "Key Terms" followed by the text "Evolution: Survival of the fittest." Male Narrator: In the late 1880s, William James, influenced by the work of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, focused on the purpose of people's behavior, rather than on what was inside their minds or consciousness. This student is doing his homework. James was less interested in the internal factors in this student's mind, than on the external factors that led to him doing his homework. This perspective came to be known as functionalism. Other functionalists like John Dewey focused on individual differences which have influenced American education. Screen 4 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: The title appears: "Approaches: Psychoanalytical." Below it are the phrases "Free association and dreams," and "Unconscious, childhood, and conflict." Below this, on the left, is a photograph of Sigmund Freud. On the right is a pictorial representation of his theory. It shows a blue equilateral triangle with the word "Person" in it. The term "Ego" appears at the top angle of this triangle. The term "Id" appears at the left angle and the term "Superego" at the right angle. At the bottom of the screen is the text "Key terms" followed by the definitions of 4 terms. The first one reads as "Unconscious: Part of us that is not in the conscious awareness." The second one reads as "Id: Unconscious part of us that wants." The third reads as "Superego: Our conscious or what we know we should do." And, the fourth reads as "Ego: Conscious self; operated in reality." Male Narrator: In the early 1900s, Sigmund Freud proposed the psychoanalytic approach. He focused on the events of childhood, the unconscious, and the conflicts between the biological or sexual instinct and what society expects. Freud believed that unconscious sexual drives in conflict shape behavior. According to Freud, people's personalities are made up of three interacting parts: The Id is the unconscious structure that we are born with and only wants pleasure. The second structure, the super ego, begins on the conscious level and then becomes unconscious. It acts as our conscious and tries to keep the Id in check. The third structure is the ego and it is the conscious self. It tries to mediate the struggle of the Id and super ego. Freud would use methods with his patients to try to tap into the unconscious. He would have the person lie down on a couch to relax, so that the unconscious was more readily available. He would then use his method of free association, giving the person a word and then asking them to say the first word that came to mind. Freud emphasized the importance of dreams since he believed dreaming was the time the unconscious could express itself. Freud believed that during childhood, that experiences are pushed into the unconscious and would have a later effect on behavior. Freud's approach cannot be proved or disproved. Conscious is not definable or open to testing. Even though this goes against the scientific method, regardless Freud's approach and some of his ideas have had a profound effect on psychology. Today psychoanalytic psychologists follow Freud with much less emphasis on the sexual part of his theory. Screen 5 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: Below the title "Approaches: Behaviorism" is the word "Environment." Below this is a photograph of a young girl snow tubing. Below the photograph, the text "Key terms" appears followed by the text: "Environmental determinants: rewards and punishments that shape behavior." Male Narrator: Why is this girl willing to walk uphill in the cold? John Watson said it had nothing to do with her unconscious desires, in direct opposition to Freud's emphasis on the unconscious. Watson presented his approach "Behaviorism" in 1913. He was only concerned with observable behavior. If the behavior cannot be observed and measured, it is not of any importance to the behaviorist. This approach emphasizes the environmental determinants of behavior. Behavior is determined by external events and stimuli, such as punishment and reward. If behavior needs to be changed, the environmental determinants can be manipulated. Behaviorists would point to the reward this girl gets when she goes down the hill on her sled as a reason she's willing to climb up it. This theory is still very influential in contemporary psychology. Screen 6 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: At the top of the screen is the title "Approaches: Cognitive." Below this is the text "Cognitions - Thoughts." Below this is a photograph of a young boy trying to solve a puzzle. In front of him are 4 piles of colored blocks: red, orange, yellow, and green. A single blue block lies beside the board. Below the picture, the text "Key terms" appears followed by the text "Cognition: Our thought process: how we perceive, organize, store, and retrieve information." Male Narrator: What is happening in this boy's brain as he tries to solve the puzzle? The cognitive approach began in Germany with a group of psychologists called the Gestalt psychologists. They focused on the importance of our mental abilities in guiding behavior. Cognitive psychology advanced into a modern-day approach by the work of John Bjo in the 1950s. He focused on how we interpret, organize, store, and retrieve information. This approach believes that mental processes shape our behavior, and that if behavior needs to be changed, our thoughts need to be changed first. Screen 7 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: Below the title "Approaches: Humanism" is the text "Ideal Self, Real Self." Below this is a photograph of 3 smiling teen girls camping outside, eating, and sitting next to 2 tents. At the bottom of the screen, the text "Key Terms" appears, followed by the text "Self-Actualization: Striving to be your best." Male Narrator: What do you do to stay mentally and physically healthy? In the 1950s, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers presented a positive approach to the study of behavior. They called their approach Humanism. The humanistic approach looks at people as basically healthy and happy, and in control of their behavior as a product of free will. Humanists talk about an ideal image that we strive to be, in a real image that we realize we are. The further these 2 images are from each other, the more frustrated a person becomes and the more negative the behavior results. Humanists believe that they can assist people in understanding their behavior and help them bring about change. People strive to be the best they can, or in humanistic terms, self-actualized. Screen 8 00:00:00.00 Description Narrator: Onscreen is the title Approaches: Neurobiological, Social, Cultural, Evolutionary." Below this, is a photograph of a woman in a lab conducting an experiment. Male Narrator: The last 3 approaches are new ones that have evolved with current research. Many people that are involved in that may hold new ways to look at behavior. The neurobiological approach looks at the genetic contributions of behavior, the chemical balances and imbalances that can cause behavior to change. The social-cultural approach considers how behavior varies due to differences in culture, age, gender, and social situations. This approach tries to help people understand the impact of these differences when interacting with each other. The evolutionary approach looks at the adaptation of behavior through genetics that have allowed us to survive and thrive.

1.04 Theories and Approaches

You, your brother, and your sister have been allowed to decorate the basement recreation room. Your older brother wants to make it a game room with a big screen TV and numerous game systems and decorated in a football theme. You would like a large screen TV and a surround sound music system and would like to see it decorated with bright lights, large pillows and neon walls. Your younger sister would like to see it decorated with an American Doll theme with numerous dolls and doll furniture. All three of you have different views on how to best use the space. No one idea is wrong, but they are each a different perspective. Psychology as a field of study also has different views called approaches or theories to explain human behavior. These approaches or theories may seem confusing, but they are simply different explanations for various behavior. View the presentation to learn more.